{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-39a.050","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 39A.050","heading":"Responsibility of division for coordinating disaster and emergency","body":"services -- Powers, authorities, and duties.\n(1) The Division of Emergency Management shall coordinate for the Governor all\nmatters pertaining to the comprehensive emergency manag ement program and\ndisaster and emergency response of the Commonwealth. The division shall be the\nexecutive branch agency of state government having primary jurisdiction,\nresponsibility, and authority for the planning and execution of disaster and\nemergency assessment, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery for the\nCommonwealth; the coordination of all disaster and emergency response by and\nbetween all state agencies, all agencies of city, county, and urban -county or charter\ncounty government, all local entities, and all political subdivisions of the\nCommonwealth for an emergency, declared emergency, disaster, or catastrophe as\ncontemplated in KRS 39A.010, 39A.020, or 39A.030; the coordination of, and\nliaison with, related or concerned federal gover nment agencies, elected officials of\nother states, private organizations or private sector companies dealing with disaster\nand emergency response; the coordination of all recovery operations and mitigation\ninitiatives subsequent to disasters or emergencies; and the coordination of all public\ninformation activities regarding state government disaster and emergency response\noperations.\n(2) The Division of Emergency Management shall have and exercise the following\npowers, authorities, and duties:\n(a) To develop, administer, and maintain a statewide comprehensive emergency\nmanagement program for the Commonwealth, and through it an integrated\nemergency management system for the disaster and emergency response of\nthe Commonwealth, which shall be coordinated with t he emergency\nmanagement programs, and other related public safety, emergency response,\nmitigation, or disaster recovery programs, of all appropriate federal\ngovernment agencies including the Federal Emergency Management Agency,\nthe federal Department of Ho meland Security, the State Department, the\nFederal Aviation Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and\nPrevention, the Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection\nAgency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Depart ment\nof Defense, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the\nDepartment of Justice, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the\nNational Transportation Safety Board, the Chemical Safety and Hazard\nInvestigation Board, the Army Corps of E ngineers, the National Security\nCouncil, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Federal Railroad\nAdministration, the United States Geological Survey, the Department of\nEnergy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Department of Agriculture,\nthe Department of Housing and Urban Development, the American Red\nCross, the other states, and other appropriate public or private agencies, to the\nfullest appropriate extent;\n(b) To coordinate the development, implementation, and maintenance of\ncomprehensive emergency management programs by local emergency\nmanagement agencies in the cities, counties, and urban -county or charter\ncounty governments of the Commonwealth to ensure that all such programs,\nagencies, and organizations are organized, administered, and operated as\nfunctional components of the integrated emergency management system of\nthe Commonwealth;\n(c) To develop and maintain a comprehensive, risk -based, all -hazards disaster\nand emergency response plan entitled \"Kentucky Emergency Operations\nPlan,\" the provisions of which shall establish the organizational structure to be\nutilized by state government for managing disaster and emergency response,\nand set forth the policies, procedures, and guidelines for the coordination and\nexecution of all disaster an d emergency response for an emergency, declared\nemergency, disaster, or catastrophe in the Commonwealth. The Kentucky\nEmergency Operations Plan shall be submitted to the Governor for approval\nwhen the Governor assumes office following each gubernatorial election, or at\nother times as the director deems appropriate. The Governor shall provide\nwritten approval of the Kentucky Emergency Operations Plan through\nissuance of an executive order, and the division shall file a copy of the\nexecutive order with the Le gislative Research Commission. The Kentucky\nEmergency Operations Plan shall be the primary strategic disaster and\nemergency response planning component of the integrated emergency\nmanagement system of the Commonwealth, and shall be utilized and followed\nby all state agencies, all local government agencies, all local public agencies\nor entities, and all other political subdivisions of the Commonwealth which\nmay be involved in disaster and emergency response in the Commonwealth.