Los Banos City Council
December 17, 2025

6.3 WARNING CONDITIONS
Typically, warnings will be issued during periods of flash flooding, major hazardous materials incidents, public health emergencies, fast moving fires, severe weather conditions, and potential acts of violence. However, warnings may be issued wherever a threat is perceived and the potential for safeguarding public safety is possible through rapid alerting.

For additional information regarding the City of Los Banos Communications and Warning procedures, refer to Communications and Warning Functional Annex C.

Basic Plan, 2025 50
266
City of Los Banos Emergency Operations Plan ---------------------- SECTION 7.0 DOCUMENTATION, FINANCE, ADMINISTRATION AND LOGISTICS

7.1 DOCUMENTATION
The Finance/Administration Section will be responsible for maintaining records on damage assessment expenditure, recovery cost expenditures, insurance related documents, personnel overtime, and other costs associated with the emergency. guidance is provided in their position guides at the Emergency Operational Center.

The Planning Section will maintain copies of documents that are integral to Emergency Operational Center functions, (such as action plans, situation status logs, position logs) that together make up the history and chronology of the emergency events. Guidance is provided in their Planning Section's operational procedures at the Emergency Operational Center.

7.2 FINANCE
In the case of a major disaster in the City, the Emergency Operations Center will support cost recovery efforts. City of Los Banos citizens may benefit from the Small Business Administration, and potentially the Federal Public Assistance Program. The City together with Merced County may assist the citizenry with public service announcements regarding support available as unemployment benefits, worker's compensation, and insurance benefits.

7.3 EXPENDITURE TRACKING
The City may be reimbursed from insurance, state and/or federal sources for disaster-related expenses. The purpose of this section is to provide guidance on the record keeping requirements for claiming such expenses.

7.3.1 Eligible Expenses
Eligible costs are typically extraordinary costs incurred while providing emergency services required by the direct impact of a declared disaster and which service is the responsibility of the applicant agency. Eligible costs are generally considered to be the net costs over and above any increased revenue or subsidy for the emergency service. Ineligible expenses include costs for standby personnel and/or equipment and lost revenue. 7 .3.2 Recordkeeping Requirements
State and federal governments require detailed information to support claims for reimbursement. Funding will be approved or denied based upon the information supplied by applicant agencies. Documentation supporting all costs claimed will be required, and all information must relate back to individual original source records. The following guidelines should be followed when documenting disaster-related reimbursable expenses:
• Costs and revenues associated with emergency operations should be segregated from normal operating expenses
• Separate records should be maintained for each vehicle and piece of heavy equipment used for emergency operations
• Vehicle and equipment documentation should include the miles and/or hours operated by location and operator
• Vehicle operating expenses should include fuel, tires, and maintenance • Labor costs should be compiled separate from vehicle and/or equipment expenses Basic Plan, 2025 51
267
City of Los Banos Emergency Operations Plan ----------------------------- • Equipment documentation should include exactly where the equipment was used and for what; hours and minutes used; and the name of the equipment operator if applicable • Revenues and subsidies for emergency operations must be subtracted from any costs claimed
• Requisitions, purchase orders, and invoices must be maintained for all supplies, materials and equipment expenses claimed
• Costs for supplies and materials must include documentation of exactly where resources were used and for what purpose
• All non-competitive procurements must be justified
Expenditure tracking should commence upon notice or obvious occurrence of disasters that require expense of labor, equipment use, materials, and other expenses. The Incident Commander(s), Emergency Operations Center Director, and Emergency Operations Center staff are responsible for maintaining written records of all disaster-related personnel overtime, requests for supplies, equipment and contract personnel, and receipts for emergency purchases of supplies, equipment and other disaster-related expenses. The City will activate a special coding for emergency expenditure tracking which is used for both labor and equipment.

The Finance/Administration Section will compile reports, including total expenditures by category. The Finance Section Chief will submit a summary report on total costs to the Emergency Operations Center Director as requested. This information will be used for state and federal disaster assistance applications. The expenditure data and documentation is vital to state and federal agencies for requesting financial assistance during and after the disaster

7.4 RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (LOGISTICS)
7 .4 1 Resource Priorities
When activated, the Emergency Operations Center establishes priorities for resource allocation during the emergency. All city resources are considered part of a pool, which may be allocated by the Emergency Operations Center to fulfill priority missions. Each department retains control of its non-assigned resources until released for an emergency assignment by the Emergency Operations Center.

7.4.2 Resource Requests
Resource Requests (personnel, equipment or technical assistance) will be made through one of the following processes:
• Discipline-specific (usually Fire and Law) mutual aid systems: Requests for resources that are normally within the inventories of the mutual aid system will go from local coordinator to Operational Area Mutual Aid Coordinator to the Regional Mutual Aid Coordinator
• All other resource requests will be made through the logistics function at each level Resource requests from other entities or jurisdictions within the city will be coordinated with the Emergency Operations Center to determine if the resource is available internally or from other more appropriate sources located within the City or even the Operational Area. Emergency Management Mutual Aid Coordinators at each government level will keep the Operations Chief informed of the status of resource requests and allocations. Coordinators at each level will Basic Plan, 2025 52
268
City of Los Banos Emergency Operations Plan -----
communicate and coordinate with each other to maintain current status on resource requests and allocations within the disaster area.

Resource requests for equipment, personnel or technical assistance not available to the City should be coordinated with the Merced Operational Area Emergency Operations Center to the Inland Region Regional Emergency Operations Center. Once the request is coordinated, approved and resources deployed, the Resource Status Unit, in coordination with various Operations Branches, is responsible for tracking the resources.

