Motion For Alternative Service Maryland: Fill & Download for Free

Many, many years ago (as in the early ‘90’s) I gave a presentation on technology in which I made a few predictions, one of which was that by the end of the ‘90’s distributed processing would become all the rage. That has come to pass - today anyone who is building systems will generally consider incorporating micro services as an option to completing the job. Games are all about parallel processing. The Internet itself has become one giant distributed processing machine.The reason that prediction became true was twofold. It was predicated on software re-usability and performance. Anyone who believed in the economics of software re-usability just knew that human beings would find a way to get it done. At the time I gave the presentation, people were getting it done, just not in a distributed manner. The extrapolation to distributed systems was obvious to some, but not to all.Secondly, humans have an insatiable demand for performance. There’s a reason why Google searches usually occur in less than half a second. In 2006, Google VP Marissa Mayer ran an experiment where Google increased the number of search results from 10 to 30. Traffic and revenue from Google searchers in the experimental group dropped by 20%. Why? The page with 10 results took .4 seconds to generate. The page with 30 results took .9 seconds. Half a second delay caused a 20% drop in traffic. Half a second delay killed user satisfaction. The lesson, Marissa said, is that speed matters. People do not like to wait. Do not make them.These days, AI and Big Data (in addition to games) are areas where parallel processing play big time. GPU’s are in use today, and Google’s TPU’s have shown that newer chip designs can run faster and consume less power - very valuable in the AI market, primarily for performance reasons. Software has already been created in the Big Data environment to manage decomposed processes that run on 1000’s of machines simultaneously to give the needed performance boost.So the point is that there are already applications today that need parallel processing for performance - without it they would be unusable! One question that could be asked is whether there will ever be a contender for parallelism in the performance arena i.e. something that works better than conventional parallel processing.I can think of only two possibilities that might beat i.e. perform faster than conventional parallel processing: quantum computing, and superconducting computing. Let’s take a look at those in reverse order.Superconducting computing research has been pursued since the 1950’s, however, as of 2018 there are no commercial superconducting computers. Yet the requirement for Exascale computing - Wikipedia performance has been recognized as recently as 2015 in the National Strategic Computing Initiative - Wikipedia. Exascale computing is believed to be on the order of the processing power of the human brain. Although superconductor computing does involve using quantum effects (as does conventional computing) it is not considered to be a quantum computer.Quantum computing on the other hand holds the promise of instantaneous computing - hard to beat that! Quantum computers are inherently parallel (but not conventionally parallel), and off the charts powerful. Michelle Simmons, research head at the Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology at the University of New South Wales, illustrated the potential of quantum computing in a tangible and visceral way in a recent talk. "Every time I add a quantum bit to a quantum computer, I double the computational power," she explains. "If I could have 300 qubits, that would be more powerful than all the computers in the world connected together."Interestingly enough, the two biggest contenders today in the quantum computer world, IBM and Google, both utilize superconductors to get the job done. They submerge their superconductor systems in sub-zero temperatures to allow these machines to work without producing too much resistance.Time crystals were proposed as an alternative to superconductors by Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek in 2012. A Time crystal - Wikipedia is an alternative form of matter that acts as a perpetual motion machine. The idea of synthesizing time crystals in a lab seemed theoretically impossible when the idea was proposed, however, two separate research teams - one from University of Maryland, and the other from Harvard University have since successfully created and observed the new type of matter in their own labs. University of Maryland's team has tested their quantum computer against IBM's 5-qubit superconducting system, out-performing the superconducting system on all results (it should be noted that IBM has also crafted a 16-qubit processor).With all of the above going on I think it is safe to say that parallelism is here to stay. The real question becomes whether quantum parallelism will displace conventional parallelism. I’d say probably yes, but not for a long time. Today’s quantum computers and superconducting computers have a long ways to go before they sit on your desktop or your mobile phone.ps: For those interested in learning a bit about the history of mainstream adoption of distributed processing, this ACM article provides some good background - written by Michi Henning who worked on CORBA from 1995–2002:The Rise and Fall of CORBA - while the focus of the article is on the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), the first section “A Brief History” provides an enlightening view of the twists and turns that distributed technology took from the early ‘90’s through to about 2005.

Because familiarity breeds the assumption that one understands what one doesn’t, and because people tend not to question the sociocultural norms they are born into, even, in this case, when those are extremely dangerous.People think they know what they are familiar with, and they are familiar with eating. So, like those who think they know how to run a school because they have been to school, think they know about sex because they have had sex, or think they understand another person because they’ve encountered him or her in a checkout line, they are full of opinions, and many of them are wrong. This is a well-established cognitive bias.The following are suggestions for talking to nonvegans about veganism. They are from my book “Trillions of Universes” and can be reproduced and distributed as long as the material is not edited and is properly attributed to me.Answers to Arguments against VeganismYou vegans think you are superior. This is precisely the opposite of the vegan position. Vegans are vegan because they believe that in an essential, defining respect, they are NOT, in some important respects, superior to the trillions of other animals with which we share the planet. Vegans know that other animals are just like them in being sentient creatures to whom their own well-being matters. This makes those other creatures into moral subjects as opposed to objects with which we can do as we will.Where do you get your protein? On average, 14 percent of the calories in plant foods are from protein, MORE than enough to provide the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, and all the essential amino acids—the constituents of proteins—are found in readily available veggie sources. Vegans with high protein requirements—ones who are engaged in body building, for example—can concentrate on wide variety of high-protein plant foods. Ask the vegan gorilla and water buffalo where they get their protein. This one really is a no-brainer.Veganism is too expensive. If one were to eat ONLY processed vegan foods—vegan ice cream, vegan cheese, vegan hamburgers, and so on—then yes, veganism could be relatively expensive, though not that much more so than is the average carnivorous diet. Meat and cheese are among the most expensive items in the grocery store. As of this writing,[1] the website How Much Is It? | HowMuchIsIt.org gives the price of ribeye steak at $7-to-$15 per pound, the price of fillet mignon at $16-to-$20 a pound, the price of premium chicken breast at $3-to-$5 per pound, and the price of cheddar cheese at $6-to-$13 per pound (and much, much more for premium varieties). An economist friend of mine recently did a calculation for me. At the lowest end—based on 2014 commodity prices for dry soybeans and rice—one could supply the basic calorie requirements of an adult at a cost of 13 cents a day. I am not suggesting, however, that you start living on a diet of soybeans and rice bought by the truck load. Ellen Jaffe Jones has written a cookbook called Eat Vegan on $4.00 a Day: A Game Plan for the Budget Conscious Cook. One could easily follow her suggestions and eat royally at very, very low cost. Furthermore, it’s fairly easy to learn how to create yummy, low-cost home-made alternatives to those vegan fake meats and cheeses. See the Recipe section of this book for examples. And, of course, as more people become vegan, the prices of prepared vegan meat and cheese alternatives (which you don’t need anyway—they can be a rare treat) will fall. They are already often less than the prices of traditional meat and cheese—far, far less if one factors in the cost in avoidable suffering.But meat and cheese are so tasty! (Variant: I’m a member of PETA—People Eating Tasty Animals). First, something’s being pleasurable in the short run doesn’t mean that it is either good for you in the long run or morally right (good for you and others). It’s easy to find examples where one or both aren’t so. Having sex with random strangers, using heroin or methamphetamine, and skydiving without a parachute spring readily to mind. Second, tastes change. Many people find that after they go vegan, they lose the taste they formerly had for meat and dairy. Here’s an explanation for that: Taste is highly susceptible to cognitive bias. Research shows, for example, that people in focus groups prefer the tastes of low-quality wines labeled as expensive to the taste of high-quality wines labeled as cheap. Their ideas color what they perceive. Many vegans—former meat and dairy consumers, most of them—are put off by the idea of putting dead things in their mouths, or, as is commonly said by vegans, by the idea of “consuming suffering.” Their ideas affect their tastes. This isn’t a bad thing. It serves them and the animals who don’t suffer and die as a result of their choices.I could never give up meat (or cheese or whatever). Yes you can.Vegan food tastes bad. Early vegan alternative meats and cheeses did taste pretty awful, but that’s changed as the numbers of vegans and vegetarians has grown and competitive products have entered the market. This argument is based on a false premise—that vegans eat primarily alternative meats and cheeses, but there are many thousands of standard dishes that are vegan and contain no awful-tasting ersatz meats and dairy products. For most of human history, in most cultures, most people didn’t eat much meat, and there are literally hundreds of thousands of completely vegan dishes that you can eat that are extraordinarily delicious, as one can readily confirm by checking out the menus of vegan restaurants or looking at vegan cookbooks or recipe websites. See Getting Started with Compassionate Eating and the Recipe section of this book for examples.Veganism isn’t natural. In her breathtakingly beautiful book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, writer Annie Dillard tells how etymologists—people who study insects—rarely find specimens in the wild that are not missing a significant portion of their anatomy—an antenna, a leg, a piece of carapace, a wing. “Must everything whole be nibbled?” she asks, and why is life in the grass one great “chomp”? Ten percent of insects, she further points out, are parasitic. Everywhere one looks in the natural world, one finds blood and death, struggle, “nature red in tooth and claw,” as Tennyson famously put it.[2] Eating others is nature’s way, some argue. Veganism is therefore unnatural and we should reject it and do the natural thing—eat others and avoid being eaten. It’s easy enough to see why this argument fails. That something is natural doesn’t make it a model for human moral behavior. Parasitism is natural, but few would think this an appropriate model for human action. So is coprophagia, or eating of excrement, found in dung-beetles, flies, termites, rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas, male-rats, gorillas, chimpanzees, pigs, and juvenile elephants, giant pandas, koalas, and hippos. That cruelty exists—is part of the order of things—is no reason for adding more cruelty unnecessarily. That some other animals kill for a living does not mean that we have to or should.Cooking meat made us human. This was recently the premise of a best-selling book. The argument? Cooking made available the high-density nutrients in meat, fueling the development of our big brains. However, it ought to be obvious enough that cooking makes available a lot of plant calories that would not otherwise be available.