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Exploring the dynamics
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applying for grants. A big city EM coordinator pointed out the
following:
The new requirement for most grants, specifically those
that are issued by any emergency management or
homeland security agency, is a partnership. So, often
times we will collaborate in the region to go after a
grant, such as our Urban Area Security Initiatives, the
UASI grant, and the metropolitan medical response
system grant. (ID15-2)
Seeking resources and support, especially physical
resources and human resources, is another way to explain
collaboration among local governments. Several city and county
EM directors mentioned that they collaborate with each other
on physical resources (i.e., generators or vehicles) or personnel
support (i.e., firefighters or law enforcement officers) during a
disaster (ID8, ID9, & ID13). This resource-searching endeavor
can be particularly important for local governments with a small
population. Although a small county may employ a self-
sufficient strategy to operate its EM and encourage its EM
professionals to fulfill multi-functional duties, an EM agency in
a small county or city can usually only handle daily EM tasks.
When an emergency happens, a small local government
generally needs to request assistance through a mutual aid
system with other counties or municipalities which possess
adequate resources.
A local government can be a resource-seeker as well as a
resource-provider in collaboration. The interviewees mentioned
that a large county or big city is often requested by other small
local governments to provide assistance (ID10 & ID14). In the
same region, a larger county usually possesses more resources
and have more employees; therefore, it is often viewed as the
resource-provider to assist a small county. Similarly, in a county,
the big city also plays the part of a big brother and partner with
other municipalities. A big city may study the needs of