7.4.3 Emergency Resource Directory
The City maintains an Emergency Resource Directory in both paper and database formats that lists all of the vendors, supplies, and equipment that can be available during a disaster si,tuation.

Basic Plan, 2025 53
269
City of Los Banos Emergency Operations Plan ----------------------------- SECTION 8.0 PREPAREDNESS, TRAINING AND EXERCISES

8.1 PREPAREDNESS PLANNING
City government conducts a wide array of emergency planning activities. Planning efforts include development of internal operational documents as well as interagency response plans having multi-jurisdictional participation.

In addition to the planning activities conducted, the city departments may develop internal preparedness and contingency plans to ensure provision of government services and maintenance of departmental functions during disasters. These Department Operations Plans (DOP) if created become an integral supporting component of the city Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).

Emergency readiness cannot be conducted within a vacuum. The city is responsible for working with all city departments, special districts and allied agencies that are considered a component of the Los Banos Emergency Organization. Such coordination extends to the following activities:
• lnteragency plan development
• lnteragency training coordination
• lnteragency exercise development and presentation
• lnteragency response management
• lnteragency emergency public information activities
Additionally, the Fire Chief acts as the city government's key representative and lead agent for day-to-day emergency management activities such as: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Non-emergency functions include planning, training and exercise development, preparedness presentations, interagency coordination, hazard assessment, development of preparedness and mitigation strategies, grant administration and support to city response agencies.

8.1.1 Community Preparedness and Awareness
The public's response to any emergency is based on an understanding of the nature of the emergency, the potential hazards, the likely response of emergency services, and knowledge of what individuals and groups should do to in-crease their chances of survival and recovery.

Public awareness and education prior to an emergency or disaster will directly affect the City of Los Banos' emergency operations and recovery efforts. For this reason, the City of Los Banos will make emergency preparedness information from county, state and federal sources available to the member jurisdictions and our citizens upon request.

8.1.2 Preparedness Actions
In identifying general preparedness actions, city government works with community based organizations, faith-based organizations, other local governments/special districts, private industry, preparedness groups, and other entities to provide information relating to individual and group preparedness.

Government is limited in its ability to provide endless services and support during times of disaster, so public prepared-ness is essential for ensuring individual and organizational safety and protection.

Basic Plan, 2025 54
270
City of Los Banos Emergency Operations Plan ------------

8.2 READINESS TRAINING
The Los Banos Fire Department will notify holders of this plan of training opportunities associated with emergency management and operations. Individual City departments and agencies within the City of Los Banos are responsible for maintaining training records.

Jurisdictions and agencies having assigned functions under this plan are encouraged to ensure that assigned personnel are properly trained to carry out these tasks.

The City of Los Banos Fire Department will develop and execute a comprehensive training program for emergency management topics on an annual basis. The established training schedule will include applicable courses of instruction and education that cover management subjects. Such instruction shall meet or exceed the State SEMS and Federal NIMS training requirements.

8.3 EXERCISE AND EVALUATION
Elements of this plan will be exercised regularly. The Fire Department will conduct emergency preparedness exercises, in accordance with its annual exercise schedule, following appropriate state and federal guidance. Deficiencies identified during scheduled exercise activities will result in the development of a corrective action plan to initiate appropriate corrections.

The planning for, development and execution of all emergency exercises will involve close coordination between all City Departments, allied agencies, special districts, and supporting community and public service organizations.

The primary focus will be to establish a framework for inter-organizational exercise collaboration in coordination with all-hazard response and recovery planning and training activities, conducted within the City of Los Banos.

Emergency exercise activity will be scheduled as to follow state and federal guidance and program requirements. Exercise activity will follow the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program guidance and may be designed as one or more of the following exercise types:
• Drills
• Seminars (Workshops)
• Tabletop Exercises
• Functional Exercises
• Full Scale Exercises
Basic Plan, 2025 55
271
City of Los Banos Emergency Operations Plan
SECTION 9.0 PLAN DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE

9.1 PLAN DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE RESPONSIBILITY
This plan is developed under the authority conveyed to the City of Los Banos Fire Department in accordance with the City's Emergency Organization who has the primary responsibility for ensuring that necessary changes and revisions to this plan are prepared, coordinated, published, and distributed.

9.2 REVIEW AND UPDATING
This plan and its supporting documents or annexes, such as Continuity of Operations, Communications and Warning or Recovery, will be reviewed annually, with a full document update conducted minimally every two (2) years. Changes to the plan will be published and distributed to all departments and organizations involved. Recommended changes will be received by the City of Los Banos Fire Department, reviewed and distributed for comment on a regular basis. Elements of this plan may also be modified by the City of Los Banos Fire Department any time state or federal mandates, operational requirements, or legal statute so require. Once distributed, new editions to this plan shall supplant older versions and render them inoperable.

Basic Plan, 2025 56
272
City of Los Banos Emergency Operations Plan
SECTION 10.0 AUTHORITIES AND REFERENCES

10.1 AUTHORITIES
Federal
• Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act of 1988, 42 U.S.C. 5121, et seq., as amended
• Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5, Management of Domestic Incidents, February 28, 2003
• Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8, National Preparedness, December 17, 2003 • The Code of Federal Regulations, Title 44, Chapter 1, Federal Emergency Management Agency, October 1, 2007
State
• California Emergency Services Act (CA government Code Section 8550 et. seq.) • California Disaster Assistance Act (CA government Code Section 8680 et. seq.) • California Code of Regulations Title 19, (Standardized Emergency Management System and California Disaster Assistance Act))
• California Disaster and Civil Defense Master Mutual Aid Agreement County
• Merced County Emergency Services/Ordinance Chapter 2. 72 • Merced County Resolution adopting the California Master Mutual Aid Agreement • Merced County Resolution relating to Emergency Operations within Merced County • Merced County Resolution adopting the Emergency Operations Plan, 2013 City
• Los Banos Emergency Organization Municipal Code Title 4, Chapter 2 Civil Defense