[3] Try chewing on raw tuber. You’ll get the idea.Plants have feelings, too. In the documentary film Native American Prophecy: The Elders Speak, Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper for the Turtle Clan of the Seneca peoples, reminds us that plants form communities:No tree grows by itself. A tree is a community. Certain trees—certain plants will gather around certain trees, and certain medicines will gather around certain plants, so that if you kill all the trees—if you cut all the trees, then you are destroying a community—you’re not just destroying a tree, you are destroying a whole community that surrounds it and thrives on it and that may be very important medicine for people or for animals. Because animals know the same medicine—they use this medicine—that’s where we learned. We learned by watching animals. They taught us a lot. Where is the medicine? They’ll tell you because they use it themselves. And if you replant the tree, you don’t replant the community, you replant the tree, so you’ve lost a community, and if you clear cut, which I what is happening . . . then you are really a very destructive force . . . and if you don’t understand that, you will.Modern scientists are now documenting what indigenous peoples have always known—that plants communicate with one another, form communities, react to noxious stimuli, and even wage war (by chemical means). Watch an accelerated film of plants vining or turning toward the sunlight, and it’s difficult to escape the impression that one is looking at something very much like an animal—something volitional. But do plants think and feel pain? Do they do what animals do, but just in slow motion and in one place? Here’s what botanist David Chamovitz says about that:“[T]hinking and information processing are two different constructs. . . . [P]urposeful thinking necessitates a highly developed brain and autonoetic, or at least noetic, consciousness. Plants exhibit elements of anoetic consciousness which doesn’t include, in my understanding, the ability to think. Just as a plant can’t suffer subjective pain in the absence of a brain, I also don’t think that it thinks. . . . [T]he term plant neurobiology is as ridiculous as say, human floral biology. Plants do not have neurons just as humans don’t have flowers!”[4]Noetic consciousness is subjective, inner experiencing—nonreflexive awareness of the kind clearly possessed by nonhuman animals. Autonoetic, or reflexive, consciousness is the ability to place one’s self in the past, in the future, or in counterfactual situations, as well as the ability to examine one’s own thoughts—all of which have been documented widely in nonhuman animals but never in plants. You can think of it as metaconsciousness, activity of the mind involving attention to one’s own awareness. Plants have neither. Plants have neither neural systems for carrying out such activities nor nociceptors for pain, so they are neither conscious nor sensate in the sense that animals are. Though plants do react to noxious stimuli, they simply do not have physical systems associated with experiencing pain. Imagine sticking a pig and a carrot with a knife. It’s easy enough to see the difference.We should respect indigenous lifeways that involve eating animals and using animal products. Yes, we should. In many places throughout the world, indigenous peoples have survived for thousands of years because they followed the rules. As writer and activist Derrick Jensen points out in several breathtakingly eloquent and persuasive books, including Listening to the Land, A Language Older than Words, Endgame Vols 1 and 2, and What We Leave Behind, they didn’t take more salmon from their streams or more buffalo from their plains than the land could replenish. Those who failed to follow the rules, as detailed in Jared Diamond’s Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, managed to destroy themselves without help from the white younger brother. They are gone.We no longer follow the rules. We murder animals by the trillions and devastate the environment in the process (See Chapter 6). Clearly, what we do must stop. But what about indigenous peoples? Here I feel out of my comfort zone, for though some of the blood that runs in my veins is Cherokee, I have not lived an Indian way of life, and I feel myself as unqualified to speak for Indians as I do for women on the subject of their reproductive rights. How do I square my respect for indigenous lifeways with my insistence that the individual lives of individual animals matter, including the lives of those animals killed to fill the hungry bellies of indigenous children and to make useful articles like tepees, drums, moccasins, and pipes? Here I can only say to my brothers and sisters, let us talk and hear one another.Some indigenous peoples live in environments where they can’t grow sufficient quantities of plant foods. The Dalai Lama has pointed out, for example, that the “northern part of Tibet” has a poor climate for growing vegetables and has suggested that a vegetarian or vegan diet, there, is “very difficult” to sustain.[5] Similarly, the Inuit, unable to cultivate plants in the Arctic, depend heavily on animals as food. Most readers of this book, and most who make this argument, will not be Tibetan or Inuit. So this argument applies neither to them nor to you. It’s simply not an acceptable excuse.Vegans are sickly and weak. Tell that to the thousands of vegan athletes like vegan bodybuilder Jim Morris, vegan Ironman triathlete Bendan Brazier, vegan bodybuilder Robert Cheeke (winner of the INBA USA Overall Novice Bodybuilding Championship), vegan cyclist Jack Lindquist, vegan bodybuilder Robert Hazely, NFL hockey player Georges Laraqu, vegan Olympic runner Carl Lewis, vegan powerlifter Melody Schoenfeld, vegan pitcher for the Minnesota Twins Patrick J. Neshek, vegan marathon champion Fiona Oakes, vegan bodybuilder Amanda Reister (winner of 1st place at the Natural North American Bodybuilding Championships), vegan martial artist David Meyer (holder of seven national and international gold medals), vegan ultradistance runner Damian Stoy, and world champion vegan figure skater Meagan Duhamel. And understand that veganism is NOT a diet. One can eat many possible diets that are vegan. A diet consisting entirely of potato chips and Diet Coke™ would be vegan, but it wouldn’t be good for you. Any vegan who is sickly and weak is not eating a broad, well-balanced diet of fats, fruits, legumes, veggies, and grains. It’s really that simple.Other animals do not behave morally, so we have no moral obligations to them. In our law, we recognize that the very young are not necessarily, because of their youth, morally capable and so culpable. But we do not say that because babies are not yet moral actors, we have no moral obligations to them. Clearly, we do. Furthermore, it simply is not the case that other animals lack a moral sense. Rats, for example, have been shown to be willing, when trapped in cages with limited food, to liberate trapped companions and to share their food with them. For extensive treatments of morality in nonhuman animals, see Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce’s Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals.[6]Animals can’t be self-aware because they don’t have language. The notion here is that in order for a creature to have a consciousness that matters morally, he or she has to be self-reflective in words. The creature has to be able to think in words about who he or she is, something that nonhuman animals cannot do. Another variant of this—even more extreme—is that self-reflection is possible only in words. I recently encountered this argument in a collection of famous twentieth-century essays on the philosophy of language, but I won’t shame the author by naming him. Such arguments make me want to weep for what we have lost. Only people who have become so stuck in their word worlds that they cannot fathom simply being could possibly think in this way. Are we ready to say that babies are not self-aware because they don’t yet express thoughts to themselves in language?[7] Can anyone actually believe that he or she is not capable of states of awareness that are not mediated by or represented in language? It’s difficult to imagine that anyone who has thought about this could take the idea at all seriously. I can’t help but think that people who hold this position are terribly stunted. They may even be beautifully stunted, like bonsai, but how could they possibly flower and bear fruit? They have forgotten how to be quiet, how simply to be there, a warm breathing, present to their own being and to others’. I hear this argument and I want to write a prescription: Go somewhere—to a mountaintop, to a seashore, to a meditation retreat—and turn off your language for a while. Try to be present to another without language, beyond language. It might be hard a first, but practice. You’ll get the hang of it.Humans have incisors and canine teeth for ripping meat. This is a variety of the “Meat-eating is natural for humans argument,” and it fails miserably. Incisors are the sharp, flat teeth at the front of your mouth. Canines are the sharp, pointed teeth on either side in front. Many entirely herbivorous animals—horses, for example—have incisors. These are useful for cutting plant foods. Quite a few almost entirely herbivorous mammals—gorillas, and chimpanzees, for example—have canine teeth, but in these animals, the canines are dramatically reduced. They are nothing like the massive canines of carnivores like cheetahs or hyenas. Some mostly herbivorous monkeys—baboons and macaques for example, have fairly large canines. Canines in herbivores make readily available a variety of tough plant foods that have to be torn to be eaten. They are also useful in dominance displays, for scaring off predators and rivals, which explains why in polygamous mammals with canines (gorillas, for example), the canine teeth tend to be much larger in males than in females (a sexual dimorphism, or difference in body form, not found in humans).[8] The canines of humans are relatively tiny and useful for eating a wide variety of plant foods. Think about this the next time you tear into the tough skin of a not-fully-matured apple.Veganism is an upper-middle-class, white, Western fad. Reread the first chapter of this book. For most of human history, in most places, people have subsisted PRIMARILY on plant foods. Lactose tolerance, enabling some people to digest dairy products, is a relatively recent phenomenon, dated to about 4,300 years ago, and today, much of the world—in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean, in particular—continues to be lactose intolerant, as are 75 percent “of all African-American, Jewish, Mexican-American, and Native American adults.”[9] Most people in India are vegetarians. Most people throughout history, and most yet today, simply have not been wealthy enough to eat substantial amounts of meat or dairy. Unfortunately, today, as economic conditions improve worldwide, more people are turning to meat and dairy. According to the Vital Signs project of the Worldwatch Institute, meat production worldwide tripled in the four decades preceding 2011.[10] The United Nations projects that global meat consumption per person will increase by around 22 percent and global dairy consumption by 11 percent by 2030, which, given population increases, will mean a doubling of demand, putting enormous strains on resources of land and water.[11] If the rest of the world begins to eat in the extravagantly wasteful, damaging, nonvegan way that we’ve been doing in the West, then we’re doomed. Robert Howarth, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornel puts it this way:We need to stop over-consuming land-based products. For example, one of our key challenges is overusing agricultural land for growing meat. There is just not enough land on Earth for everyone in the world to eat like Americans and Europeans. . . . [T]o put this into context and to help sustain feeding a burgeoning global population, we need to reduce our meat consumption by 60 percent.”[12]The upper-middle-class, white, Western fad has been our gorging, in the West, on meat and dairy, and consuming ourselves and the rest of the world in the process. It’s long past time for us to stop, for everyone else’s benefit and our own.Eating meat and dairy is correlated with longevity. The argument goes something like this: People in Nigeria and Laos don’t eat much meat and dairy, and they don’t live very long. People in Finland, the United States, and Japan eat a LOT of meat and dairy, and they have the longest lives. This is a classic example of the logical fallacy of false attribution. People in Finland, the United States, and Japan have access to superb medical care, nutrition, and sanitation. People in Nigeria do not. And with those long lives in Finland, the US, Japan, and other countries in the developed world come epidemics of diseases of affluence—heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer, and osteoporosis—all associated with diets heavy in meat and dairy. A 2003 metastudy review of the relevant research literature, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that[A] very low meat intake was associated with a significant decrease in risk of death in 4 studies, a nonsignificant decrease in risk of death in the fifth study and virtually no association in the sixth study. . . . 2 of the studies in which a low meat intake significantly decreased mortality risk also indicated that a longer duration (2 decades) of adherence to this diet contributed to a significant decrease in mortality risk and a significant 3.6-y . . . increase in life expectancy. . . . Current prospective cohort data from adults in North America and Europe raise the possibility that a lifestyle pattern that includes a very low meat intake is associated with greater longevity.[13]“Raise the possibility.” This is the kind of understatement that is fashionable in scientific literature. What will you do, as a vegan, with your extra 3.6 years of life?It’s OK if the meat is raised and slaughtered humanely. If ever there was an oxymoron, slaughtered humanely is one. Add it to the pile with just war and Congressional ethics.But I eat only free range eggs, poultry, beef, etc. The USDA regulates use of the term free range only for poultry, and the sole regulation is that there be “access to the outside.”