No emergency incident recognizes borders

Abstract

The state of Arizona and the bordering towns of northern Mexico acknowledge the need for capability planning. They recognize the benefits of bi-national response and collaborative sharing of resources in times of disaster. Municipalities in southern Arizona and northern Mexico are taking a preventive approach and have created the Bi-National Arizona Emergency Response Task Force (BAERTF). The goal of the BAERTF is to deliver a timely, supportive response and automatic, mutual-aid capability to any jurisdiction in the state of Arizona or northern Mexico that experiences a disaster, terrorist-based or otherwise, that overwhelms the local response on either side of the border. Consequently, the expertise and application of the task force will be all-hazard (natural disasters, man-made disasters, and terrorist acts), adhering to the U.S. federal vision of comprehensive emergency management achieved through integrated emergency management systems both in the United States and Mexico. The intent is to address a perennial problem faced by small jurisdictions in both countries when dealing with disasters: events of any magnitude may quickly outstrip the ability of the jurisdiction and its local mutual aid to respond effectively while waiting for federal response.