ST. PAUL, MN - Today, Governor Mark Dayton signed Emergency Executive Order 15-16, providing for emergency assistance to the State of Washington through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. In 2014, Governor Dayton and the Legislature enacted legislation directing Minnesota to join the interstate mutual aid compact.
The State of Washington is currently managing the suppression of fifteen different active fire complexes throughout their state, totaling over 230,000 affected acres, and has exhausted its resources. At the request of the State of Washington, Governor Dayton's Executive Order directs the Minnesota National Guard to assist with fire suppression efforts by providing for 2 UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, along with needed personnel and equipment, for a mission to Washington State beginning today for up to 15 days. A Minnesota Department of Natural Resources helicopter operations manager will accompany the National Guard on this mission.
/governor/assets/EO_15-16_tcm1055-114836.pdfA copy of the Emergency Executive Order can be found on the Governor's website here.
About the Emergency Management Assistance Compact
The Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) is a mutual aid agreement and partnership between states. EMAC simplifies the process for states to send personnel and equipment to help disaster relief efforts in impacted states when state and local resources are overwhelmed and federal assistance is inadequate or unavailable.
Requests for EMAC assistance are legally binding, contractual arrangements that make states requesting assistance responsible for reimbursing all out-of-state costs and liable for out-of-state personnel.
EMAC allows states to ask for whatever type of assistance they require for any emergency response and recovery effort. However, states are not required to send any resources unless they are willing and able to do so.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Homeland Security Emergency Management division (DPS-HSEM) manages the EMAC program in Minnesota. This includes fielding requests from other states and locating resources to respond to disasters and other emergencies.
