“Deputy Director of Emergency Management” means the person appointed by the City Manager to represent the Director in his/her absence.

“Director of Emergency Management” means the person appointed by the City Manager who is responsible for the administration and operation of the emergency management program for the City of Lakewood.

“Emergency” or “disaster” as used in this chapter means an event or set of circumstances which: (1) demands immediate action to preserve public health, protect life, protect public property, or to provide relief to any stricken neighborhood overtaken by such occurrences, or (2) reaches such a dimension or degree of destructiveness as to warrant the City Manager proclaiming the existence of an emergency or the Governor declaring a state of emergency in accordance with appropriate local and state statute.

“Emergency management” means the preparation for and the carrying out of all emergency functions, other than functions for which the military forces are primarily responsible, to mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies and disasters, and to aid victims suffering from injury or damage resulting from disasters caused by all hazards, whether natural or manmade, and to provide support for search and rescue operations for persons and property in distress. [Ord. 148 § 1, 1997.]