10.2 REFERENCES
Federal
• National Response Framework (As revised)
• National Incident Management System (NIMS)
• Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 101, Version 3.0 State
• California State Emergency Plan, 2024 edition
• Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS)
• California Disaster Assistance Act (CDAA)
• California Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Plan
• California Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid Plan
• Continuity of Government in California (Article IV, Section 21 of the State Constitution) • Preservation of Local Government
County
• Merced County Emergency Operations Plan, 2025 edition City
• Los Banos Emergency Operations Plan, 2025 edition {This Plan) Basic Plan, 2025 57
273
City of Los Banos Emergency Operations Plan

11.0 GLOSSARY AND ACRONYMS

11.1 GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Action Plan: The plan prepared in the EOC containing the emergency response objectives of that SEMS level reflecting overall priorities and supporting activities for a designated period. The plan is shared with supporting agencies.

All Hazards: Refers to a policy or program that is designed to deal with a variety of natural and technological hazards.

Agency: A division of government with a specific function offering a particular kind of assistance. In the Incident Command System (ICS), agencies are defined either as jurisdictional (having statutory responsibility for incident management) or as assisting or cooperating (providing resources or other assistance). Governmental organizations are most often in charge of an incident, though in certain circumstances private sector organizations may be included.

Addition-ally, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) may be included to provide support.

Catastrophe: Any natural or manmade incident, including terrorism that results in extraordinary levels of mass casual-ties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the population, infrastructure, environment, economy, national morale, and/or government functions.

Command: The act of directing, ordering, or controlling by virtue of explicit statutory, regulatory, or delegated authority.

Command/Management: Command is responsible for the directing, ordering, and/or controlling of resources at the field response level. Management is responsible for overall emergency policy and coordination at the SEMS EOC levels.

Command Post: See Incident Command Post.

Command Staff: The Command Staff at the SEMS Field Level consists of the Information Officer, Safety Officer and Liaison Officer. They report directly to the Incident Commander. They may have an assistant or assistants, as needed. These officers are also found at the EOC levels in SEMS and they report directly to the EOC Director and comprise the Management Staff. They may have an assistant or assistants, as needed.

Common Terminology: Normally used words and phrases-avoids the use of different words/phrases to provide consistency and allow diverse incident management and support organizations to work together across a wide variety of incident management functions and hazard scenarios.

Continuity of Government (COG): Includes measures to ensure continued leadership and preservation of vital records, thereby maintaining a viable system of government supported by law; establish emergency authorities legally vested in government leaders so that they have prescribed powers to act; ensure survivability of mechanisms and systems for direction and control so that actions directed by leaders can be communicated and coordinated; sustain essential emergency services and resources so that critical response and recovery actions can achieve widest possible implementation.

Basic Plan, 2025 58
274
City of Los Banos Emergency Operations Plan -------------------- Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP): An internal effort within an organization to assure that the capability exists to continue essential business functions across a wide range of potential emergencies, including localized acts of nature, accidents, and technological and/or attack/terrorist-related emergencies. Accordingly, an effective Emergency Management Program (EMP) not only addresses the four phases of mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, but includes COOP planning activities to ensure that ancillary, and support functions would continue, with little or no interruption.

Critical Infrastructure: Systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the community that the incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security, local economic security, local public health or safety, or any combination of those matters.

Department Operations Center: A centralized location for a single department or agency where their internal incident management and response takes place.

Disaster: A sudden and extraordinary misfortune; a calamity which threatens or effects extraordinary loss of life or property.

Disaster Service Worker (DSW): All public employees in California are subject to such emergency or disaster activities as may be assigned by their supervisors or by law.

Emergency: A condition of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the state caused by such conditions as air pollution, fire, flood, hazardous material incident, storm, epidemic, riot, drought, sudden and severe energy shortage, plant or animal infestations or disease, the Governor's warning of an earthquake or volcanic prediction, or an earthquake or other conditions, other than conditions resulting from a labor controversy.

Emergency Alert System (EAS): An established system to enable the President, federal, state, and local jurisdiction authorities to disseminate emergency information to the public via the Commercial Broadcast System. Composed of amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), television broadcasters, and the cable industry. Formerly known as the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS).

Emergency Management: The discipline and the profession of applying science, technology, planning, and management to deal with extreme events that can injure or kill large numbers of people, do extensive damage to property and disrupt community life. As a process it involves preparing, mitigating, responding and recovering from an emergency. Critical functional components include planning, training, simulating drills (exercises), and coordinating activities.

Emergency Operations Center (EOC): A centralized location where individuals responsible for responding to a large scale emergency can have immediate communication with each other and with emergency management personnel for the purpose of enhancing coordination in exercising direction and control of emergency response and recovery efforts.

Emergency Operations Plan (EOP): The EOP is the document that describes strategies for managing emergency situations.

Emergency Response Agency: Any organization responding to an emergency, whether in the field, at the scene of an incident, or to an EOC, in response to an emergency, or providing mutual aid support to such an organization.

Basic Plan, 2025 59
275
City of Los Banos Emergency Operations Plan
Emergency Response Personnel: The personnel involved with an agency's response to an emergency.