[14] In practice, this means that a producer can label a chicken or turkey “free range” if he or she was raised in a thousand-foot shed with 40,000 other birds, at one end of which was a tiny opening onto a 4 x 4-foot concrete slab that, at any rate, all but a tiny fraction of the birds could never reach in their short, miserable, earth- and sky-deprived lives.It’s OK if you cut out meat but still eat dairy. Reread the description of dairy operations on page 000 and see if you can still believe this. As Rutgers law professor and leader of the Abolitionist Movement in animal rights Gary Francione has eloquently put it: “There is absolutely no morally defensible distinction between flesh and other animal products, such as milk or cheese. Animals used in the dairy industry usually live longer and are treated as badly if not worse than their meat counterparts, and they all end up in the same slaughterhouse anyway. The meat and dairy industries are inextricably intertwined. As far as I am concerned, there is more suffering in a glass of milk than in a pound of steak.”[15]Farm animals would die out if we didn’t eat them. This simply is not so. If freed, domesticated and farmed animals can and do return to their lives in the wild. The technical term for such creatures—formerly domesticated ones living (and often thriving) in the wild—is feral animals. Downtown Tampa, Florida, has a population of wild chickens. Staten Island has a population of mixed wild and feral turkeys. Chirikof Island, in Alaska, has a population of feral cattle, as does Sapelo Island off the Georgia coast. THE USDA Forest Service runs programs to “gather and remove” feral cattle in the American West. Feral pigs are found worldwide. The wild horses of Australia (where there are some 400,000 of them), Portugal, India, and the American West and the Chicoteague Ponies of Assateague Island in Virginia and Maryland are all descendants of domesticated animals. Many, many more examples could be adduced. And, by the way, I prefer to use the term farmed animals rather than farm animals, for the same reason that Frederick Douglas referred to himself as formerly enslaved but not a slave.Farm animals would overpopulate the world if we didn’t eat them. OK, I recognize that this is a ridiculous argument, but one sometimes hears it, so I have felt obliged to include it here. Farmed animals exist in such numbers because we breed them in such numbers. And it’s inaccurate to say that they would overpopulate the world. They already do, and only we can end this overpopulation by stopping the breeding. People often talk about the human population explosion—about the stress on the environment caused by there being seven billion humans on the planet—but they rarely think of the fact that the number of farmed animals is of an entire order of magnitude greater. We have tens of billions of farmed animals (we slaughter 66 billion a year) worldwide, all consuming resources, because we breed them in these astonishing numbers. The environmental pressure created by those tens of billions of farmed animals—pressures from cropland and water consumption, the production of solid, liquid, and gaseous wastes (including greenhouse gases), and pollution of waterways by nitrogen from agricultural operations to produce farmed animal feed—all are unsustainable. No, it is not true that if we went vegan, farmed animals would overpopulate the world. They already overpopulate the world because we are not yet vegan.There is a bond between the farm animal and the producer, a natural bond, one of commensalism and symbiosis. This argument is purest Romanticism that ignores the facts of the enslavement, torture, and eventual murder of the nonhuman animals so bound.Eating soy causes cancer, hypothyroidism, effeminacy in boys, and so on. No, it doesn’t. An extensive review of the research literature by Mark and Virginia Messina (2010) found thatthe evidence indicates that, with the exception of those individuals allergic to soy protein, soyfoods can play a beneficial role in the diets of vegetarians. Concerns about adverse effects are not supported by the clinical or epidemiologic literature. Based on the soy intake associated with health benefits in the epidemiologic studies and the benefits noted in clinical trials, optimal adult soy intake would appear to be between two and four servings per day.[16]See also Dr. Neal Barnard’s definitive review of the subject in “Settling the Soy Controversy.”[17]Veganism is impossible because one cannot avoid killing other animals. Drive a car or walk in the woods and other animals will die—the moth on the windshield, the spider underfoot. Eat vegetables, and you are responsible for the maiming and deaths of the many, many animals killed in the processes of tilling and reaping. Yes, I know. But this argument is again based on a false premise. Veganism is not about living so as to bring no harm to other animals. Veganism is aspirational. It is about ahimsa, living so as to bring about as little suffering as possible. As Chapter 5 of this book makes abundantly clear, eating meat and dairy are both extraordinarily wasteful of calories and of land. Most of them get thrown away. By eating vegan, we dramatically reduce the amount of land tilled and reaped and thus the number of animals maimed and killed. We should bike more and drive less. We should be careful where we step.Yes, animal agriculture is horrifically destructive because of the land wasted—land that could be used for wild habitat or far more productively for growing plants for consumption by humans than for feed—but what about highlands that cannot be used for growing crops? We should raise sheep and goats on these and eat them. This argument was popularized by Simon Fairlie in his book Meat: A Benign Extravagance. But I have one word for Mr. Fairlie: erosion. Highlands are delicate ecosystems, not places that we should turn into stomping grounds for artificially introduced animals raised for our consumption.Yes, animal agriculture is horrifically destructive because of the land wasted—land that could be used for wild habitat or far more productively for growing plants for consumption by humans than for feed—but what about feeding pigs and cattle on wastes from our plant agriculture and food operations? There would be fewer of them to eat than there are now, but wastes would be reduced. Another argument from Mr. Fairlie, but this one also fails. Those wastes could not sustain a lot of production, so the meat produced would be very, very expensive—a luxury for the very wealthy, and pressure would inevitably be put on the poor to divert additional food resources to such production. And, of course, Mr. Fairlie misses, in the title of his book, the point: there is nothing benign about killing and eating creatures like pigs with the cognitive capacities of three-year-old human children.Sustainable agriculture requires animal fertilizers, not the artificial stuff we now use that is having such devastating impact. This argument was popularized by Lierre Keith in her book The Vegetarian Myth and in her lectures and workshops to college students around the country. But there are alternatives. One can do vegan farming with a combination of green manures (clover and vetch), mulch, vegetable compost, chipped, branched wood, and techniques like crop rotation and polyculture (planting multiple crops in the same space in imitation of natural diversity), and nonpurists can use some rock-based (phosphate) fertilizers.[18] The techniques involved are known collectively as “veganics.” For more information, see the Vegan Agriculture Network website at Veganic Agriculture Network and the following books: Growing Green—Organic Techniques for a Sustainable Future, by Jenny Hall and Iain Tolhurst; Veganic Gardening—The Alternative System for Healthier Crops, by Kenneth Dalziel O’Brien; Teaming with Microbes—A Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web, by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis; and The Vegan Book of Permaculture: Recipes for Healthy Eating and Earthright Living, by Graham Burnett.Humans should eat a Paleolithic diet. Paleolithic humans ate primarily plant foods, supplemented by small amounts of hunted and scavenged meat. So, if you want to eat Paleolithic, don’t neglect your vegetables, and supplement with scavenged meat. Roadkill should do quite nicely. While there is significant recent evidence that fats (which are, like proteins, amply provided by plant foods) are an essential part of a healthy diet, excessive quantities of fats, and particularly of the triglycerides found in such abundance in meat, are bad for you. With that in mind, you might want to get your healthy fats from plants, and skip the roadkill (and its equivalents in the meat aisle of your grocery).Hitler was a vegetarian. Godwin’s Law states that “As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1.” As any vegan who spends time on social media knows, there’s no shortage, in the world, of meat-eaters eager to interrupt a discussion of veganism with the observation that Hitler was a vegetarian. There are, of course, some problems with this. First, Hitler wasn’t a vegetarian. Second, even if he were, that fact would be irrelevant, for two reasons: 1. Veganism is not a diet. It is a philosophy, and that philosophy has as its fundamental tenet ahimsa, or nonviolence. Therefore, “vegan Nazi” is an oxymoron. 2. From the fact that Hitler did x, it does not follow that x is evil. Hitler wore pants, sometimes. This does not mean that wearing pants is evil, though that’s what my mother was told when she dared to wear them many long years ago.[1] July, 2015.[2] “Man . . . trusted God was love indeed / And love Creation’s final law--/Tho’ Nature, red in tooth and claw,/With ravine, shriek’d against his creed” he says in “In Memorium A.H.H.” (1849)[3] Pennisi, Elizabeth. Did cooked tubers spur the evolution of big brains? Science (1999) 283:5410; 2004-2005.[4] Cook, Gareth. “Do Plants Think?” Interview with Daniel Chamovitz. Scientific American. June 5, 2012. Do Plants Think?[5] “The Dalai Lama Might Just be The Ultimate “Fregan.” Ecorazzi. July 30, 2010. The Dalai Lama Might Just Be The Ultimate "Freegan"[6] Mark Bekoff and Jessica Pierce. Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2010.[7] Human babies fall into the world with a lot of language already wired into them, as Chomsky and the linguists following in his footsteps have abundantly shown, but the question, here, is whether babies are able to use language for self-reflection, which clearly, in the beginning, they cannot do.[8] See Schwartz, Gary T., and Christopher Dean. “Ontogeny of Canine Dimorphism in Extant Hominoids.” Amer. J. of Phys. Anthro. 115:269-283, 2001.[9] Lactose Intolerance Statistics. Statistic Brain. http://www.statisticbrain.com/lactose-intolerance-statistics/ From National Digestive Diseases Information, USA Today. June 23, 2012.[10] “Global Meat Production and Consumption Continue to Rise.” Worldwatch Institute. Oct. 11, 2011. Global Meat Production and Consumption Continue to Rise[11] 52.[12] Friedlander, Blaine. “U.N. Report Sounds Alarm on Farming Land-Use Crisis.” Cornell Chronicle. July 15, 2015. U.N. report sounds alarm on farming land-use crisis[13]Pramil, N. Singh, Joan Sabaté, and Gary E. Fraser. Does low meat consumption increase life expectancy in humans? Am J Clin Nutr 2003;78(suppl):526S–32S.[14] “Meat and Poultry Labeling Terms.” United States Department of Agriculture. 2015.[15] “Gary Francione: Animal Advocate.” The Believer. Feb., 2011. The Believer - Interview with Gary Francione[16] Messina, Mark, and Virginia Messina. The role of soy in vegetarian diets. Nutrients. 2010 Aug; 2(8): 855-888.[17] Barnard, Neal “Settling the Soy Controversy.” The Huffington Post. April 26, 2010.[18] Our current dependence of phosphate fertilizers presents a problem, for phosphorus is a finite resource. Estimates of when we shall reach “peak phosphorus”—the point at which maximum phosphorus production rate (from mining) will be reached vary widely, with some researchers saying that peak production will be reached by the year 2030 and depletion of the resource within 50 to 100 years (Cordell, Dana, et al. The story of phosphorus: Global food security and food for thought. Global Envirn. Change. (2009) 19:2; 292-305). Patrick Dery and Bart Anderson, writing in the August 13, 2007 Energy Bulletin argue that peak phosophorus has already been reached. Others,like Pedro Sanchez, director of the Agriculture and Food Security Center at the Earth Institute, claim that reserves are sufficient to last several hundred years (See Cho, Renee. “Phosophorus: Essential to Life—Are We Running Out?” Earth Institute/Columbia Univ. April 1, 2013. Phosphorus: Essential to Life—Are We Running Out?). As with peak oil, the debate rages.

