2.

WHEREAS the Parties desire to enter into an agreement whereby

emergency resources can be deployed to agsist any Party during a disaster;

NOW THEREFORE THIS AGREEMENT WITNESSES THAT, in consideration of the mutual. covenants and agreements herein contained and subject to the

terms and conditions hereinafter set out, the Parties agree as follows:

1. In this Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires,

a) "Chief Fire Official" means, for each Party, the senior municipal employee responsible for the fire services of

that Party or his delegate;

“disaster” means a real Or anticipated occurrence that in the opinion of the Chief Fire Official cannot be brought under control by the use of local emergency resources and that endangers the lives, safety, welfare and wellbeing of large numbers of people or extensive

property; '

"emergency resources" means all persons and equipment held by, in the service of, or directly avatlable to the

fire services of a Party;

"regional aid" means emer, ov resources provided by a

Party outside the zone of the Party that requested the

emergency resources;

e) “zone aid" mezns emergency resources provided by one

Party to anotier Party within the same zone.

2. The procedure to he followed in requesting and rendering aid

under this Agrcement. shall he governed by the following principles, namely:

(1) Where a Chief Fire Official determines that a disaster is occurring or is imminent he shall in his sole and absolute discretion decide whether the disaster is one that requires zone aid or regional aid and shall request

emergency resources from the appropriate Party.

The purpose of dividing the region into zones is to Permit a graduated response to.a disaster dependent on the nature of che occurrence and each Chief Fire Official wild accordingly attempt to fully utilize the emergency resources cf his zone before Tequesting regional aid, except where special equipment is not available within

the zone,