Emergency Resource Directory (ERO): A directory containing information on agency or organization personnel emergency certifications and qualifications and vendor and support organization supplies, equipment, etc. that may be needed during an emergency. Supplies and equipment can include such items as potable water tenders, portable toilets, heavy equipment, prepared meals, bulk foodstuffs, cots, rental office trailers, etc. To the extent possible and when appropriate, equipment should be typed by capability according to a common and accepted typing schematic. Emergency resource directories should only include those items likely to be needed by the preparing agency or organization in the performance of their duties and should not attempt to include everything that may be needed in any emergency.

Evacuation: The process of moving persons out of an area affected or potentially affected by a disaster situation.

Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO): The individual appointed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency Director (by delegation of authority from the President) to coordinate assistance in a federally-declared disaster.

Federal Disaster Area: An area of a state (oftentimes defined by counties) that is declared eligible for federal disaster relief under the Stafford Act. These declarations are made by the President usually as a result of a request made by the Governor of the affected state.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): An agency created in 1979 to provide a single point of account-ability for all federal activities related to disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. FEMA manages the President's Disaster Relief Fund, and coordinates the disaster assistance activities of all federal agencies in the event of a presidential disaster declaration.

Federal Emergency Response Team: An interagency team, consisting of the lead representative from each federal department or agency assigned primary responsibility for an Emergency Support Function and key members of the Federal Coordinating Officer's staff, formed to assist the Federal Coordinating Officer in carrying out his/her coordination responsibilities. The Emergency Response Team provides a forum for coordinating the overall federal response, reporting on the conduct of specific operations, exchanging information, and resolving issues related to Emergency Support Functions and other response requirements.

Emergency Response Team members respond to and meet as requested by the Federal Coordinating Officer. The Emergency Response Team may be expanded by the Federal Coordinating Officer to include designated representatives of other Federal departments and agencies as needed.

Full-Scale Exercise: An activity intended to evaluate the operational capability of emergency management systems in an interactive manner over a substantial period of time. It involves the testing of a major portion of the emergency plan and organizations in a highly stressful environment. It includes the mobilization of personnel and resources to demonstrate coordination and response capabilities. The EOC is activated and field command posts may be established. A full-scale exercise is always formally evaluated.

Basic Plan, 2025 60
276
City of Los Banos Emergency Operations Plan
Functional Annex: A document that supplements the Emergency Operations Plan, which provides further planning information for a specific aspect of emergency management.

Functional Exercise: An activity designed to test or evaluate the capability of individual or multiple emergency management functions. It is more complex than a tabletop exercise in that activities are usually under time constraints and are followed by an evaluation or critique. It usually takes place in some type of coordination or operating center. The use of outside resources is often simulated. No field units are used.

Governor's Authorized Representative (GAR}: An individual authorized by the Governor to sign amendments to the Federal-State Agreement and to verify the grant applications from the state and local jurisdictions.

Hazardous Materials Team: A term used to describe a team of highly skilled professionals who specialize in dealing with hazardous material incidents.

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program: A program authorized under Section 404 of the Stafford Act, which provides funding for hazard mitigation projects that are cost effective and complement existing post-disaster mitigation programs and activities by providing funding for beneficial mitigation measures that are not funded through other programs.

Incident: An occurrence or event, either human-caused or by natural phenomena, which requires action by emergency response personnel to prevent or minimize loss of life or damage to property and/or natural resources.

Incident Action Plan: The plan developed at the field response level which contains objectives reflecting the overall incident strategy and specific tactical actions and supporting information for the next operational period. The plan may be oral or written.

Incident Commander: The individual responsible for the command of all functions at the field response level.

Incident Command System (ICS}: A nationally used standardized on-scene emergency management concept specifically designed to allow its user(s) to adopt an integrated organizational structure equal to the complexity and demands of single or multiple incidents without being hindered by jurisdictional boundaries. ICS is the field level component of SEMS. It is the combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications operating within a common organizational structure, with responsibility for the management of resources to effectively accomplish stated objectives pertinent to an incident.

Individual Assistance: A supplementary federal assistance available under the Stafford Act to individuals, families, and businesses which includes disaster housing assistance, unemployment assistance, grants, loans, legal services, crisis counseling, tax relief, and other services or relief programs.

Joint Information Center (JIC}: A facility established to coordinate all incident-related public information activities. It is the central point of contact for all news media. Public information officials from all participating agencies should co-locate at the JIC.

Joint Information System (JIS}: Integrates incident information and public affairs into a cohesive organization de-signed to provide consistent, coordinated, accurate, accessible, timely Basic Plan, 2025 61
277
City of Los Banos Emergency Operations Plan
and complete information during crisis or incident operations. The mission of the JIS is to provide a structure and system for developing and delivering coordinated interagency messages; developing, recommending and executing public information plans and strategies on behalf of the IC; advising the IC concerning public affairs issues that could affect a response effort; and controlling rumors and inaccurate information that could undermine public confidence in the emergency response effort.

Key Resources: Any publicly or privately controlled resources essential to the minimal operations of the economy and government.

Local Government: Local agencies as defined in Government Code §8680.2 and special districts as defined in California Code of Regulations, Title19, Division 2, Chapter 5, CDAA, §2900(y).

Major Disaster: As defined in federal law, is " any hurricane, tornado, storm, flood, high water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm, drought, fire, explosion, or other technological or human caused catastrophe in any part of the United States which, in the determination of the President, causes damage of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant major disaster assistance in alleviating the damage, loss, hardship, or suffering caused thereby."
Master Mutual Aid Agreement: The California Disaster and Civil Defense Master Mutual Aid Agreement made and entered into by and among the State of California, its various departments and agencies, and the various political sub-divisions of the State. The agreement provides for support of one jurisdiction by another.

Mitigation: Activities taken to eliminate or reduce the degree of risk to life and property from hazards, either prior to or following a disaster or emergency.

