New Mexico Mutual Aid and Assistance Agreement (NMWARN)
Overview
WARN stands for Water / Wastewater Agency Response Network, and it is a private, voluntary agreement between systems to help each other out in emergency situations. The NMWARN agreement is modeled after several other state agreements, and based on actual experience and lessons learned in widespread disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and others. The main concept of the NMWARN is “utilities helping utilities.”
This agreement sets out rules which will govern the request and provision of assistance process by drinking water and wastewater WARN members during any kind of emergency. Membership is open to all drinking water and wastewater utilities in New Mexico, public or private, and there is no cost to execute the agreement and join the NMWARN. Membership will allow any utility to request assistance or provide assistance during any kind of emergency (man-made or natural). It is important to remember that provision of assistance is strictly voluntary; no member of the WARN is required to provide assistance under any circumstances. Utilities may decide to discontinue membership in the WARN at any time.
Join the NMWARN
Please download and review the NMWARN agreement. If your governing body approves the agreement, have the board president, mayor, or other appropriately authorized person sign it. It is recommended that an attorney review the agreement on behalf of the utility and sign the agreement for your protection. Please note that the agreement has been finalized and will not be changed without a vote of the NMWARN committee. If your utility elects not to have the agreement reviewed by an attorney, please provide a second signature by an authorized person, such as the board secretary/treasurer. Make a copy for your records and return the original signed agreement to:
Matthew Holmes
NMWARN Executive Committee Chair
3413 Carlisle Blvd. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87110
Background
The key to fast response in emergency situations is preparedness, and generally the most difficult things to work out are the legal details: liability, responsibility, reimbursement, etc. These seemingly minor details become large obstacles to effective response when disaster strikes. The NMWARN was developed to take care of these details beforehand and facilitate federal emergency funding in case of disaster. A signed agreement in place between systems allows for quick response, even before a disaster has been officially declared. Federal law prohibits responding utilities from receiving federal reimbursement money if there is no signed agreement in place prior to the declaration of a disaster.
A steering committee oversaw development of the NMWARN agreement, which was completed by an executive committee comprised of representatives of NMRWA, NMED Drinking Water Bureau, NM Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and several water and wastewater systems. The NMWARN agreement was approved unanimously by the executive committee on December 12, 2008. Once enough members execute the agreement a meeting will be set up to elect members of the official NMWARN Committee. This committee will then be tasked with creating rules by which the committee operates and an operational plan for the NMWARN which will guide its operations. Statewide WARNs are being developed nationwide and are proving to be a valuable resource during emergencies as utilities help other utilities respond to emergencies.
NMED WARN Webpage