Memorandum of Understanding

WHEREAS, in response to the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001, the COG Board of Directors ("COG Board") convened a Task Force on Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness for the National Capital Region ("Task Force"), consisting of representatives from the local, state, federal governments, public sector agencies, and private and non-profit sector stakeholders; and

WHEREAS, federal, state and local governments and other public and private sector stakeholders agree that the region must have a coordinated homeland defense and security program with the capacity to respond with dispatch to the full spectrum of regional emergencies, including natural disasters, human-induced hazards, and terrorism; and

WHEREAS, on April 10, 2002, the COG Board approved the Task Force's Regional Emergency Coordination Plan Framework as the interim regional emergency coordination planSM, and committed to adopt the full Regional Emergency Coordination Plan by September, 2002; and

WHEREAS, the Regional Emergency Coordination Plan must be a living and evolving document, that will be strengthened and enhanced over time as it is exercised and tested; and

NOW THEREFORE, the signatory parties to this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) hereby agree to the following:

1. To use the Regional Emergency Coordination Plan Framework agreed to by the COG Board of Directors on April 10, 2002, on an interim basis in the event that a regional emergency occurs prior to agreement on a completed Regional Emergency Coordination Plan.
2. To appoint representative(s) to participate in the emergency support function work groups of the Regional Emergency Coordination Plan under the auspices of the COG Task Force on Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness for the National Capital Region (Task Force). The appointees to the Task Force work groups shall be senior individuals having policy or technical knowledge required for further plan development.
3. To cooperatively develop, through the Task Force and its work groups, a comprehensive Regional Emergency Coordination PlanSM based upon the Framework, and prepare supporting annexes as required for implementing the Plan.
4. To incorporate the Regional Incident Communication and Coordination System (RICCS) into agency/organization emergency response procedures to facilitate communication and coordination of the region's response to regional emergencies.
5. To cooperatively participate in exercises and drills to test and validate the Plan on a regular basis. 6. This MOU may be modified at any time with the written consent of authorized representatives of each signatory. Any signatory to this MOU may withdraw from it by providing COG a seven-day written notice of such action.
6. The MOU shall become effective immediately when it is approved by at least two signatories each in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and the Federal Government.