\nThe Kentucky Emergency Operati ons Plan shall be updated by the division\nnot less than annually;\n(d) To maintain and operate the State Emergency Operations Center facility,\nwhich shall be the official and primary state government twenty -four (24)\nhour warning point, communications, and command center, from which the\nGovernor, cabinet secretaries, department heads, and other state agency\nofficials can, at any time, rapidly, adequately, and effectively manage the\ndisaster and emergency response of the Commonwealth. The State Emergency\nOperations Center facility shall be the primary state direction and control\ncomponent of the integrated emergency management system of the\nCommonwealth for the coordination of all disaster and emergency response in\nthe Commonwealth;\n(e) To develop, monitor, an d operate, on a twenty -four (24) hour per day basis,\nthe appropriate alerting or warning systems, public safety telecommunications\nsystems, or radio networks; any state trunked, fiber, or interactive\ncommunication systems; computer, fax, other telecommunic ations or\ninformation networks; and systems needed for communication and\ncoordination with all necessary or appropriate federal, state, or local public\nsafety, law enforcement, emergency management, or other disaster and\nemergency response agencies, and st ate or local dispatch centers in the\nCommonwealth, and other appropriate interests, and through these agencies\nand systems to receive or disseminate emergency information, or to receive\ntimely notification of, and continual assessment of, all threatened or  actual\nemergency incidents or disaster situations occurring anywhere in or near the\nCommonwealth;\n(f) To immediately notify the Governor, the adjutant general, and the executive\ndirector of the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security, or his or her designee,\nin the event of any major emergency incidents or disaster occurrences, or the\nthreatened or impending occurrence of any of these events, and to keep the\nGovernor, the adjutant general, and the executive director of the Kentucky\nOffice of Homeland Security , or his or her designee, informed of all actions\nbeing taken in response to these events;\n(g) To respond to the scenes of emergencies or disasters, or their threatened or\nimpending occurrence and to directly and immediately investigate, analyze,\nand assess the nature and seriousness of these situations; to convene meetings,\ngather information, conduct briefings, and evaluate ongoing emergency\nresponse activities; take actions to execute the appropriate provisions of the\nKentucky Emergency Operations Plan; coordinate the establishment and\noperation of a state incident management system; establish or manage sub -\nstate or area emergency operations centers, or on -scene command posts; and\nfully expedite and coordinate the disaster and emergency response of the\nCommonwealth;\n(h) To establish and operate area field offices of the division, each office to be\nheaded by an area manager, responsible for administering the policies, plans,\nprograms, and duties of the division in specific geographic areas of the\nCommonwealth, including the coordination of comprehensive emergency\nmanagement programs developed by the cities, counties, urban -county, or\ncharter county governments in the areas;\n(i) To provide funds to the cities, counties, and urban -county or charter county\ngovernments of the Commonwealth to support the development,\nadministration, operation, and maintenance of local emergency management\nagencies created pursuant to KRS Chapters 39A to 39F;\n(j) To require the regular submission of program administration data, records,\nmaterials, reports, or documents from local emergency management agencies\nas may be necessary and sufficient to conduct performance reviews and\nassessments to ensure com pliance with all state or federal funding and\nprogram requirements, and to ensure local program compatibility and\nconsistency with the mission, goals, and objectives of the comprehensive\nemergency management program and integrated emergency management\nsystem of the Commonwealth;\n(k) To ascertain the requirements of the Commonwealth and its cities and\ncounties for emergency resources and the necessities of life in the event of\ndisaster or emergency; institute an emergency resource management plan and\nprocure emergency supplies, materials, and equipment; and use or employ in\ntime of emergency any of the property, services, and resources of state or\nlocal government in the Commonwealth for the purposes set forth in KRS\nChapters 39A to 39F;\n(l) To institute publ ic information and education programs, emergency\nmanagement training programs, and exercise programs to test and evaluate\nemergency operations plans and disaster and emergency response and\nrecovery capabilities;\n(m) To institute and maintain the Kentucky Q ualification System, which shall be\nused to establish qualification procedures, certification programs, and\ncredentialing standards for professionals involved in disaster and incident\nmanagement, including incident management teams and emergency\noperations centers; and\n(n) To promulgate administrative regulations to carry out the provisions of KRS\nChapters 39A to 39F.","path":["KRS Chapter 39A"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=56891","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:48:58Z","sha256":"c105d4d110ca08f41c814a420e1963db4c96249e3f20cd8185e187ca51ce84d0","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-39a.040","next":"us-ky/krs-39a.060"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}