PHOENIX – Governor Janet Napolitano today announced the Arizona Mutual Aid Compact – an emergency preparedness and response agreement between cities, counties Tribal governments and the state to share resources during emergencies. The compact outlines such issues as liability and reimbursement.

“No jurisdiction has all the resources needed to respond to a large-scale emergency or disaster,” the Governor said. "Yet few events would exceed Arizona's collective capability. And this compact facilitates the deployment of our combined resources quickly.”

Local jurisdictions commonly share fire, police and emergency medical services with neighboring jurisdictions now. What makes the Arizona Mutual Aid Compact unique is the comprehensive scope. “It is more inclusive in terms of additional disciplines such as public health, public works, and transportation. And coverage is virtually statewide,” Napolitano explained.

The Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA), the lead state agency for emergency response, planning and training, crafted the compact. DEMA Director Major General David P. Rataczak, called its development a tremendous collaborative effort and a win/win for the state.

“During an emergency is the wrong time to negotiate reimbursement and liability issues,” said General Rataczak. “The Arizona Mutual Aid Compact will enable jurisdictions to more promptly dispatch resources as such issues are resolved beforehand.”