Yes. Nine years ago we wrote the Mt. Airy Emergency Operations Plan. It has been tested and updated and used in 3 events since then.Emergency Operations PlanMount Airy, MarylandTown Hall is located in downtown Mount Airy at 110 South Main Street, Mount Airy, MD 21771301 829 1424301 831 5768410 795 6012301 829 1259 faxAPPROVAL AND IMPLEMENTATIONTown of Mount Airy, MarylandEmergency Operations PlanThis emergency operations plan is hereby approved. This plan is effective immediately and supersedes all previous editions.Mayor DateTown Administrator DateRECORD OF CHANGESChange #Date of ChangeChange Entered ByDate EnteredTown Hall located at 110 South Main Street, Mount Airy, MD 21771EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERSAMBULANCE/FIRE/POLICE 911FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) 1-202-646-4600Statewide Emergency NumberPoison Control Center 1-800-492-2414Chemical Spills 1-800-424-8802American Red CrossFrederick County 1- 301-662-5131Carroll County 1- 410-848-4334Fire/Rescue Services Frederick County 1- 301-600-1536Fire/Rescue Services Carroll CountyFrederick County Health Department 1-301-600-1029 (Urgent Calls) 1-301-600-1603Carroll County Health Department 1-410-857-5000Frederick Memorial HospitalGeneral Information 1-240-566-3300Emergency Room 1-240-566-3500Carroll Hospital CenterGeneral Information 1-410-876-3000Emergency Room 1-410-871-7186 TTYAllegheny Power 1-800-296-6460Baltimore Gas and Electric 1-410-685-0123Oil CompaniesTevis Oil 410-848-2200Voneiff Oil 301-829-0244Carroll Fuel 410-848-4477Southern States 410-848-9420Maryland Labor Department 1-866-487-9243Maryland Occupational Safety and Health 1-301-791-4600Maryland State Police - Westminster Barracks 1-410-386-3000Maryland Workers Compensation Commission 1-800-492-0479Frederick County Sheriffs Office 1-301-600-1046Non-Emergency 1-301-600-2071Carroll County Sheriffs Office 1-410-386-2900MAVFC, Non –Emergency 301-829-0100Carroll County Humane Society 410-848-4810Frederick County Humane Society 301-600-1546/1544TABLE OF CONTENTSAPPROVAL AND IMPLEMENTATION. iiRECORD OF CHANGES. iiiI. PURPOSE. 1II. EXPLANATION OF TERMS. 1A. Acronyms. 1B. Definitions. 2III. ASSUMPTIONS. 4IV. CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS. 5A. Objectives. 5B. General. 5C. Operational Guidance. 6D. Incident Command System (ICS) 7E. Incident Command System (ICS) — Town Command Center (TCC) Interface. 9F. State, Federal, and Other Assistance. 10G. Emergency Declarations. 10H. Activities by Phases of Emergency Management. 14V. ORGANIZATION AND ASSIGNMENTS OF RESPONSIBILITIES. 15A. Organization. 15B. Assignment of Responsibilities. 15C. Response Operations Functional Responsibilities. 18VI. DIRECTION AND CONTROL. 20A. General. 20B. Emergency Facilities. 20C. Continuity of Government. 21VII. EVACUATION. 22A. Evacuation. 22B. Evacuation Situation. 22C. Evacuation Assumptions. 23D. Concept of Operations. 24VIII. ADMINISTRATION AND SUPPORT.24A. Agreements and Contracts. 24B. Records. 24C. Consumer Protection. 25D. Post-Incident and Exercise Review.. 25IX. PLAN DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE. 25A. Plan Development. 25B. Distribution of Planning Documents. 26C. Review.. 26D. Update. 26X. APPENDICES. 26Distribution List. 27Town Contact List. 28Assignment of Town Responsibilities. 29Carroll County EOP Annex Assignments. 32BASIC PLANI. PURPOSEThe purpose of this Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) is to define the actions to be taken by Town Mount Airy, MD (hereafter referred to as Town) officials, in coordination with Carroll County, Frederick County, State of Maryland, federal agencies and other nongovernment organizations in the event of a significant disaster or emergency within the corporate limits of Mount Airy. This plan is intended to work in conjunction with the Carroll County (hereafter referred to as County) EOP and its more specific functional annexes. This plan establishes the overall roles and responsibilities for emergency operations, as well as the concept of operations for the Town. It is intended to be used in conjunction with established operational procedures, plans and protocols.II. EXPLANATION OF TERMSA. AcronymsBOCC Board of County Commissioners of Carroll CountyCCSO Carroll County Sheriff’s OfficeDOD Department of DefenseDOE Department of EnergyECC Emergency Communications CenterEMAC Emergency Management Assistance CompactEOC Emergency Operations CenterEOP Emergency Operations PlanEPA Environmental Protection AgencyEPI Emergency Public informationFEMA Federal Emergency Management AgencyHHS Health and Human ServicesIA Individual AssistanceIC Incident CommanderICP Incident Command PostICS Incident Command SystemJIC Joint Information CenterLWP Local Warning PointMEMA Maryland Emergency Management AgencyMEMAC Maryland Emergency Management Assistance CompactNCP National Contingency PlanNDMS National Disaster Medical SystemNIMS National Incident Management SystemNRF National Response FrameworkOPSSS Office of Public Safety Support ServicesOSC On-Scene CommanderPA Public AssistancePDA Preliminary Damage AssessmentSBA Small Business AdministrationSOG Standard Operating GuidelineSOP Standard Operating ProcedureTCC Town Command CenterB. Definitions1.Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC)A congressionally ratified organization that provides form and structure to interstate mutual aid.2.Emergency Operations Center (EOC)Specially equipped facilities from which government officials exercise direction and control and coordinate necessary resources in an emergency situation.3.Emergency Operations Plan (EOP)A plan put into effect whenever a crisis, man-made or natural, disrupts operations, threatens life, creates major damage, and occurs within or nearby the community.4.Emergency Public Information (EPI)Emergency information that is disseminated to the public before, during, or after an emergency or disaster.5.Emergency Situation (See the County EOP for further information).As used in this plan, this term is intended to describe a range of situations, from an incident to a major disaster. It includes the following:a.Event- any large-scale emergency, disaster or planned activity that results in the implementation of the Incident Command System (ICS) or Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to manage County resources and command/control activities. An event may include, but is not limited to, tornado, tropical storm, severe thunderstorm with flash flooding, influenza outbreak, large public gathering or public festival.b.Incident - situation that is limited in scope and potential effects.c.Emergency - a situation larger in scope and more severe in terms of actual or potential effects than an incident.d.Disaster - the occurrence or threat of significant casualties or widespread property damage that is beyond the capability of the local government to handle with its own resources.6.Hazardous MaterialA substance in a quantity or form posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, or property when manufactured, stored, or transported. The substance, by its nature, containment, and reactivity, has the capability for inflicting harm during an accidental occurrence. It can be toxic, corrosive, flammable, reactive, irritative, or strongly sensitizing, and poses a threat to health and the environment when improperly managed. Hazardous materials include toxic substances, certain infectious agents, radiological materials, and other related materials such as oil, used oil, petroleum products and industrial solid waste substances.7.Join Information CenterCentral location where Public Information Officers (PIOs) representing agencies or jurisdictions during an emergency gather to coordinate the content of information to be conveyed to the public.8.Inter-local agreementsArrangements between governments or organizations, either public or private, for reciprocal aid and assistance during emergency situations where the resources of a single jurisdiction or organization are insufficient or inappropriate for the tasks that must be performed to control the situation. Commonly referred to as a mutual aid agreement.9.Local Warning Point (LWP)A facility in a city, County, town or community that receives warnings and activates the public warning system in its jurisdictional area of responsibility.10.Maryland Emergency Management Assistance Compact (MEMAC)An intrastate assistance compact among local political subdivisions within the State of Maryland.11.National Contingency PlanThe federal government's plan for responding to both oil spills and hazardous substance releases.12.National Disaster Medical System (NDMS)A federally coordinated system that augments the Nation's medical response capability.13.National Incident Management System (NIMS)A system mandated by Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) - 5 that provides a consistent nationwide approach for federal, state, local and tribal governments, the private-sector and nongovernmental organizations to work effectively and efficiently together to prepare for, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size or complexity.14.National Response Framework (NRF)Part of the National Strategy for Homeland Security that presents the guiding principles enabling all levels of domestic response partners to prepare for and provide a unified national response to disasters and emergencies. Building on the existing National Incident Management System (NIMS) as well as the Incident Command System (ICS), the NRF coordinating structures are always in effect for implementation at any level and at any time for local, state, and national emergency or disaster response.15.On-Scene-Coordinator (OSC)The federal official responsible for providing access to federal resources and technical assistance and coordinating federal containment, removal, and disposal efforts and resources during an oil or hazardous material incident.16.Standard Operating Guide (SOG)A statement written to guide the performance or behavior of departmental staff, whether functioning alone or in groups.17.Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)Approved method for accomplishing a task or set of tasks. SOPs are typically prepared at the department or agency level.18.Town Command Center (TCC)The location where Town officials provide direction and control for local response to an emergency or disaster.19.Unified CommandIncident Commanders representing agencies or jurisdictions that share responsibility for the incident manage the response from a single Incident Command Post. This allows agencies with different legal, geographic, and functional authorities and responsibilities to work together effectively without affecting individual agency authority, responsibility or accountability.III. ASSUMPTIONSA.Since most of the Town is located within Carroll County, with only a small residential area lying within Frederick County, the Town will follow its’ normal process and seek assistance from Carroll County before seeking assistance from Frederick County.B.Most emergency situations will be handled routinely by the normal responding emergency service agencies.C.In the event of a significant disaster or emergency, the immediate response priority will be to protect public health and safety, preserve the environment and protect public and private property.D.Disasters and emergencies can periodically occur within the Town that may require the mobilization and reallocation of Town resources.E.Certain emergencies or disasters will occur with enough warning that appropriate emergency notifications will be made to ensure some level of preparedness. Other emergencies or disasters will occur with little or no warning.F.The Town’s main responsibility will be to commit available Town resources to save lives and minimize property damage in coordination with the County.G.For most emergencies or disasters, the Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company, Resident State Trooper or Carroll County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) will be the first responders and will implement initial incident command.H.Assistance may be available through mutual aid from nearby jurisdictions, including Frederick County, , the Maryland Emergency Management Assistance Compact (MEMAC), the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).I.Town residents and businesses can expect to use their own resources and be self-sufficient for at least three days following a significant disaster event.J.The effects of a disaster or emergency will likely extend beyond the Town boundaries. Many other areas of the County may also experience casualties, property loss and disruption of normal support systems.K.Employees of the Town may become casualties and/or experience damage to their home or property.L.Widespread power and communication outages may require the use of alternate methods of providing public information and delivering essential services. Everyday methods of communication may be difficult to use or unavailable due to demand exceeding capacity (i.e. no cell phone service).M.Upon request, the County, state or federal government will provide outside assistance if local capabilities or resources are overwhelmed or exhausted.N.Emergency operations will be managed in accordance with the National Incident Management System (NIMS).IV. CONCEPT OF OPERATIONSA. ObjectivesThe objectives of the Town emergency operations are to protect public health and safety, preserve the environment and protect public and private property.B. General1. The Town is vulnerable to various natural and technological hazards as detailed in the County EOP. The scope and magnitude of these emergencies may vary from minor impact requiring a minimum response to major impact requiring a significant response.2. It is the responsibility of Town and County officials to protect public health and safety and preserve property from the effects of hazardous events. This involves identifying and mitigating hazards, preparing for and responding to emergencies, and managing the recovery from emergency situations that affect the Town.3. It is impossible for government to do everything that is required to protect the lives and property of the population. Citizens of the Town have the responsibility to prepare themselves and their families to cope with emergency situations and manage their affairs and property in ways that will aid the government in managing emergencies. The Town will assist citizens in carrying out these responsibilities by providing public information and instructions