Resolution 14-06
Sponsors: APPA Mutual Aid Working Group; Tennessee Valley Public Power Association; Iowa
Association of Municipal Utilities; Central Lincoln PUD; Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility
Commission; Florida Municipal Electric Association; Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association;
Northeast Public Power Association; Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority; Tennessee Municipal
Electric Power Association; Tullahoma Utilities Board; ElectriCities of North Carolina; Clark
Public Utilities; Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin; Pasadena Water & Power; Electric Cities
of Georgia; McMinnville Electric System; Kansas Municipal Utilities; Delaware Municipal Electric
Corporation; Michigan Municipal Electric Association; New York Association of Public Power
In Support of Strengthening Public Power’s Mutual Aid Networks
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The country has experienced a number of disasters and emergency situations over the years that have
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caused significant damage to utility infrastructure. In the last decade, events such as Hurricanes Katrina,
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Irene, and Sandy, the tornadoes in the Midwest and South, the earthquakes in California, the flooding in
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the Upper Midwest, and the wildfires in Colorado and elsewhere have all impacted not only our utilities
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and their operations, but the lives of everyone in those areas. Widespread disasters can quickly exhaust
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the local or regional resources that might be available to help. These situations underscore the importance
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of establishing and maintaining mutual aid networks at the local, state/regional, and national levels, and
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developing a more effectively organized response, particularly for large-scale disasters where aid is
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requested from multiple regions of the country.
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A utility’s participation in a well-defined mutual aid agreement is a critical step toward planning for the
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unexpected. These mutual aid agreements between utilities, agencies, organizations, and jurisdictions
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provide a way to efficiently obtain emergency assistance in the form of personnel, equipment, materials,
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and other related services from outside the area of impact. The primary objective of the agreement is to
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facilitate rapid, short-term deployment of emergency support prior to, during, and after an incident or
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disaster. The secondary objective is to fulfill the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA)
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policy of having mutual aid agreements in place to apply for reimbursement for presidentially declared
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disaster expenses. In the 1990s, American Public Power Association (APPA) staff worked with the
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National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) and FEMA to develop a one-page mutual aid
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agreement to link municipally owned and cooperatively owned electric systems under a national
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agreement that spells out expectations for mutual aid. Under the agreement, no utility is required to
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provide assistance; however, should they choose to provide assistance, they would do so with the
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expectation that their crews will be paid, whether or not FEMA has declared the event an emergency.
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Additionally, it is imperative that a utility maintain and implement a disaster management/emergency
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response plan well before a storm is in sight. This comprehensive plan should be accessible by all utility
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personnel, and be kept up to date to ensure correct information. The utility should also hold regular drills
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to ensure readiness. An assessment of readiness starts in the hours or even days before a storm or other
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disaster presents itself.
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In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the level of federal scrutiny on the electric utility industry’s response
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to disasters has increased significantly. The federal expectation is now that utilities should have
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established guidelines and processes by which to efficiently and effectively respond to a widespread,
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national-scale disaster. Additionally, the Department of Energy (DOE) has included APPA on their
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Energy Restoration Team (ERT) in an effort to expedite the restoration efforts of the entire energy sector.
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APPA represents public power utilities on the ERT by providing restoration and recovery updates, in
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addition to advocating for any access to fuel, permits, or other resources. As such, in the event of a
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disaster that exceeds the mutual aid resources of the local/regional program, having an organized public
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power plan is essential.
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The Mutual Aid Plan (MAP) can ensure an expeditious and organized response to requests for assistance.
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It is critical that the MAP is developed, implemented, and maintained by public power systems as
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represented by APPA’s Mutual Aid Working Group (MAWG). The MAWG will work collaboratively
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with state and regional associations, joint action agencies and individual utilities to identify network
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coordinators that can streamline and aggregate information from a region and facilitate communication
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with APPA to provide consistent, accurate reporting to federal entities. Additionally, the MAWG will
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facilitate the creation of a repository of recognized practices to serve as a resource for public power
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systems, allowing utilities to continuously evaluate and improve their level of preparedness for an event
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of any scale.
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: That APPA will continue to work with its members, the
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Mutual Aid Working Group, other utility associations, and federal agencies to enhance communication
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and information sharing during preparation and recovery from disasters; and
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That APPA will continue to work with FEMA, the Department of
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Energy, the Department of Homeland Security, and other federal agencies to improve preparedness,
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coordination, and understanding among these federal entities, and utilities, and to streamline the
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administrative obstacles to procuring assistance during and after a major storm/event; and
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BE IT FUTHER RESOLVED: That APPA will continue to educate and encourage all APPA members
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to familiarize themselves with the public power Mutual Aid Plan, have mutual aid agreements and
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disaster plans, update them yearly, and be ready to assist other public power utilities in times of need.
As adopted June 17, 2014, by the membership of the American Public Power Association at its
annual meeting in Denver, Colorado.
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