§726.3. Critical Incident Planning and Mapping System

A. To the extent that sufficient funds are appropriated to implement the provisions of this Section, the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness shall develop, operate, and maintain a statewide critical incident planning and mapping system for all public buildings, nonpublic schools, proprietary schools, and nonpublic colleges and universities in this state to assist first responders when responding to a disaster or emergency.

B. The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness shall create, develop, or acquire a computer system and software that has the capability to do the following:

(1) Store critical information as provided in Subsection C of this Section.

(2) Provide access to the critical information contained in the system to all first responders.

C.(1) To the extent that sufficient funds are available to implement the provisions of this Section, the office of facility planning and control, division of administration, the governing authority of each local governmental subdivision, and the superintendent of each local school district, and the Recovery School District, shall provide available information for public buildings located in this state to the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness for inclusion in the system. The available information should include the following critical information for public buildings located in this state:

(a) Building floor plans.

(b) Evacuation plans and other fire protection information relative to each state building.

(c) Any known hazards associated with the building.

(2) To the extent that sufficient funds are available to implement the provisions of this Section, each nonpublic school, proprietary school, and nonpublic college or university shall provide available information for their buildings located in this state to their local parish office of emergency preparedness, which shall be uploaded to the Virtual Louisiana System for inclusion in the system by the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. The available information shall include the following critical information for public buildings located in this state:

(a) Building floor plans.

(b) Evacuation plans and other fire protection information relative to each state building.

(c) Any known hazards associated with the building. For purposes of this Subsection, "known hazards" shall include any hazard that might compromise the physical structure of the building or its occupants, creating an emergency situation requiring a response from first responder organizations such as local fire, emergency medical services, or law enforcement. These hazards shall be made known to first responders in incidents, including but not limited to active shooter incidents, fires, mass casualty events, hazardous material events, or weather events such as flash flooding and tornados.

(3) The information required by the provisions of Paragraphs (1) and (2) of this Subsection shall be available to first responders to assist in the determination of the best approach when responding to an emergency or disaster, including but not limited to the determination of evacuation routes and strategies for evacuation, alarms, and other signals or means of notification, plans for sheltering in place, and training and strategies for the prevention of attacks involving violence.

D. The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness shall adopt rules in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act to implement the provisions of this Section. The rules shall provide for the following:

(1) The manner by which the critical information required by the provisions of Subsection C of this Section shall be transferred to the system from the office of facility planning and control, division of administration, the governing authority of local governmental subdivisions, school superintendents, nonpublic schools, proprietary schools, and nonpublic colleges and universities.

(2) The format by which those entities shall transfer critical information for inclusion in the system.

(3) The standards and conditions for the use of the system by first responders.

(4) The guidelines for the accessibility and confidentiality of information contained within the system.

(5) A list of the priorities for the distribution of any funds which may be available to the entities eligible to participate in the system.

(6) The guidelines for the training of persons on how to utilize the system.

E. The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness shall take such actions as are necessary and appropriate to secure private, state, federal, or other public funds for the development, operation, and maintenance of the statewide critical incident mapping and planning system. The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness may accept gifts, grants, and other contributions for the development, operation, and maintenance of the system.

F. Beginning on the first day of October 2011, the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness shall provide to the legislature an annual report setting forth the progress of developing, operating, and maintaining the system.

G. For purposes of this Section:

(1) "Nonpublic college or university" means any private, postsecondary, academic degree-granting institution offering instruction and domiciled in this state and approved by the Board of Regents.

(2) "Nonpublic school" means any private elementary and secondary school in this state that meets a sustained curriculum or specialized course of study or quality comparable to that provided in public schools and operates a minimum session of not less than one hundred eighty days and is approved by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. For purposes of this Section, "nonpublic school" shall exclude any home study program.

(3) "Political subdivision" means any parish, city, town, village, special district, or school district.

(4) "Proprietary school" means any business enterprise operated for a profit that is approved by the Board of Regents and maintains a physical building in this state where a course or courses of instruction or study are offered in a classroom.

(5) "Public building" means any building used or owned by the state or any political subdivision of the state and shall include any building used by any public elementary and secondary school, college, or university.

Acts 2011, No. 345, §1, eff. June 29, 2011; Acts 2013, No. 136, §1, eff. June 7, 2013.