prior to and during emergency situations in coordination with the County.4. The Town has limited capability to respond to emergency situations and will rely on the County to respond to significant incidents within the Town. The County maintains a robust emergency management program that includes organizing, training, and equipping local emergency responders and emergency management personnel, providing appropriate emergency facilities, providing suitable communications systems, and contracting for emergency services.5. This plan is based on an all-hazard approach to emergency planning. It addresses general functions that may need to be performed during any emergency situation.6. Town organizations tasked in this plan are expected to develop and keep current SOPs and SOGs that describe how their assigned emergency tasks will be performed.7. This plan is based upon the concept that the emergency functions that must be performed by many Town departments generally parallel some of their normal day-to-day functions. To the extent possible, the same personnel and material resources used for day-to-day activities will be employed during emergency situations. Because personnel and equipment resources are limited, some routine functions that do not contribute directly to the emergency may be suspended for the duration of an emergency. The personnel, equipment, and supplies that would normally be required for those functions will be redirected to accomplish emergency tasks.C. Operational Guidance1.Initial Responsea.The Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company and local law enforcement are likely to be the first agencies on the scene of an emergency situation. They will normally take charge and remain in charge of the incident until it is resolved or others, who have legal authority to do so, assume responsibility. They will seek guidance and direction from local officials and seek technical assistance from state and federal agencies and industry, where appropriate.2.Implementation of the Incident Command System (ICS)a.The first local emergency responder to arrive at the scene of an emergency situation will implement the ICS and serve as the Incident Commander (IC) until relieved by a more senior or more qualified individual. The IC will establish an incident command post (ICP) and provide an assessment of the situation to Town and County officials, identify response resources required, and direct the on-scene response from the ICP.b.For some types of emergency situations, a specific incident scene may not exist in the initial response phase and the Town Command Center (TCC) or County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) may be activated to accomplish initial response actions, such as mobilizing personnel and equipment and issuing precautionary warning to the public. As the potential threat becomes clearer and a specific impact site or sites identified, an ICP may be established, and direction and control of the response transitioned to the IC.3.Source and Use of Resourcesa.The Town will use their own resources to respond to emergency situations, purchase supplies and equipment, if necessary, and request assistance if the resources are insufficient or inappropriate. The County should be the first channel through which the Town requests assistance when its resources are exceeded.b.The Town Administrator, or designee, will direct all requests for assistance that cannot be addressed through mutual aid to the County OPSSS or the County EOC.c.The following are sources for resources that may be available to the Town in responding to disasters and emergencies:1)Personnel, equipment, and facilities belonging to the Town.2)Resources available from the County and through mutual aid.3)Resources available from the private sector through acquisition/ purchasing.4)Resources of the state of Maryland, including the National Guard.5)Mutual aid available through MEMAC.6)Mutual aid resources from other states through the EMAC.7)Resources available from the federal government under the National Response Framework (NRF).8)Donations, whether monetary, goods or volunteer workers.D. Incident Command System (ICS)1.The Town and County will employ ICS in managing emergencies. ICS is both a strategy and a set of organizational arrangements for directing and controlling field operations. It is designed to effectively integrate resources from different agencies into a temporary emergency organization at an incident site that can expand and contract with the magnitude of the incident and resources on hand.a.The IC is responsible for carrying out the ICS function of command—managing the incident. The four other major management activities that form the basis of ICS are operations, planning, logistics, and finance/administration. For small-scale incidents, the IC and one or two individuals may perform all of these functions. For larger incidents, a number of individuals from different departments or agencies may be assigned to separate staff sections charged with those functions. The chart below depicts the standard ICS organization.2.An IC using response resources from one or two departments or agencies can handle the majority of emergency situations. Departments or agencies participating in this type of incident response will normally obtain support through their own department or agency.3.In emergency situations where other jurisdictions or the state or federal government are providing significant response resources or technical assistance, it is generally desirable to transition from the normal ICS structure to a Unified Command structure. This arrangement helps to ensure that all participating agencies are involved in developing objectives and strategies to deal with the emergency.4.Within the Town, the departments identified in the table below will serve as the primary agency for specific incidents and will assume initial IC role. Depending on the incident type and magnitude, incident command may default to an official of the Mt. Airy Volunteer Fire Company, County Division of Health Services (hereafter referred to as Health Department), Resident State Trooper or the CCSO with support, as needed, from the Town.Designated Departments for Establishing Incident CommandIncident TypeDepartment/AgencyBiological incident (e.g. influenza pandemic)Carroll County Health DepartmentBuilding collapse, construction accidentMount Airy Volunteer Fire CompanyFireMount Airy Volunteer Fire CompanyFloodMount Airy Department of Public WorksHazardous materialMount Airy Volunteer Fire DepartmentHurricane/tropical stormCoordination: Carroll County OPSSSRemediation: Town of Mount AiryMass fatalityDepending on the circumstances, the IC could be from Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, MD State Police or Carroll County Health Department.Nuclear/radiological incidentMount Airy Volunteer Fire CompanyPipeline spill/fire or explosionMount Airy Volunteer Fire CompanyRiots, civil disturbancesCarroll County Sheriff’s Office/MD State PoliceSevere thunderstorms/tornadoesCoordination: Carroll County OPSSSRemediation: Town of Mount AiryTerrorist incidentCarroll County Sheriff’s Office/ MD State PoliceTrain derailmentMount Airy Volunteer Fire CompanyWater distribution/water qualityMount Airy Department of Water and SewerWinter stormCoordination: Carroll County OPSSSRemediation: Town of Mount AiryE. Incident Command System (ICS) — Town Command Center (TCC) Interface1.For major emergencies and disasters, the Town will activate its Command Center, located at Town Hall, 110 S. Main Street, Mount Airy (alternate location is the Mount Airy Maintenance Building). When the TCC is activated, it is essential to establish a division of responsibilities between the ICP and the TCC. A general division of responsibilities is outlined below.2.The IC is generally responsible for field operations, including:a.Isolating the scene.b.Directing and controlling the on-scene response to the emergency situation and managing the emergency resources committed there.c.Warning the population in the area of the incident and providing emergency instructions to them.d.Determining and implementing protective measures (evacuation or in-place sheltering) for the population in the immediate area of the incident and for emergency responders at the scene.e.Implementing traffic control arrangements in and around the incident scene.f.Requesting additional resources from the TCC or County EOC, whichever is appropriate.3.The TCC is generally responsible for:a.Providing Town resource support for the incident command operations.b.Issuing public warnings in coordination with the IC.c.Issuing instructions and providing information to the general public.d.Organizing large-scale evacuations.e.Coordinating with the County, as necessary, to provide shelter and mass care arrangements for evacuees.f.Coordinating traffic control for large-scale evacuations.g.Requesting assistance from the County, state and other external sources through the County EOC.F. State, Federal, and Other Assistance1.State and Federal Assistancea.If Town and County resources are inadequate to deal with an emergency situation, assistance from the state will be requested through the County. State assistance furnished to local governments is intended to supplement local resources and not substitute for such resources, including mutual aid resources, equipment purchases or leases, or resources covered by emergency service contracts.b.Requests for state assistance will be made in accordance with the County EOP.2.Other Assistancea.If resources required to control an emergency situation are not available within the state, the Govenor may request assistance from other states pursuant to a number of interstate compacts or from the federal government through FEMA.b.For major emergencies and disasters for which a presidential declaration has been issued, federal agencies may be mobilized to provide assistance to states and local governments. The NRF describes the policies, planning assumptions, concept of operations, and responsibilities of designated federal agencies for various response and recovery functions.c.FEMA has the primary responsibility for coordinating federal disaster assistance. No direct federal assistance is authorized prior to a presidential emergency or disaster declaration, but FEMA has limited authority to stage initial response resources near the disaster site and activate command and control structures prior to a declaration and the Department of Defense (DOD) has the authority to commit its resources to save lives prior to an emergency or disaster declaration. The Recovery Annex to the County EOP provides additional information on the assistance that may be available during disaster recovery.G. Emergency Declarations1.Non-Declared DisastersThe mayor or Town Administrator may direct Town personnel to respond to emergencies or disasters without a formal declaration of an emergency when the expectation is that Town resources will be used. The Town Administrator, or designee, may redirect and deploy Town resources and assets, as necessary, to prepare for, adequately respond to, and quickly recover from an emergency incident.2.Emergency DeclarationsThere are three types of emergency declarations that may apply to a disaster or emergency within the Town, depending upon the scope and magnitude of the event:a.Local Declaration: A local emergency declaration activates the EOP and provides for the expeditious mobilization of Town resources in responding to a major incident. The County may also declare a local state of emergency that includes the Town for incidents that impact other areas of the County.b.State Declaration: A declaration of an emergency by the Govenor of Maryland provides the Town access to the resources and assistance of the departments and agencies of the state, including the National Guard, in the event local resources are insufficient to meet the needs.c.Federal Declaration: The Govenor may request a federal emergency or major disaster declaration. In the event that the Town is declared a federal disaster area, the resources of federal departments and agencies are available to provide resources and assistance to augment those of the Town, County and the state.3.Local Emergency DeclarationA local emergency is declared when, in the judgment of the mayor, the threat or actual occurrence of an emergency or disaster is of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant a coordinated response by the various Town departments and for assistance from outside the Town.a.The declaration of a local emergency by the mayor activates the Town Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). A local emergency is declared when, in the judgment of the mayor, the threat or occurrence of an incident is of sufficient severity to warrant a multi-department response by the Town and the need for outside assistance.b.The president of the Board of Commissioners (BOCC) of Carroll County has the authority to declare a local emergency that may include the Town.c.For instances where a resource shortage (e.g. gasoline, heating oil) is substantially or wholly the cause of a local emergency, a local emergency can only be declared by the Govenor based upon the request of the mayor though the County OPSSS.d.When, in their judgment, all emergency activities have been completed, the mayor or town council will take action to terminate the declared emergency.e.A local emergency declaration may be enacted by the mayor for up to seven days. A local emergency may only be extended beyond seven days with approval of the town council.4.State of Emergencya.The Maryland Emergency Management Act, found in the Annotated Code of Maryland, Public Safety Article, § 14-101, et. seq., prescribes