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The governor, lieutenant governor and appropriate agency directors, along with bipartisan representatives from both houses of the General Assembly, comprise the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Council, which oversees PEMA. Headquarters for PEMA are located in the capital with three state district headquarters (east, central, and west).
The State Fire Commissioner, a position created in 1976, is an officer under the Director of PEMA. In 1987, the Pennsylvania Emergency Response Commission was established within PEMA's governing council to carry out planning and reporting functions mandated by the federal Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986.
PEMA is the successor unit to the State Council of Civil Defense (SCCD), which had been created by an Act of 1951 (P.L. 28). The SCCD was formed to deal both with defense against enemy attacks and natural disasters and was empowered to impose rules and give orders concerning preparation and response to said events. Furthermore, the SCCD was authorized to compact with other states toward these ends and to coordinate with federal responses to major disasters. Relationships with local governments were strengthened by amendment to the Act of 1951. The SCCD had a similar organizational structure to that of PEMA in terms of council membership and district headquarters.
A prior organization, the State Council of Defense, had operated during World
War II under authority of the General Assembly and a Governor's Proclamation,
but it was abolished by a Governor's Proclamation on April 15, 1945.
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