Fremont City Council Meeting: 04/14/26 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Fire Department
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Agreements and Contracts
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 5685) DOC ID: 5685
Updated: 4/10/2026 9:14 AM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 1 ALAMEDA COUNTY OPERATIONAL AREA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT – Adopt a Resolution Approving City Participation in the Alameda County Operational Area Emergency Management Organization and Authorizing the City Manager to Execute the Participation Agreement
Contact Persons:
Name: Alec Tune Zoraida Diaz
Title: Emergency Services Manager Fire Chief
Div/Dept: Fire Department Fire Department
Phone: 510-494-4200 510-494-4200
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: This item proposes to approve and authorize the City of Fremont’s participation in the Alameda County Operational Area Emergency Management Organization by adopting a resolution approving the attached Agreement for Participation in the Alameda County Operational Area Emergency Management Organization (“Agreement”). A resolution by Council to approve the Agreement would renew the City’s participation until 2035.
State law establishes a Standardized Emergency Management System (“SEMS”) as a framework for response to emergencies which require multiple jurisdictions or agencies.
One component of SEMS is the operational area concept. Under this concept, a county is designated as an operational area and is responsible for facilitating coordination and communication between State emergency management and the emergency management organizations of political subdivisions within the county. State law delegates the authority to organize and structure an operational area to the governing bodies of a county and its political subdivisions. The Agreement re-establishes and maintains an Operational Area Emergency Management Organization for Alameda County.
BACKGROUND: Following the 1991 Oakland hills firestorm, the California Emergency Services Act (“the Act”) was amended to establish SEMS (§8607). In 2004, a National Incident Management System (NIMS) was established by Federal authorities (pursuant to Public L. 107-296), incorporating SEMS concepts. Together, SEMS and NIMS provide an integrated system for responding to emergencies in California.
The Act establishes SEMS as a framework for responding to and managing emergencies involving multiple jurisdictions or agencies. As a condition of eligibility for State and Federal Disaster Assistance, the City of Fremont is required to use SEMS in response to any such emergency. The Act specifies the Operational Area concept (§8605), designating each county as an operational area and a coordination and communications link between the State’s emergency operations centers and those of the political subdivisions within the County. The Act delegates authority for implementing an operational area structure and organization to the governing bodies of the county and its political subdivisions.
In January 1995, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors (BOS) accepted the recommendation to form a task force to implement an Operational Area in Alameda County.
Council Staff Report (ID # 5685) Meeting of April 14, 2026 Updated: 4/10/2026 9:14 AM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 2 Since that time, the BOS has renewed the agreement by adopting similar agreements approximately every ten years. The City of Fremont first joined the agreement on June 28, 2005 (Council Resolution 2005-62) and renewed the agreement on February 6, 2018 (Council Resolution 2018-04).
On January 27, 2026, the BOS adopted the attached Agreement pursuant to the Alameda County Sheriff’s recommendation. The Sheriff’s office recommends all cities and special districts operating within Alameda County adopt the Agreement.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: The Agreement establishes an Operational Area Emergency Management Organization (“Organization”) consisting of the following persons or their designees: certain County elected and appointed officials; representatives of professional associations for emergency managers, fire chiefs, and law enforcement chiefs; one city manager representative each from north, south, and east county cities; a general manager of a special district; a general manager of a regional district; the Alameda County Superintendent of Schools; and representatives of non-profit organizations and private entities who are members of certain existing emergency management organizations in Alameda County. The Organization also serves as the Alameda County disaster and civil defense council described in the County Administrative Code (§2.118 et seq.).
The Agreement provides that Alameda County Sheriff – who is the County’s Director of Emergency Services under the County Administrative Code (§2.118.100) – will serve as the “Operational Area Coordinator”. The Sheriff’s office will provide facilities and support to facilitate coordination of the Operational Area Emergency Management Organization – namely, the Alameda County emergency operations center (EOC) facility in Dublin. The Organization will facilitate coordination and information sharing among all parties to the Agreement and their representatives in such instances in which the County EOC is activated. Each party to the Agreement may send a representative to the County EOC, when it is activated, to provide liaison and assist with decision-making. SEMS provides certain conditions under which a County EOC must be activated, including when two or more cities within an Operational Area activate their EOCs.
Additionally, the Agreement specifies that the Organization will facilitate mutual aid systems used by local agencies to assist each other in a disaster by providing the resources necessary to save lives, conserve property, and meet the basic needs of the people. This includes mutual aid provided under the California Disaster and Civil Defense Master Mutual Aid Agreement of 1950, to which all 58 California counties and 481 California cities were party as of July 2024.
Finally, the Agreement provides a framework for disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. The Organization may recommend the adoption of County emergency management plans by the BOS, and the adoption and implementation of emergency management policies and procedures.
Upon adoption of the Agreement, the City Manager is required to identify a line of succession of officials empowered to represent the City to the Organization, and to provide staff to attend training provided by the County.
The Agreement is effective upon a Council resolution to adopt it, through December 31, 2035, or until such time as Council might wish to withdraw from the Agreement. If the Council Staff Report (ID # 5685) Meeting of April 14, 2026 Updated: 4/10/2026 9:14 AM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 3 Council were to choose to withdraw from the agreement, staff must provide 30 days written notice to all parties.
FISCAL IMPACT: No impact.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: This action is not subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under CEQA Guidelines sections 15378 because the action is an administrative governmental activity that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.
ATTACHMENTS:
• DRAFT Resolution Approving City Participation and AlCo Operational Area Agreement • Agreement for Participation in the Alameda County Operational Area Emergency Management Organization
• California Disaster and Civil Defense Master Mutual Aid Agreement
RECOMMENDATION: Adopt a resolution approving the City’s participation in and the Agreement for Participation in the Alameda County Operational Area Emergency Management Organization.