Mobilization: A process of activating resources including personnel, equipment and supplies.

The process would include notification, reporting, and setup to attain full or partial readiness to initiate response and recovery actions.

Multi-agency or inter-agency coordination: The participation of agencies and disciplines involved at any level of the SEMS organization, working together in a coordinated effort to facilitate decisions for overall emergency response activities, including the sharing of critical resources and the prioritization of incidents.

Mutual Aid: Voluntary aid and assistance in the event that a disaster should occur, by the interchange of services and facilities, including, but not limited to fire, police, medical and health, communication, and transportation services and facilities, to cope with the problems of rescue, relief, evacuation, rehabilitation, and reconstruction which would arise in the event of a qisaster.

Mutual aid is designed to ensure that adequate resources, facilities, and other support are provided to jurisdictions whenever their own resources prove to be inadequate to cope with a given situation.

Mutual Aid Region: A subdivision of the state emergency services organization, established to facilitate the coordination of mutual aid and other emergency operations within an area of the state, consisting of two or more county Operational Areas.

Basic Plan, 2025 62
278
City of Los Banos Emergency Operations Plan ---------------------- National Response Framework (NRF): A national level plan developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in coordination with 26 federal departments and agencies plus the American Red Cross.

National Warning System {NAWAS): The federal portion of the Civil Defense Warning System, used for the dissemination of warnings and other emergency information from the FEMA National or Regional Warning Centers to Warning Points in each state. Also used by the State Warning Points to disseminate information to local Primary Warning Points. Provides warning information to state and local jurisdictions concerning severe weather, earthquake, flooding, and other activities which affect public safety.

Operational Area: An intermediate level of the state emergency services organization, consisting of a County and all political subdivisions within the county area. The Operational Area is a special purpose organization created to prepare for and coordinate the response to emergencies within a county area. Each county is designated as an Operational Area. An Operational Area may be used by the county and the political subdivisions comprising the Operational Area for the coordination of emergency activities and to serve as a link in the system of communications and coordination between the state's emergency operating centers and the operating centers of the political subdivisions comprising the operational area. The Operational Area augments, but does not replace any member jurisdiction.

Preliminary Damage Assessment {PDA): The joint local, state, and federal analysis of damage that has occurred during a disaster and which may result in a Presidential declaration of disaster. The Preliminary Damage Assessment is documented through surveys, photographs, and other written information.

Preliminary Damage Assessment Team: An ad hoc group that comes together after a disaster whose main purpose is to determine the level of disaster declaration that is warranted.

The team usually consists of federal, state, and local representatives to do an initial damage evaluation to sites damaged.

Preparedness: Actions taken in advance of an emergency to develop operational capabilities and facilitate an effective response in the event an emergency occurs. Preparedness measures include continuity of government, emergency communications, emergency operations centers, emergency operations plans, emergency public information materials, public education programs, exercise of plans, mutual aid agreements, stocking of disaster supplies, training of emergency response personnel, and warning systems.

Presidential Declaration: A formal declaration by the President that an Emergency or Major Disaster exists based upon the request for such a declaration by the Governor and with the verification of FEMA preliminary damage assessments.

Private Sector: Organizations and entities that are not part of any governmental structure. The private sector includes for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, formal and informal structures, commerce and industry.

Protocols: Sets of established guidelines for actions (which may be designated by individuals, teams, functions, or capabilities) under various specified conditions.

Political Subdivision: Any city, city and county, county, district, or other local governmental agency or public agency authorized by law.

Basic Plan, 2025 63
279
City of Los Banos Emergency Operations Plan
Public Assistance (PA): A supplementary federal assistance provided under the Stafford Act to state and local juris-dictions, special purpose districts, Native Americans, or eligible private, nonprofit organizations.

Public Assistance Officer (PAO): A member of the FEMA Regional Director's staff who is responsible for management of the Public Assistance Program.

Public Information: Processes, procedures and systems for communicating timely, accurate and accessible information on the incident's cause, size and current situation; resources committed; and other matters of general interest to the public, responders and additional stakeholders (both directly affected and indirectly affected).

Public Information Officer (PIO): A member of the Command Staff (Management Staff at the SEMS EOC Levels) responsible for interfacing with the public and media and/or with other agencies with incident-related information requirements.

Recovery: An activity to return vital life support systems to minimum operating standards and long-term activity designed to return life to normal or improved levels, including some form of economic viability. Recovery measures include, but are not limited to crisis counseling, damage assessment, debris clearance, disaster loans and grants, disaster unemployment assistance, public information, reassessment of emergency plans, reconstruction, temporary housing and business resumption full scale.

Resource Management: Efficient emergency management and incident response requires a system for identifying available resources at all jurisdictional levels to enable timely and unimpeded access to resources needed to prepare for, respond to, or recover from an incident.

Resource management under NIMS includes mutual aid agreements and assistance agreements; the use of special federal, state, tribal and local teams; and resource mobilization protocols.

Resources: Personnel and major items of equipment, supplies and facilities available or potentially available for assignment to incident operations and for which status is maintained.

Resources are described by kind and type and may be used in operational support or supervisory capacities at an incident or at an EOC.

Response: Actions taken immediately before, during, or directly after an emergency occurs, to save lives, minimize damage to property and the environment, and enhance the effectiveness of recovery. Response measures include, but are not limited to, emergency plan activation, emergency alert system activation, emergency instructions to the public, emergency medical assistance, staffing the emergency operations center, public official alerting, reception and care, shelter and evacuation, search and rescue, resource mobilization, and warning systems activation.

Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act: (Public Law 93-288, as amended by Public Law 100-707) - The act that authorizes the greatest single source of federal disaster assistance. It authorizes coordination of the activities of federal, state, and volunteer agencies operating under their own authorities in providing disaster assistance, provision of direct federal assistance as necessary, and provision of financial grants to individuals and families. This act is commonly referred to as the Stafford Act.

Basic Plan, 2025 64
280
City of Los Banos Emergency Operations Plan
Safety Officer: A member of the Command Staff (Management Staff at the SEMS EOC Levels) responsible for monitoring incident operations and advising the IC on all matters relating to operational safety, including the health and safety of emergency responder personnel. The Safety Officer may have assistants.

Section: The organizational level having responsibility for a major functional area of incident or EOC Management, (e.g. Operations, Planning, Logistics, Finance/Administration).

Situation Report: Often contains confirmed or verified information regarding the specific details relating to the incident.

Span of Control: The number of resources for which a supervisor is responsible, usually expressed as the ratio of supervisors to individuals. (Under NIMS, an appropriate span of control is between 1 :3 and 1 :7, with optimal being 1 :5.) Special District: A unit of local government (other than a city, county, or city and county) with authority or responsibility to own, operate and maintain systems, programs, services, or projects (as defined in California Code of Regulations (CCR) Section 2900(s) for purposes of natural disaster assistance. This may include a joint powers authority established under Section 6500 et. seq. of the Code.

Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS): That consistent set of rules and procedures governing the overall operational control or coordination of emergency operations specified in CCR Title 19, Division 2, §2400 et sec. It identifies at each level of the statewide emergency organization the direction of field forces and the coordination of joint efforts of government and private agencies. The Incident Command System (ICS) is the field level component of SEMS.

State of Emergency: A governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of government, alert citizens to change their normal behaviors, or order government agencies to implement emergency operations plans.

Tabletop Exercise: An activity in which officials and key staff or others with emergency responsibilities are gathered together informally to discuss simulated emergency situations. It is designed to elicit constructive discussion by the participants without time constraints.

Participants evaluate plans and procedures and resolve questions of coordination and assignment of responsibilities in a non-threatening format under minimum stress.

Vital Records: The essential agency records that are needed to meet operational responsibilities under national security emergencies or other emergency or disaster conditions (emergency operating records), or to protect the legal and financial rights of the Government and those affected by Government activities (legal and financial rights records).

Volunteer: For purposes of NIMS, a volunteer is any individual accepted to perform services by the lead agency (which has authority to accept volunteer services) when the individual performs services without promise, expectation, or receipt of compensation for services performed. See 16 U.S.C. 742f(c) and 29 CFR 553.101.

Windshield Survey: A quick visual overview of the affected disaster area performed within the first 24 hours after the disaster.

Basic Plan, 2025 65
281

THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
282
Hazard or Threat
Specific
Appendices
An Annex to the
City of Los Banos
Emergency Operations Plan
April 2025
283
City of Los Banos EOP Hazard or Threat Specific Annexes Table of Contents
Hazard Appendix 1- Flooding/Dam Failure ............................................................................................... 3 Flooding .......................................................................... ................................................................ 3 Dam Failure ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Hazard Appendix 2 - Extreme Weather .................................................................................................... 5 Extreme Weather ............................................................................................................................. 5 Hazard Appendix 3 - Wildfire ..... ............................................................................................................. 7 Wildfire .......................................................................................................................................... 7 Hazard Appendix 4 - Earthquake ............................................................................................................. 8 Earthquake ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Hazard Appendix· 5 - Hazardous Materials .................................. .. .......................................................... 12 Hazardous Materials Incidents .......................................................................................................... 12 Hazard Appendix 6 - Agriculture .... ................... .................................................................................... 14 Agriculture .................................................................................................................................... 14 Hazard Appendix 7 - Transportation Incidents ......................................................................................... 15 Transportation Incidents ..................................................... ............................................................. 15 Hazard Append ix 8 - Terrorism ........................... ............ .... ...... .......................................... ... ............... 17 Terrorism/CBRNE ........................................................................................................................... 17 Hazard Appendix 9 - Civil Disobedience ................................................................................................. 18 Civil Disobedience ........................................................................................................................... 18 April 2025 21Page
284
City of Los Banos EOP Hazard or Threat Specific Annexes Hazard Appendix 1 - Flooding/Dam Failure
Flooding
Hazard Definition
A flood is defined as an overflowing of water onto an area of land that is normally dry.

Floods generally occur from natural causes, usually weather-related, such as a sudden snow melt, often in conjunction with a wet or rainy spring or with sudden and very heavy rainfalls. Floods can, however, result from human causes as a dam impoundment bursting. Dam break floods are usually associated with intense rainfall or prolonged flood conditions.

Local Situation
The probability and severity of flooding in the City of Los Banos is categorized as a moderate to high risk. The Los Banos Detention Dam is the primary flood control dam for the Los Banos Creek.

The City of Los Banos has identified two flood stages for the Los Banos Creek.

WARNING STAGE - The stage at which initial action must be taken by concerned interests (livestock warning, removal of equipment from lowest overflow areas, or simply general surveillance of the situation). This level may produce overbank flows sufficient to cause minor flooding of low-lying lands and local roads.

FLOOD STAGE - The stage at which overbank flows are of sufficient magnitude to cause considerable inundation of land and roads and/or threat of significant hazard to life and property.

Controlled releases can be a prelude to localized flooding or complete inundation of flood prone areas within the City of Los Banos. Severe weather, unexpected runoff or mechanical malfunctions sometimes generate these necessary releases.

