2023 Montana Code Annotated › Title 10. Military Affairs and Disaster and Emergency Services › Chapter 3. Disaster and Emergency Services › Part 1. General Provisions and Administration › 10-3-103. Definitions

10-3-103. Definitions.
As used in parts 1 through 4 of this chapter, the following definitions apply:
(1) "All-hazard incident management assistance team" means a team that includes any combination of personnel representing local, state, or tribal entities that has been established by the division for the purpose of local incident management intended to mitigate the impacts of an incident prior to a disaster or emergency declaration.
(2) "Civil defense" means the nuclear preparedness functions and responsibilities of disaster and emergency services.
(3) "Department" means the department of military affairs.
(4) "Disaster" means the occurrence or imminent threat of widespread or severe damage, injury, or loss of life or property resulting from any natural or artificial cause, including tornadoes, windstorms, snowstorms, wind-driven water, high water, floods, wave action, earthquakes, landslides, mudslides, volcanic action, fires, explosions, air or water contamination requiring emergency action to avert danger or damage, blight, droughts, infestations, riots, sabotage, hostile military or paramilitary action, disruption of state services, accidents involving radiation byproducts or other hazardous materials, outbreak of disease, bioterrorism, or incidents involving weapons of mass destruction.
(5) "Disaster and emergency services" means the preparation for and the carrying out of disaster and emergency functions and responsibilities, other than those for which military forces or other state or federal agencies are primarily responsible, to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from injury and damage resulting from emergencies or disasters.
(6) "Disaster medicine" means the provision of patient care by a health care provider during a disaster or emergency when the number of patients exceeds the capacity of normal medical resources, facilities, and personnel. Disaster medicine may include implementing patient care guidelines that depart from recognized nondisaster triage and standard treatment patient care guidelines determining the order of evacuation and treatment of persons needing care.
(7) "Division" means the division of disaster and emergency services of the department.
(8) "Emergency" means the imminent threat of a disaster causing immediate peril to life or property that timely action can avert or minimize.
(9) (a) "Incident" means an event or occurrence, caused by either an individual or by natural phenomena, requiring action by disaster and emergency services personnel to prevent or minimize loss of life or damage to property or natural resources. The term includes the imminent threat of an emergency.
(b) The term does not include a state of emergency or disaster declared by the governor pursuant to 10-3-303.
(10) "Political subdivision" means any county, city, town, or other legally constituted unit of local government in this state.
(11) "Principal executive officer" means the mayor, presiding officer of the county commissioners, or other chief executive officer of a political subdivision.
(12) "Religious organization" means:
(a) a house of worship, including but not limited to churches, mosques, shrines, synagogues, and temples; or
(b) a religious group, association, educational institution, ministry, order, society, or similar entity, regardless of whether it is integrated or affiliated with a house of worship.
(13) "Religious services" means a meeting, gathering, or assembly of multiple persons organized by a religious organization for the purpose of worship, teaching, training, providing educational services, conducting religious rituals, or other activities that involve the exercise of religion.
(14) "Temporary housing" means unoccupied habitable dwellings, suitable rental housing, mobile homes, or other readily fabricated dwellings.
(15) "Tribal government" means the government of a federally recognized Indian tribe within the state of Montana.
(16) "Volunteer professional" means an individual with an active, unrestricted license to practice a profession under the provisions of Title 37, Title 50, or the laws of another state.
History: En. Sec. 3, Ch. 218, L. 1951; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 220, L. 1953; Sec. 77-1303, R.C.M. 1947; amd. and redes. 77-2302 by Sec. 9, Ch. 94, L. 1974; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 335, L. 1977; R.C.M. 1947, 77-2302; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 430, L. 1983; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 71, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 176, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 391, L. 2003; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 63, L. 2009; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 255, L. 2009; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 228, L. 2011; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 18, L. 2015; amd. Sec. 9, Ch. 504, L. 2021; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 243, L. 2023.