A participating political subdivision may request assistance of other participating political subdivisions in preventing, mitigating, responding to and recovering from disasters that result in locally-declared emergencies or in concert with authorized drills or exercises as allowed under this legislation. Requests for assistance shall be made through the chief executive officer of a participating political subdivision or the chief executive officer’s designee. Requests may either be verbal or in writing and are not required to go directly to the division but in all cases will be reported to the division as soon as is practical. Verbal requests will be followed up with a written request as soon as is practical or such number of days as the division in its discretion may dictate.