Dam Failure
Hazard Definition
A dam failure is the partial or complete collapse of an impoundment, with the associated downstream flooding. Flooding of the area below the dam may occur as the result of structural failure of the dam, overtopping, or a seiche. Dam failures are caused by natural and manmade conditions. The list of causes includes earthquake, erosion of the face or foundation, improper siting, structural/design flaws, and prolonged rainfall and flooding. The primary danger associated with a dam failure is the swift, unpredictable flooding of those areas immediately downstream of the dam.

There are three general types of dams: earth and rock fill, concrete arch or hydraulic fill, and concrete gravity. Each of these types of dams has different failure characteristics.

The earth and rock fill dam will fail gradually due to erosion of the breach; a flood wave will build gradually to a peak and then decline until the reservoir is empty. A concrete April 2025 31 Page
285
City of Los Banos EOP Hazard or Threat Specific Annexes arch or hydraulic fill dam will fail almost instantaneously; with a very rapid build-up to a peak and then a gradual decline. A concrete gravity dam will fail somewhere in between instantaneous and gradual, with corresponding build-up of flood wave.

Local Situation
The probability and severity of a dam failure affecting the City of Los Banos is categorized as a moderate to high risk. The catastrophic failure of San Luis and Los Banos Creek dams will have severe consequences. Foremost are injuries, loss of life, limited transportation routes and a decrease in vital utilities. Additionally, because of the City of Los Banos' strong agricultural influences significant downstream property damage and the loss of domestic and farm production animals will be a major concern.

Facilities affected by a dam failure are:
• Hospitals
• Schools
• Utilities
• Emergency Services
• Agriculture
• Sanitation
• Residential
More specific emergency preparedness information and potential hazards can be found in the individual Emergency Plans for each Dam. These plans are available at the Office of Emergency Services and will be available in the EOC when activated.

April 2025 41 Page
286
City of Los Banos EOP Hazard or Threat Specific Annexes Hazard Appendix 2 - Extreme Weather
Extreme Weather
This hazard category is defined by those naturally occurring events that are environmentally or meteorologically initiated, and have either a long-term rate of occurrence or occur with regular frequency. Their impacts, although normally not considered damaging, have the capacity to present significant challenges in the areas of public safety, economic vitality, environmental quality, and other social consequences.

Air Pollution
An air pollution emergency is essentially a public health concern. Air quality standards can deteriorate overnight, causing problems for the young, elderly and individuals with pre-existing respiratory ailments. Long term exposure to air pollution is also detrimental to crops and livestock, and even affects the lifespan of equipment and systems that are degraded due to the exposure to pollutants.

Drought
Periods of drought have followed years in which both the prevailing weather phenomena were El Nino and La Nina. Drought cycles appear to be every 7 - 11 years. During periods of drought, emergency response measures will consist of land use planning practices consistent with water conservation goals and various water conservation measures. There may also be increased risk of fires.

Local Situation
The City of Los Banos is susceptible to extreme weather/storm conditions. Extreme weather may cause a variety of damages, depending on the type or weather situation.

Damage may range from temporary power and utility outages due to thunderstorm and high wind activity to the sometimes, although rare, destruction of a tornado. Extreme weather such as a drought can have long-term economic repercussions.

Heat/Cold
Annually, the City of Los Banos experiences summer temperatures that reach into the 1 0O's and in the winter temperatures can drop below freezing. Exposure to extreme temperatures can cause unsafe changes to the body temperature and cause the City infrastructure to fail or become otherwise compromised. Overall, this hazard is considered a moderate risk to the city of Los Banos.

Thunderstorms
Numerous thunderstorms develop and mature on an annual basis. In the Central Valley, the frequency of storms is less in the inland areas than in the mountainous areas. Based on the topography of the City of Los Banos, the overall severity of a thunderstorm is low and would be limited to direct lightning strikes, wind damage, and precipitation. Overall, this hazard is considered a moderate risk to the city of Los Banos.
--
April 2025 5 IP age
287
City of Los Banos EOP Hazard or Threat Specific Annexes Tornado
Two hundred forty-two tornados touched down in the Central Valley between 1950 and 1992. Overall, this hazard is considered a low risk to the city of Los Banos.

April 2025 61 Page
288
Hazard Appendix 3 - Wildfire
Wildfire
Hazard Definition
City of Los Banos EOP Hazard or Threat Specific Annexes A wildfire is an uncontrolled fire spreading through vegetative fuels, posing danger and destruction to life and property. Wildfires can occur in undeveloped areas and spread to urban areas where structures and other human development are more concentrated.

To describe an area where urban development has been located in proximity to open space, or wildland areas, the term, "urban-wildland interface" is commonly used. The most common type of urban wildland interface results when development occurs immediately adjacent to wildland vegetation. Other interface conditions can be created when urban development is intermixed with wildland vegetation, or when pockets of wildland vegetation occur inside developed areas.

Local Situation
Within the City of Los Banos, hazards arise from a combination of climatic, vegetative and physiographic conditions where heavy fuel loads exist which tends to pose a special hazard to adjacent developed areas. Overall, the probability is moderate and severity of wildfire in the City of Los Banos is categorized as a low risk.

April 2025 71 Page
289
City of Los Banos EOP Hazard or Threat Specific Annexes Hazard Appendix 4 - Earthquake
Earthquake
Hazard Definition
An earthquake is a sudden, rapid shaking of the ground caused by the breaking and shifting of rock beneath the Earth's surface. For hundreds of millions of years, the forces of plate tectonics have shaped the Earth as the huge plates that form the Earth's surface move slowly over, under, and past each other. Sometimes the movement is gradual.

At other times, the plates are locked together, unable to release the accumulating energy. When the accumulated energy grows strong enough, the plates break free causing the ground to shake. Most earthquakes occur at the boundaries where the plates meet; however, some earthquakes occur in the middle of plates.

