Duluth signs agreement with state for mutual aid in emergencies

Duluth signs agreement with Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency for mutual aid in the event of emergencies. (Courtesy Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency)

Duluth signs agreement with Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency for mutual aid in the event of emergencies. (Courtesy Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency)

Duluth previously executed a Statewide Mutual Aid agreement in May 2012 that gave authority to receive mutual aid assistance in emergencies from the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency. The agreement also ensures timely reimbursement of costs incurred by local governments during such emergencies. The city renewed the 2012 agreement in May of 2016 and is now in need of renewal again. At the city’s Dec. council meeting, Duluth officials extended the agreement through March 1, 2024.

Assistance can include personnel, equipment, facilities, services, supplies and other resources in the event of an emergency or disaster. According to the agreement, emergencies could include “natural disasters, technological hazards, human caused disasters, civil emergencies, community disorders, insurgency, enemy attack, acts of terrorism, other significant events or homeland security activities.”