Title
Authorization for Amendment to City Code Chapter 11 (Ordinance G-7421) - Citywide
Description
Request City Council approval to amend the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management City Code Chapter 11 to align with the 2025 City of Phoenix Emergency Operations Plan.
Report
Summary
To ensure consistency with state and federal guidance, the City of Phoenix Comprehensive Emergency Management Program is designed around multiple frameworks, including the National Response Framework, National Incident Management System (NIMS), Arizona State Emergency Response and Recovery Plan (SERRP), Maricopa County Emergency Operations Plan, Arizona Revised Statutes Title 26, Chapter 2, and Phoenix City Code Chapter 11. This program must include defined time frames for plan updates.
While regulatory guidance does not mandate a specific update timeline, the City’s Emergency Management Program establishes that major revisions to the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) occur every five years, with an internal review occurring annually. The last major revision was approved by City Council in 2018, placing the City past the stated revision cycle.
As part of the 2025 EOP update, the City conducted a comprehensive plan review in collaboration with all departments assigned roles and responsibilities under the EOP. The revised plan will align with current federal and state best practices, including the NIMS, updated to the Third Edition in 2017, and Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG 101), Version 3.1, released in 2025. The update will also integrate newly established City departments, including the Office of Public Health, the Office of Heat Response and Mitigation, the Office of Homeless Solutions, and the Community Assistance Program, to ensure a more inclusive and coordinated response framework.
In addition to the EOP updates, City Code Chapter 11 revisions are being proposed to better align with the City Charter and state statute. These changes include renaming the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to the Office of Emergency Management to reflect its current functions more accurately. Additional updates include adding a clarifying definition for “Great Emergency” that is the same as "Local Emergency," as that term is defined in A.R.S. § 26-301. The revisions also add definitions for the position of Director for the Office of Emergency Management as designated by the City Manager, and for the position of Emergency Management Coordinator, defining those roles in accordance with the responsibilities outlined in the EOP. Because the varying nature of an emergency may require flexibility in the position of Director of the Emergency Operations Center, the provision requiring that the City Manager assign the Director of the Emergency Operations Center was removed. There are no substantive changes to the Mayor, Council, or the City Manager’s Chapter 11 authorities.
These updates aim to strengthen the City’s emergency preparedness, ensure compliance with legal agreements, and promote equitable service delivery for the entire community.
Attachment A includes proposed revisions to Phoenix City Code Chapter 11.
Financial Impact
The Office of Emergency Management continues coordinating and collaborating with City departments on mitigation, preparedness, prevention, response, and recovery efforts. Funding for efforts implemented to address emergency operation strategies must be addressed in each department’s specified budget.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
The Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee recommended approval of this item on September 4, 2025.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Lori Bays and the Fire Department.