the authority and implications of a declaration of a state of emergency by the Govenor.b.The Governor may declare a state of emergency to exist whenever the Governor finds an emergency has developed or is impeding due to any cause. The state of emergency is declared by executive order or proclamation.c.The Governor’s Declaration of a State of Emergency provides for the expeditious provision of assistance to local jurisdictions, including use of the Maryland National Guard.5.Federal Emergency and Major Disaster Declarationsa.Under the provisions of the Robert T. Stafford Act, the Govenor may request the president to declare a major disaster or emergency declaration for incidents that are (or threaten to be) beyond the scope of the state and local jurisdictions to effectively respond.b.A presidential Major Disaster Declaration puts into motion long-term federal recovery programs designed to help disaster victims, businesses, and public entities.c.An emergency declaration is more limited in scope and without the long-term federal recovery programs of a major disaster declaration. Generally, federal assistance and funding are provided to meet a specific emergency needs or to help prevent a major disaster from occurring.d.The major disaster or emergency declaration designates the political subdivisions within the state that are eligible for assistance. There are three major categories of disaster aid available under a major disaster declaration1)Individual Assistance (IA): Aid to individuals and households.a)Disaster Housing - provides up to 18 months temporary housing assistance for displaced persons whose residences were heavily damaged or destroyed. Funding also can be provided for housing repairs and replacement.b)Disaster Grants - may be available to help meet other serious disaster related needs and necessary expenses not covered by insurance and other aid programs. These may include replacement of personal property, transportation, medical, dental, and funeral expenses.c)Low-Interest Disaster Loans - may be available after a disaster for homeowners and renters from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to cover uninsured property losses. Loans may be for repair or replacement of homes, automobiles, clothing, or other damaged personal property. Loans are also available to businesses for property loss and economic injury.d)Other disaster aid programs include crisis counseling, disaster-related unemployment assistance, legal aid and assistance with income tax, Social Security, and Veteran’s benefits. Other State or local help may also be available.2)Public Assistance (PA): Aid to state or local governments to pay part of the costs of rebuilding a community’s damaged infrastructure. PA may include debris removal, emergency protective measures and public services, repair of damaged public property, loans needed by communities for essential government functions, and grants for repair of damaged public and private nonprofit schools and educational facilities.3)Hazard Mitigation: Funding for measures designed to reduce future losses to public and private property.6.Other Declarationsa.Several federal agencies have independent authorities to declare disasters or emergencies. These authorities may be exercised concurrently or become part of a major disaster or emergency declared under the Stafford Act. These other authorities include:1)The administrator of the SBA may make a disaster declaration based upon physical damage to buildings, machinery, equipment, homes, and other property as well as economic injury.2)The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) may declare, after consultation with public health officials, a public health emergency in the event of a significant outbreak of infectious diseases or bioterrorist attack.3)The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers may issue a disaster declaration in response to flooding or coastal storms.4)The Secretary of Agriculture may declare a disaster in certain situations in which a County sustained a production loss of 30 percent or greater in a single major enterprise.5)A federal On-Scene-Coordinator (OSC), designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. States Coast Guard, or the Department of Energy (DOE) under the National Contingency Plan (NCP), has the authority to direct response efforts at the scene of a discharge of oil, hazardous substance, pollutants, or contaminants, depending upon the location and source of the release.7.The Declaration Processa.A local emergency may be declared by the mayor. The mayor will consult with the County OPSSS, when possible, to assist with the declaration. The local emergency declaration may be based upon reports of an actual event or on the forecast or prediction of emergency conditions.b.Whenever a local emergency has been declared, the Town Administrator will immediately notify the County OPSSS. The County will notify the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA).c.For an incident that affects the Town and other areas of the County, the County, concurrently with the Town declaration or upon the request of the Town, may issue the local emergency declaration.d.A local emergency must be declared before state and federal assistance can be requested unless a state or federal state of emergency has already been declared.e.Based upon the request of the County or other information available, the Governor may declare a state of emergency. The Governor’s declaration of a state of emergency provides for expedited assistance from state departments, agencies and the Maryland National Guard.f.Once a determination is made by MEMA that the event is, or may be, beyond the capabilities of the Town, County and state, the Governor may request assistance from FEMA. Generally this request will result in joint federal/state Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA).1)A PDA is an on-site survey of the affected area(s) by federal and state officials to determine the scope and magnitude of damages and to determine if federal assistance is warranted. Generally, a PDA is conducted prior to an official request by the Governor for a declaration of an emergency or major disaster by the president. The County OPSSS will provide assistance in facilitating the PDA process within the Town.a)Depending upon the extent and scope of damages provided in the initial reports, PDA teams may be organized to assess damage to private property (Individual Assistance) and/or public property (Public Assistance).b)For events of unusual severity and magnitude, state and federal officials may delay the PDA pending more immediate needs assessment activities.c)The PDA process verifies the general magnitude of damage and whether federal assistance will be requested.d)Based upon the results of the PDA and consultations with FEMA, MEMA will prepare for the Governor’s signature an official request for an emergency or major disaster declaration.g.The presidential declaration will stipulate the types of federal assistance authorized for the Town.H.Activities by Phases of Emergency Management1.MitigationThe Town will conduct mitigation activities to lessen or eliminate hazards, reduce the probability of hazards causing an emergency situation, or lesson the consequences of unavoidable hazards and participate in the review and updates of the County Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan.2.PreparednessPreparedness activities will be conducted in coordination with the County OPSSS to develop the response capabilities needed in the event of an emergency.3.ResponseThe Town will respond to emergency situations using the resources available and will request assistance, as needed, through the County for response operations. Response activities include emergency medical services, firefighting, law enforcement operations, evacuation, sheltering and mass care, search and rescue and other associated functions.4.RecoveryIf a disaster occurs, the Town will carry out a recovery program that involves both short-term and long-term efforts. Short-term operations seek to restore vital services to the community and provide for the basic needs of the public. Long-term recovery focuses on restoring the community to its natural state.V. ORGANIZATION AND ASSIGNMENTS OF RESPONSIBILITIESA. Organization1.In the event of a significant emergency or disaster impacting the Town, the mayor, assisted by the Town Administrator, will coordinate emergency operations within the Town and request outside resources, as needed. The TCC will be activated, as necessary, to coordinate the Town’s response operations. The Town may request a representative from the County OPSSS to assist the Town.2.In the event the County EOC is activated to coordinate operations, the mayor may designate a representative to the County EOC to coordinate activities within the Town.B.Assignment of Responsibilities1.The Mayor will:a.Establish objectives and priorities for the emergency management program and provide general policy guidance.b.Serve as, or appoint, a chief spokesperson for the Town during emergency events.c.Confer with the Town Administrator and other town officials, as appropriate, on policy issues related to the response and recovery operations.d.Coordinate with other elected officials at the County, regional and state level, including the congressional delegation.e.Order evacuations and implement this plan.f.Keep the public informed during emergency situations.g.In coordination with the County OPSSS, declare a local state of emergency, request the Governor declare a state of emergency, or invoke the emergency powers of government, when necessary.h.Request assistance from other local governments, when necessary.i.Exercise overall responsibility for plans and operations for emergency and disaster assistance within the Town.2.The town council will:a.Monitor the emergency response during disaster situations and provide direction where appropriate.b.Ensure funds are available to support emergency operations as outlined in this plan.c.Communicate with the public and provide guidance on responding to an emergency or disaster.d.As necessary, vote to extend a local emergency declaration beyond seven days.e.Host community meetings to ensure needs are being addressed and information is provided to residents.f.Promulgate the codes, regulations, and ordinances of the Town, and provides the funds required to implement and enforce an effective mitigation program.g.Enact emergency ordinances, as appropriate.3.Town Attorney will:a.Advise Town officials concerning legal responsibilities, powers and liabilities regarding emergency operations and post-disaster assistance.b.Prepare, as appropriate, emergency ordinances (i.e., gouging and curfews) and local declarations.c.Assist with the preparation of applications, legal interpretations or opinions.d.Assist in obtaining waivers and legal clearances needed to dispose of debris and materials resulting from an emergency or disaster.e.Assist with the implementation of isolation and quarantine orders and other court orders as needed.f.Advise Town officials on other legal matters arising from an emergency or disaster.4.The Town Administrator will:a.Activate the Town EOP.b.Provide direction and control of Town departments and organizations during emergency operations. In the event the TCC is activated, the Town Administrator will serve as the TCC manager.c.Direct and reallocate Town assets and resources during an emergency.d.Serve as the lead for the Town in managing recovery operations.e.Implement the policies and decisions of the governing body related to emergency management.5.The Town engineer will:a.Develop and maintain the Public Works and Engineering Annex to this plan.b.Manage the public works and engineering operations during emergency situations.c.Oversee the repair and restoration of key Town facilities and systems.d.Manage debris removal operations.6.The director, Streets and Road Department will:a.Provide personnel, equipment, and supplies to support emergency operations, upon request.b.Develop and maintain SOPs/SOGs for emergency tasks.c.Monitor the status of the Town’s transportation infrastructure and repair roads and traffic control systems, as necessary.d.Provide support for traffic control, as necessary.e.Manage snow and debris removal on Town streets.f.Provide support for evacuations.7.The director, Water and Sewer will:a.Develop and maintain SOPs/SOGS.b.Conduct damage assessments of water supply, distribution and control facilities, sanitary sewer systems and related facilities.c.Manage the repair and restoration, as necessary, of Town water and sanitary sewer systems.d.Provide for emergency water supply and assist with distribution.e.Ensure the continued supply of potable water.f.Ensure continuous wastewater collection services.g.In conjunction with the County Health Department, provide warnings and advice for contaminated or low water levels and “boil water” alerts.8.Law enforcement will:a.Provide available staff, resources, and facilities to support emergency operations.b.As appropriate, establish on-scene incident command.c.Assist in evacuation operations.d.Provide security of emergency site(s), evacuated areas, shelter areas, vital facilities, supplies, and other assigned locations.e.Provide assistance in search operations.f.Provide law enforcement services.g.Initiate on-scene warning and alerting in cooperation with the Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company.h.Provide traffic control and management.i.Conduct investigations in accordance with Federal, State, and local laws.9.The Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company will:a.Provide fire prevention, suppression and rescue services.b.Provide support for emergency notifications.c.As