If a tornado ripped through downtown Ottawa, Bob Johnson would be willing to lend a hand by dispatching Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies, emergency dispatchers, public works equipment or anything else to help.

Even though the disaster would be across the county line, in Franklin County.

“We would lend them every possible assistance we could, short of putting our own taxpayers at risk,” said Johnson, a Douglas County commissioner. “You need to be good neighbors. That’s the purpose of government, isn’t it? To help citizens. Â And we’re here to help.”

Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution Wednesday to set a policy for providing disaster mutual aid  including law-enforcement, medical and other services  to other units of local government.

The resolution does not obligate the county to provide aid, but does help streamline such requests during disasters, said Paula Phillips, the county’s director of emergency management. The resolution also should help preserve receipt of state disaster funds.

County officials have followed such a policy for years on an informal basis.