In this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:

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1. "Commercial nuclear generating station" means an electric power generating facility which is owned by a public service corporation, a municipal corporation or a consortium of public service corporations or municipal corporations and which produces electricity by means of a nuclear reactor.

2. "Council" means the state emergency council.

3. "Director" means the director of the division.

4. "Division" means the division of emergency management within the department of emergency and military affairs.

5. "Emergency functions" includes warning and communications services, relocation of persons from stricken areas, radiological defense, temporary restoration of utilities, plant protection, transportation, welfare, public works and engineering, search or rescue, health and medical services, law enforcement, fire fighting, mass care, resource support, urban search or rescue, hazardous materials, food and energy information and planning and other activities necessary or incidental thereto.

6. "Emergency management" means the preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation activities necessary to respond to and recover from disasters, emergencies or contingencies.

7. "Emergency worker" means any person who is registered, whether temporary or permanent, paid or volunteer, with a local or state emergency management organization and certified by the local or state emergency management organization for the purpose of engaging in authorized emergency management activities or performing emergency functions, or who is an officer, agent or employee of this state or a political subdivision of this state and who is called on to perform or support emergency management activities or perform emergency functions.

8. "Hazardous materials" means:

(a) Any hazardous material designated pursuant to the hazardous materials transportation act of 1974 (P.L. 93-633; 88 Stat. 2156; 49 United States Code § 1801).

(b) Any element, compound, mixture, solution or substance designated pursuant to the comprehensive environmental response, compensation, and liability act of 1980 (P.L. 96-510; 94 Stat. 2767; 42 United States Code § 9602).

(c) Any substance designated in the emergency planning and community right-to-know act of 1986 (P.L. 99-499; 100 Stat. 1613; 42 United States Code § 11002).

(d) Any substance designated in the water pollution control act (P.L. 92-500; 86 Stat. 816; 33 United States Code sections 1317(a) and 1321(b)(2)(A)).

(e) Any hazardous waste having the characteristics identified under or listed pursuant to section 49-922.

(f) Any imminently hazardous chemical substance or mixture with respect to which action has been taken pursuant to the toxic substances control act (P.L. 94-469; 90 Stat. 2003; 15 United States Code § 2606).

(g) Any material or substance determined to be radioactive pursuant to the atomic energy act of 1954 (68 Stat. 919; 42 United States Code § 2011).

(h) Any substance designated as a hazardous substance pursuant to section 49-201.

(i) Any highly hazardous chemical or regulated substance as listed in the clean air act of 1963 (P.L. 88-206; 42 United States Code §§ 7401 through 7671).

9. "Hazardous materials incident" means the uncontrolled, unpermitted release or potential release of hazardous materials that may present an imminent and substantial danger to the public health or welfare or to the environment.

10. "Local emergency" means the existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons or property within the territorial limits of a county, city or town, which conditions are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of such political subdivision as determined by its governing body and which require the combined efforts of other political subdivisions.

11. "Mitigation" means measures taken to reduce the need to respond to a disaster and to reduce the cost of disaster response and recovery.

12. "Preparedness" means actions taken to develop the response capabilities needed for an emergency.

13. "Recovery" means short-term activities necessary to return vital systems and facilities to minimum operating standards and long-term activities required to return life to normal or improved levels.

14. "Response" means activities that are designed to provide emergency assistance, limit the primary effects, reduce the probability of secondary damage and speed recovery operations.

15. "State of emergency" means the duly proclaimed existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons or property within the state caused by air pollution, fire, flood or floodwater, storm, epidemic, riot, earthquake or other causes, except those resulting in a state of war emergency, which are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of any single county, city or town, and which require the combined efforts of the state and the political subdivision.

16. "State of war emergency" means the condition which exists immediately whenever this nation is attacked or upon receipt by this state of a warning from the federal government indicating that such an attack is imminent.