appropriate, establish initial on-scene incident command.d.Provide emergency triage, medical care and transportation of patients.e.Assist in evacuation operations.f.Assist in search operations.10.Parks and Recreation will:a.Provide available staff and resources to support emergency operations.b.Provide facilities, as required, for use as staging areas and/or points of distribution.C.Response Operations Functional Responsibilities1.The Town EOP is based upon common functions that may be needed following a significant emergency or disaster. These functions are based upon those identified in the County EOP.a.Warning – the Town will use all means available to provide the Town population with appropriate warning information. This includes radio and television, loudspeakers, sirens and telephones. Warning activities will be coordinated by the Mayor. The Town will request support from the County ECC and OPSSS, as needed. The Town receives warning information through the Carroll County ECC that serves as the Local Warning Point (LWP). Upon activation of the TCC, warning activities in the Town will be coordinated by the EOC Manager.b.Communications – the Town will request communication support, as needed, through the County. The Town will coordinate the use of its internal communication assets through the TCC.c.Radiological Protection – the Town will request support, as needed, from the County as detailed in the Radiological Protection Annex to the County EOP. Primary responsibility for this function is the Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company.d.Evacuation – the Town will be assisted by the Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company with support requested from the County, as needed, as detailed in the Evacuation Annex to the County EOP. The Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company may provide support in conducting door-to-door warnings and instructions.e.Damage Assessment – the County OPSSS has primary responsibility for coordinating damage assessment activities as detailed in the Damage Assessment Annex to the County EOP. The Town will be responsible for damage assessment of critical infrastructure and for providing support and information for damage within the Town boundaries.f.Firefighting and other Fire/Rescue Functions – the Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company has primary responsibility for these functions within the Town and will coordinate requests for support through existing mutual aid.g.Emergency Medical Services (EMS) – The Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company has primary responsibility for this function within the Town and will coordinate requests for support with existing mutual aid.h.Law Enforcement – the Resident State Trooper has primary responsibility for law enforcement functions within the Town during emergency situations and will provide support as detailed in the Law Enforcement Annex to the County EOP.i.Direction and Control - primary responsibility for direction and control with the Town is assigned to the mayor, assisted by the Town Administrator. The Town Administrator will serve as the TCC manager upon activation and will manage the Town’s emergency response operations.j.Hazardous Materials and Oil Spills – the Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company has primary responsibility for hazardous material response operations as detailed in the Hazardous Material and Oil Spill Response Annex to the County EOP.k.Search and Rescue – the MD State Police/CCSO has primary responsibility for search operations following a major disaster or emergency as detailed in the Law Enforcement Annex to the County EOP. The Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company has primary responsibility for rescue operations following a major disaster or emergency as detailed in the Fire and Rescue Annex to the County EOP. (CC may have search and rescue annex)l.Terrorist Incident – the MD State Police/CCSO has primary responsibility for local response to a terrorist incident as detailed in the Terrorist Incident Annex to the County EOP.m.Shelter and Mass Care – the County Citizens Services Division has the primary responsibility for shelter and mass care operations as detailed in the Shelter and Mass Care Annex to the County EOP.n.Health and Medical Services – the County Health Department has the primary responsibility for health and medical service operations as detailed in the Health and Medical Services Annex to the County EOP.o.Human Services – the County Citizens Services Division has the primary responsibility of coordinating human services as detailed in the Human Services Annex to the County EOP.p.Transportation – the Town Department of Streets and Roads has primary responsibility for coordinating transportation support. The County will assist, when requested, as detailed in the Transportation Annex to the County EOP.q.Emergency Public Information (EPI) - The mayor or the mayor’s designee will serve as the chief spokesperson for the Town. The Town will coordinate its EPI with the County and assign a representative to the County Joint Information Center (JIC), if activated.r.Recovery – The Town Administrator will be the lead for recovery operations within the Town and will serve as the Town’s point of contact with the County.s.Public Works and Engineering – the Town’s Department of Public Works has the primary responsibility for this function.t.Utilities – the Town’s Superintendent, Water and Sewer, has the primary responsibility for this function.u.Resource Management – The Town will, upon exhaustion of Town resources, request assistance from the County.v.Donations and Volunteer Management - the County Citizens Services Division has the primary responsibility for coordinating donations and volunteers during an emergency response as detailed in the Donations and Volunteer Coordination Annex to the County EOP.w.Legal – The town attorney will provide appropriate advice to Town officials.VI. DIRECTION AND CONTROLA.General1.The mayor, assisted by the Town Administrator, is responsible for establishing objectives and policies for emergency management and providing general guidance for disaster response and recovery operations.2.The Town Administrator will provide overall direction of the response activities of all departments. As necessary, the Town Command Center (TCC) will be activated to coordinate emergency operations.3.The IC, assisted by a staff sufficient for the tasks to be performed, will manage the emergency response at an incident site.4.If the Town’s own resources are insufficient or unsuitable to deal with an emergency situation, assistance from other jurisdictions, the County, organized volunteer groups, or the state may be requested.B.Emergency Facilities1.Incident Command Post (ICP)Except when an emergency situation threatens, but has not yet occurred, and those situations for which there is no specific hazard impact site (such as severe winter storm or area-wide utility outage), an ICP or command posts will be established in the vicinity of the incident site(s). As noted previously, the IC will be responsible for directing the emergency response and managing the resources at the incident scene.2.Town Command Center (TCC)When major emergencies and disasters have occurred or appear imminent, the TCC, located at Mount Airy Town Hall, 110 S. Main Street, Mount Airy, will be activated. The alternate TCC is the Mount Airy Maintenance Facility. The mayor and OPSSS will determine if a Town liaison will be deployed to the County EOC or a liaison from the County OPSSS will be deployed to the TCC to coordinate emergency actions between the Town and the County.a.The following individuals are authorized to activate the TCC:1)mayor2)town administratorb.The general responsibilities of the TCC are:1)Assemble accurate information on the emergency situation and current resource data to allow local officials to make informed decisions on courses of action.2)Working with representatives of emergency services, determine and prioritize required response actions and coordinate their implementation.3)Provide resource support for emergency operations.4)Suspend or curtail government services, recommend the closure of schools and businesses, and cancellation of public events.5)Organize and activate large-scale evacuation and mass care operations.6)Provide emergency information to the public.c.Representatives of those departments and agencies assigned emergency functions in this plan will staff the TCC. TCC operations are addressed in the Direction and Control Annex. The interface between the TCC and the ICP is described in paragraph IV.E. above.C.Continuity of Government1.A major incident or emergency could include death or injury of key Town officials, the partial or complete destruction of established facilities, and the destruction of vital public records essential to the continued operations of the Town government. It is essential that law and order be preserved and government services maintained.2.Continuity of leadership and government services is particularly important with respect to emergency services, direction of emergency response operations, and management of recovery activities. A key aspect of this control is the continued capability to communicate official requests, situation reports, and other emergency information throughout the event.3.The line succession for the mayor is:a.Mayorb.President of the Town Councilc.Town administrator4.The line of succession for the Town Administrator is:a.Town Administratorb.Town engineerc.Director, Streets and Road DepartmentVII. EVACUATIONState law does not authorize the Governor or local officials to issue mandatory evacuation orders. State and local officials may recommend evacuation of threatened or stricken areas.A.EvacuationThe purpose of this section is to provide for the orderly and coordinated evacuation of all, or any part, of the population of the Town if it is determined that such action is the most effective means available for protecting the population from the effects of an emergency situation. This section is intended to work in conjunction with the County EOP.B.Evacuation Situation1.The Town is susceptible to both natural and man-made events such as floods, hurricanes, and hazardous material incidents that may necessitate an evacuation of nearby residents, businesses, and other facilities in order to save and protect lives. Evacuations may not always be the best option and Town officials or the on-scene IC may instead order affected populations to shelter in place. However, emergency situations such as a major fire, transportation accidents, hazardous material incidents, or localized flooding may require an evacuation of Town residents.2.The Town has the primary responsibility for ordering an evacuation and ensuring the safety of its citizens. The decision to evacuate will depend on the type of hazard, its magnitude, intensity, duration, and anticipated time of occurrence, assuming it hasn’t already happened.3.The on-scene IC may implement an evacuation, as necessary, to save lives and establish a zone around the impacted or potentially impacted area. The IC will request assistance from Town officials, as required, to provide notification, traffic management and control, and other support, as necessary. Should an evacuation become necessary, warning and evacuation instructions may be disseminated via radio, television, and other available media outlets, voice/tone siren, door-to-door notifications, etc.4.The primary means of transportation for evacuees will be by privately owned and operated motor vehicles. Town transportation resources may be utilized to provide supplementary transportation for those in need, including special needs populations, who may require accessible transportation. As necessary, additional transportation assets will be requested from the County.5.Depending upon the scope and magnitude of the incident, a Unified Command, including the Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company, County OPSSS, CCSO and the MD State Police, may be established to coordinate notification to residents and businesses, and to provide direction for the orderly evacuation of the affected area. If the nature of the incident is escalating rapidly, or if large areas are impacted, the TCC may be activated to support the IC.6.In the event that emergency shelters will need to be established to support evacuations, the Town will request support from the County to establish and operate the shelter(s), as appropriate.7.Since the Town has no mandatory evacuation law, the mayor, or designee, can only recommend evacuation of a threatened area, not mandate it. However, when the mayor has issued a local disaster declaration, he or she may take action to control re-entry into a stricken area and the movement of people and occupancy of buildings within a disaster area.8.Town residents are expected to plan for the care of their pets in the event of a disaster or emergency. Companion animals are not be permitted in mass care shelters operated by the County except for service animals that accompany citizens with special needs. However, the County has made provisions for sheltering pets, as necessary, during emergencies. Refer to the County Animal Protection Annex for more information on the sheltering of pets during an emergency.C.Evacuation Assumptions1.Most people at risk will evacuate when local officials recommend that they do so. A general estimate is that 80 percent of those at risk will comply when local officials recommend evacuation. The proportion of the population that will evacuate typically increases as a threat becomes more obvious to the public or more serious.2.Some individuals will refuse