When a disaster emergency requires a coordinated response, the following tiered response is implemented as appropriate:
First Responders
The first responders are dispatched to respond to the emergency. A local emergency official assumes the role of incident commander and leads the response effort at the scene. The incident commander follows standard operating procedures and standard operating guides, communicates with the Municipal Administrator and requests additional assistance.
City and Borough
Within Alaska, only the “chief executive officer” of the involved municipality may declare a disaster emergency (AS 26.23.140). The Municipal Administrator is defined as the “chief executive officer” for the City and Borough of Sitka.
The Municipal Administrator implements the Emergency Operations Plan, opens the local Emergency Operations Center, declares a local disaster emergency and communicates with the next level of government and requests assistance.
The Municipal Administrator, on declaring a disaster/emergency, will activate the Emergency Operations Center and direct organizations to ensure that personnel report to appropriate locations.
Following is a list of essential personnel that will be part of the Incident Command Team and asked to report to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at the Sitka Volunteer Fire Department.
- City Administrator (Incident Commander)
- Fire Chief (Operations)
- Police Chief
- Public Safety Academy Lieutenant
- Director of Public Works
- Harbormaster
- Finance Department
State
The Governor implements the State of Alaska Emergency Operations Plan activates the State Emergency Coordination Center, declares a State Disaster Emergency, appoints a State Coordinating Officer, contacts the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Regional Director and requests a Presidential Disaster Declaration for federal assistance.
Federal
Based on the Governor's request, the President may declare that a major disaster or emergency exists, thus activating an array of Federal programs to assist in the response and recovery effort. The President has the authority to declare an emergency or major disaster.
Federal, State, and Non-governmental Agencies in Sitka
The following state, federal and non-governmental agencies in Sitka have resources and could be assigned to various functions during the development of an operation. Their areas of expertise are listed below. It is assumed that each of these agencies has developed a standard set of guidelines and operating procedures for handling emergencies.
| Alaska State Troopers | Evacuation assistance, security, transportation, traffic and crowd control |
| Airport | Logistical support, fire suppression |
| Alaska Fish and Game | Logistics , enforcement |
| Alaska State Parks | Logistics, enforcement |
| U.S. Coast Guard | Search and rescue, medevac, logistics |
| U.S. Forest Service | Logistics |
| National Park Service | Logistics, enforcement personnel, resource protection |
| National Marine Fisheries | Logistics, enforcement personnel |
| Salvation Army | Shelter and humanitarian services |
| Center for Community | Evacuation notification |