Resources That Deploy under EMAC

One of the most frequently asked questions is also the simplest to answer: "Can I deploy under EMAC?" The answer is twofold:

1. Are you a state asset?
2. If you are not a state asset, does your state have enabling legislation that makes you a temporary agent of the state so you can legally deploy under EMAC?

EMAC Article II (General Implementation), passed in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, says that states are to make "... prompt, full, and effective utilization of resources of the participating states, including any resources on hand ... or any other source, that are essential to the safety, care, and welfare of the people in the event of any emergency or disaster declared by a party state." 

EMAC, which is state law, provides protections to agents of the state. States use intrastate mutual aid agreements to make use of the available resources in their state. 

The majority of the states have passed intrastate mutual aid agreements that allow for the deployment of non-state resources. Learn more about your discipline below, and contact your state emergency management agency to learn how the enabling legislation works in your state.