to evacuate regardless of the threat.3.When there is sufficient warning of a significant threat, some individuals who are not at risk will evacuate.4.Some evacuation planning for known hazard areas can, and should be, done in advance.5.While some emergency situations are slow to develop, others occur without warning. Hence, there may be time for deliberate evacuation planning or an evacuation may have to be conducted with minimal preparation time. In the case of short notice evacuations, there may be little time to obtain personnel and equipment from external sources to support evacuation operations.6.The need to evacuate may become evident at any time and there could be little control over the evacuation start time.7.In most emergency situations, the majority of evacuees will seek shelter with relatives or friends or in commercial accommodations rather than in public shelters.8.Most evacuees will use their personal vehicles to evacuate; however, transportation may need to be provided for evacuees without personal vehicles.9.Public information messages that emphasize the need for citizens to help their neighbors who lack transportation or need assistance can significantly reduce requirements for public transportation during an evacuation.D.Concept of Operations1.The IC or, for large-scale emergencies, the mayor, shall assess the need for evacuation. The Town Administrator, as the TCC manager, will plan evacuations and coordinate support among Town departments and the County, as necessary, for the evacuation effort.2.It may be appropriate to recommend precautionary evacuation of certain residents in advance of a general evacuation recommendation.3.Evacuating residents with special needs may require specialized transportation.4.Advanced planning for special needs evacuees must be coordinated to ensure that proper care may be given at designated shelter locations.5.A recommendation to evacuate will be issued by the mayor or designee. The Town will use all means available to disseminate the evacuation recommendation.6.Actual evacuation movement will be controlled by the MD State Police/CCSO.7.The Town will request support, as needed, from the County as outlined in the County EOP. The Evacuation Annex to the County EOP provides additional information.VIII. ADMINISTRATION AND SUPPORTA.Agreements and ContractsShould local resources prove to be inadequate during an emergency; requests will be made for assistance from other local jurisdictions through mutual-aid and the County EOP.B.Records1.Record Keeping for Emergency OperationsThe Town is responsible for establishing the administrative controls necessary to manage the expenditure of funds and to provide reasonable accountability and justification for expenditures made to support emergency operations. This shall be done in accordance with the established Town fiscal policies and standard cost accounting procedures.a.Incident CostsAll departments shall maintain records summarizing the use of personnel, equipment, and supplies during the response to day-to-day incidents to obtain an estimate of annual emergency response costs that can be used in preparing future department budgets.b.Emergency or Disaster CostsFor major emergencies or disasters, all departments and agencies participating in the emergency response shall maintain detailed records of costs for emergency operations to include:1)Personnel costs, especially overtime costs.2)Equipment operation costs.3)Costs for leased or rented equipment.4)Costs for contract services to support emergency operations.5)Costs of specialized supplies expended for emergency operations.These records may be used to recover costs from the responsible party or insurers or as a basis for requesting financial assistance for certain allowable response and recovery costs from the state and/or federal government.2.Preservation of Recordsa.In order to continue normal Town operations following an emergency situation or disaster, vital records must be protected. These include legal documents as well as property and tax records. The principal causes of damage to records are fire and water; therefore, essential records should be protected accordingly. Each department will include protection of vital records in its SOPs/SOGs.b.If records are damaged during an emergency situation, the Town may seek professional assistance to preserve and restore them.C.Consumer ProtectionConsumer complaints regarding alleged unfair or illegal business practices often occur in the aftermath of a disaster. Such complaints will be referred to the town attorney who will pass such complaints to the Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the Attorney General.D.Post-Incident and Exercise ReviewThe mayor is responsible for organizing and conducting a critique following the conclusion of a significant emergency event/incident or exercise. The critique will entail both written and verbal input from all appropriate participants. Where deficiencies are identified, an individual or department will be assigned responsibility for correcting the deficiency and a due date shall be established for that action.IX. PLAN DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCEA. Plan DevelopmentThe Town Administrator is responsible for the overall development and completion of the Town’s EOP and identified supporting annexes. The mayor is responsible for approving and promulgating this plan.B. Distribution of Planning DocumentsThe Town Administrator shall determine the distribution of this plan and its annexes, if any. This plan includes a distribution list (See Appendix 1) that indicates who receives copies of the basic plan and its annexes.C. ReviewThis plan and its annexes shall be reviewed annually by local officials. The Town Administrator will establish a schedule for annual review of planning documents by those tasked in them.D. Update1.This plan will be updated based upon deficiencies identified during actual emergency situations and exercises and when changes in threat hazards, resources and capabilities, or government structure occur.2.This plan and its annexes, if any, must be revised or updated by a formal change at least every four years. Responsibility for revising or updating the plan is assigned to the Town Administrator.3.The Town Administrator is responsible for distributing all revised or updated planning documents to all departments, agencies, and individuals tasked in those documents.X. APPENDICESAppendix 1 Distribution ListAppendix 2 Town Emergency Contact InformationAppendix 3 Assignment of Town ResponsibilitiesAppendix 4 Carroll County Emergency Operations Plan AnnexesAPPENDIX 1Distribution ListJurisdiction/Agency PlanBasic PlanAnnexesTown Command Center1AllMayor1AllTown Council5AllTown Administrator1AllStreets and Roads1AllWater and Sewer1AllParks and Recreation1AllPlanning and Zoning1AllTown Attorney1AllMount Airy Volunteer Fire Company1AllCarroll County OPSSS1AllCarroll County Division of Health Services1AllCarroll County Citizens Services Division1AllCarroll County Sheriff’s Office1AllCarroll County Finance Division1AllFrederick County Division of Emergency Management1AllAPPENDIX 2Mount Airy Contact ListNAMETITLEOFFICEHOMECELL/PAGERPatrick RockinbergMayor301-829-1424301-829-0895301-448-2598Monika WeierbachTown Administrator301-829-1424301-834-3750301-748-4943Barney QuinnTown Engineer301-829-1424301-831-5838240-793-3703Mark MoxleyDirector Streets and Roads301-831-7844301-829-1156240-793-3701Tom RobersonDirector WWTP301-829-2674301-829-0525240-793-3699Brian JohnsonDirector Water and Sewer301-831-7844301-829-8188240-793-3697MAVFCLocal Fire Company301-829-0100MD State PoliceResident Troopers301-829-0218APPENDIX 3Assignment of ResponsibilitiesRESPONSIBLE PARTYASSIGNMENTMayor·Establish objectives and priorities for the emergency management program and provide general policy guidance.·Serve as, or appoint, a chief spokesperson for the Town during emergency events.·Confer with the Town Administrator and other town officials, as appropriate, on policy issues related to the response and recovery operations.·Coordinate with other elected officials at the County, regional and state level, including the congressional delegation.·Order evacuations and implement this plan.·Keep the public informed during emergency situations.·In coordination with the County OPSSS, declare a local state of emergency, request the Governor declare a state of emergency, or invoke the emergency powers of government, when necessary.·Request assistance from other local governments, when necessary.·Exercise overall responsibility for plans and operations for emergency and disaster assistance within the Town.Town Council·Monitor the emergency response during disaster situations and provide direction where appropriate.·Ensure funds are available to support emergency operations as outlined in this plan.·Communicate with the public and provide guidance on responding to an emergency or disaster.·As necessary, vote to extend the disaster declaration for the Town beyond seven days.·Host community meetings to ensure needs are being addressed and information is provided to residents.·Promulgate the codes, regulations, and ordinances of the Town, and provides the funds required to implement and enforce an effective mitigation program.·Enact emergency ordinances, as appropriate.Town Attorney·Advise Town officials concerning legal responsibilities, powers, and liabilities regarding emergency operations and post-disaster assistance.·Prepare, as appropriate, emergency ordinances (i.e., gouging and curfews) and local declarations.·Assist with the preparation of applications, legal interpretations or opinions.·Assist in obtaining waivers and legal clearances needed to dispose of debris and materials resulting from an emergency or disaster.·Assist with the implementation of isolation and quarantine orders and other court orders, as needed.·Advise town officials on other legal matters arising from an emergency or disaster.Town Administrator·Activate the Town EOP.·Provide direction and control of Town departments and organizations during emergency operations. In the event the TCC is activated, the Town Administrator will serve as the TCC manager.·Direct and reallocate Town assets and resources during an emergency.·Serve as the lead for the Town in managing recovery operations.·Implement the policies of the governing body related to emergency management.Town Engineer·Develop and maintain the Public Works and Engineering Annex to this plan.·Manage the public works and engineering operations during an emergency situations.·Oversee the repair and restoration of key Town facilities and systems.·Manager debris removal operations.Director, Street and Road Department·Provide personnel, equipment, and supplies to support emergency operations upon request.·Develop and maintain SOPs/SOGs for emergency tasks.·Assess damages to Town streets.·Monitor the status of the Town’s transportation infrastructure and repair roads and traffic control systems, as necessary.·Provide for traffic control, as necessary.·Manage snow and debris removal on Town streets.·Provide support for evacuations.Director, Water and Sewer·Develop and maintain SOPs/SOGs.·Conduct damage assessments of water supply, distribution and control facilities, sanitary sewer systems and related facilities.·Manage the repair and restoration, as necessary, for Town water and sanitary sewer systems.·Provide for emergency water supply and assist with distribution.·Ensure the continued supply of potable water.·Ensure continuous wastewater collection services.·In conjunction with the County division of Health Services provide warnings and advice for contaminated or low water levels and “boil water” alerts.Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company·Provide fire prevention, suppression and rescue services.·Provide support for emergency notifications.·As appropriate, establish initial on-scene incident command.·Provide emergency triage, medical care and patient transportation.·Assist in evacuation operations.·Assist in search operations.·Provide emergency medical care, triage, and transportationLaw Enforcement·Provide available staff, resources, and facilities to support emergency operations.·As appropriate, establish on-scene incident command.·Assist in evacuation operations.·Provide security of emergency site(s), evacuated areas, shelter areas, vital facilities, supplies, and other assigned locations.·Provide assistance in search operations.·Provide law enforcement services.·Initiate on-scene warning and alerting in cooperation with the Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company.·Provide traffic control and management.·Conduct investigations in accordance with Federal, State, and local laws.Parks and Recreation·Provide available staff and resources to support emergency operations.·Provide facilities, as required, for use as staging areas and/or points of distribution.APPENDIX 4Carroll County EOP Annex AssignmentsANNEXASSIGNED TO:Annex A: WarningAnnex B: Communications and Information TechnologyAnnex C: Shelter & Mass CareAnnex D: Radiological ProtectionAnnex E: EvacuationAnnex F: Fire and RescueAnnex G: Law EnforcementAnnex H: Health and Medical ServicesAnnex I: Emergency Public InformationAnnex J: RecoveryAnnex K: Public Works and EngineeringAnnex L: UtilitiesAnnex M: Resource ManagementAnnex N: Direction & ControlAnnex O: Human ServicesAnnex P: Reserved for future use.Annex Q: Hazardous Materials & Oil SpillResponseAnnex R: Reserved for future use.Annex S: TransportationAnnex T: Donations and Volunteer ManagementAnnex U: LegalAnnex V: Terrorist Incident ResponseAnnex W: Animal Health EmergencyAnnex X: Private Sector CoordinationAnnex Y: Family SupportAnnex Z: Damage AssessmentGEOGRAPHIC BRANCHES