605—1.2(29C) Definitions.

The following definitions are applicable to the homeland security and emergency management department:

“Comprehensive countywide emergency operations plan” means documents that describe the actions to be taken to lessen the effects of, prepare for, respond to and recover from a disaster by county and city governments, quasi-government agencies, and private organizations that have emergency operations responsibility. The plan is multihazard in scope (covers all hazards for the county) and provides for a coordinated effort. It references authority, assigns functional responsibilities, provides for direction and control, and ensures the effective use of resources.

“Department” means the same as defined in Iowa Code chapter 29C.

“Director” means the same as defined in Iowa Code chapter 29C.

“Disaster” means the same as defined in Iowa Code chapter 29C.

“Emergency” means a sudden, generally unexpected occurrence or set of circumstances demanding immediate action to protect life or property. Such actions are normally handled in a routine manner by law enforcement, fire protection, public works, utilities, and emergency medical services.

“Emergency management” means lessening the effects of, preparations for, operations during, and recovery from natural, technological or human-caused disasters. These actions are broad in scope and include but are not limited to disaster plans, mitigation, preparedness, response, warning, emergency operations, training, exercising, research, rehabilitation, and recovery activities.

“Emergency management performance grant program” means a program by which federal funds are utilized to pay no more than 50 percent of the salaries, benefits, travel, and office expenses incurred in the administration of the state and local emergency management program.

“Homeland security” means the detection, prevention, preemption, and deterrence of and protection from attacks targeted at state territory, population, and infrastructure.

“Joint commissions” means two or more local emergency management commissions acting as a joint commission for the coordination and administration of emergency management as described in Iowa Code section 29C.9.

“Local commission” means the local emergency management commission as defined in Iowa Code section 29C.9.

“Mitigation” means any action taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from hazards. Examples of mitigation activities include building codes, land use management, floodplain management, building of protective structures such as flood walls, public education, research, risk mapping, safety codes, and statutes and ordinances.

“Preparedness” means any activity taken in advance of an emergency or disaster that improves emergency readiness posture and develops or expands operational capabilities. Examples of preparedness activities include but are not limited to continuity of government, emergency alert and warning systems, emergency communications, emergency operations centers, comprehensive countywide emergency operations plans, emergency public information materials, exercise of plans and systems, hazard analysis, mutual aid agreements, resource management, and the training and equipping of personnel.

“Recovery” means short-term activity to return vital life support systems to minimum operating standards and long-term activity designed to return the affected people and areas to their predisaster conditions. Examples of recovery activities are crisis counseling, damage assessment, debris clearance, decontamination, disaster insurance payments, disaster loans and grants, disaster unemployment assistance, public information, community outreach, temporary housing, and reconstruction.

“Response” means any action taken immediately before, during, or directly after an emergency or disaster occurs, which is intended to save lives, minimize injuries, lessen property and environmental damage and enhance the effectiveness of recovery. Examples of response activity include rendering of assistance by emergency responders, activation of the emergency operations center, emergency alert system activation, emergency instructions to the public, emergency plan implementation, public official alerting, evacuation, sheltering of victims, search and rescue, resource mobilization, and warning system activation.

[ARC 9815C, IAB 12/10/25, effective 1/14/26]