Cochise County supervisors review update to 1979 emergency-declaration resolution and 2020 policy

Cochise County supervisors and staff reviewed proposed updates to a 1979 county resolution and a 2020 internal policy that together govern how the county declares local emergencies and allocates emergency resources.

The proposed redraft, presented by Dan DeShawn, Cochise County emergency management director, updates statutory references to Arizona Revised Statutes Title 26 and federal guidance including the Robert T. Stafford Act and Homeland Security Presidential Policy Directives 5 and 8, replaces dated terminology such as "civil defense" with "emergency management," and aligns the county resolution's definitions and authorities with current state law.

The changes matter because the resolution sets the legal framework for when and how the Board of Supervisors or the chairman may declare and act during an emergency, and the accompanying policy governs internal resource allocation, mutual aid, and administrative actions during incidents that affect public health and safety.

DeShawn said the redline packet shows deletions in red and additions in blue and that the text largely mirrors current statutes. He explained the…