Local Situation
Though the likelihood of occurrence is moderate to high risk, the impact from any moderate to large-scale seismic event, occurring within or on the periphery of the City of Los Banos could produce an assortment of conditions that would adversely affect public health and safety, critical infrastructure, and economic well-being throughout the area.

There are many earthquake faults in California. Depending on the magnitude and epicenter, there is a potential that the City of Los Banos, as well as anywhere else in the state, may be affected. The following faults located within and adjacent to the City of Los Banos will be discussed: the Ortigalita Fault, the Central Valley Coast Range Blind Thrust Fault, the Calaveras Fault, the Greenville Fault, San Andreas Fault, and the Bear Mountain Fault.

The following is a breakdown of where these faults are located at and what kind of hazardous potential they may present to The City of Los Banos:
• The Ortigalita Fault, which has been zoned by the State Geologist under the Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zoning Act, is located in the western portion of the City of Los Banos, approximately 13 miles west of Los Banos. The maximum earthquake magnitude measured with the magnitude (Mw) scale on this fault was

7.9 Mw.
• The Central Valley Coast Range Blind Thrust Fault is located parallel to lnterstate-5 along the topographic break in slope between the Diablo Range and the San Joaquin Valley. This fault system is seismogenically active, but is not completely mappable at the surface. This fault is the cause of the 1983 Coalinga Earthquake. The maximum earthquake magnitude measured on this fault was

6.8Mw.

April 2025 Bl Page
290
City of Los Banos EOP Hazard or Threat Specific Annexes • The Calaveras Fault is an active fault located in the vicinity of Hollister. It is 16 miles west of Pacheco Pass and it lies outside of the City of Los Banos. The maximum earthquake magnitude measured on this fault was 6.2 Mw. • The Greenville Fault is another fault outside of the City of Los Banos. It lies approximately 30 miles northwest of Pacheco Pass. This active fault crosses near Livermore and has a maximum earthquake magnitude measurement of 6.9 Mw.
• The San Andreas Fault is the largest and most active fault in California and is located about 24 miles west of Pacheco Pass. Earthquakes on this fault will be the source of long duration but distant ground motion felt within the City of Los Banos. The maximum earthquake magnitude measured on this fault was a 7.9 Mw.
• The Bear Mountain Fault is also near the City of Los Banos. This fault zone is located along the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. This fault is not an active fault and is not modeled as seismogenically active for purposes of regional earthquake ground motion.

While there is no record of any seismic activity originating in the City, other than tremors on the West Side close to the Ortigalita Fault, the City has been shaken by earthquakes originating elsewhere. There is documented evidence of five earthquakes that shook the area in 1872, 1906, 1952, 1966, and 1984. The City of Los Banos has been very fortunate in the past and has not suffered any loss of life. The possibility of future earthquakes of equal or greater magnitude than those from previous years could cause a great many casualties and extensive property damage in the City. This could be aggravated by aftershocks and by secondary effects of fire, landslides, and dam failures.

There are various land use controls or methods for addressing seismic hazards.

Avoiding a hazard such as a fault zone may be the best solution when planning new land uses. The Alquist-Priolo Special Studies Zone Act (1973) was created to prohibit the location of most structures for human occupancy across the traces of active faults, thus lessening the hazard of fault rupture. Cities and counties affected by the zones must regulate certain development "projects" within the zones and withhold development permits until geologic investigators demonstrate that the sites are not threatened by surface displacement from future faulting. The City of Los Banos has one such special study zone, which is in the vicinity of the San Luis Dam. There are no known habitable structures that have been constructed or proposed in this zone and the City will process development permits in compliance with California Law. It is reasonable to assume that liquefaction hazards exist in many of the City of Los Banos' wetland areas. The City's wetlands are generally adjacent to the San Joaquin River and extend west to the Union Pacific, and east toward State Highway 99 and 59 South.

April 2025 91Page
291
City of Los Banos EOP Hazard or Threat Specific Annexes If a significant earthquake were to occur within The City of Los Banos, it can be assumed that the following problems would arise:
-
• System failures, overloads, loss of electrical power, and possible failure of some alternate power systems will affect telephone systems. Immediately following an event, numerous failures will occur. Telephone, radio, and microwave systems are all expected to be affected and operate at a decreased capacity. • There are two facilities located in the City of Los Banos. In the event of a significant earthquake, each of these facilities is expected to suffer damage and operate at reduced efficiency. Additionally, numerous after-care facilities and nursing homes will be affected and should be taken into consideration. • A complete disruption of public utilities could occur in more heavily impacted areas that could have long term impact. Transmission lines are vulnerable to many hazards, due to their length and remoteness. Repairs to electrical equipment require physically clearing roadways, and movement of special equipment. Restoration of local electrical power will be coordinated with regional and local utility representatives.
• Damage to natural gas facilities serving the City of Los Banos area may consist primarily of isolated breaks in major transmission lines. Breaks in mains and individual service connections within the distribution system will be significant, particularly near the fault zones. These many leaks could pose a fire threat.

Restoration of natural gas service could be significantly delayed. • Water availability and distribution for supporting life and treating the sick and injured is always a concern in any disaster. Although the City's water supply comes from various sources such as wells and city distribution systems, and not from the local dams, there is still a threat that an earthquake could disrupt an area's water supply through broken distribution lines or contamination from broken sewer systems. Therefore, potable water will most likely have to be supplied in these area communities by outside sources.
• Highway 99 may be impassable south into Fresno City. All would be impassable for up to 72 hours depending on damages.
• The City of Los Banos is home to many companies and industries that manufacture, store, use and dispose of toxic materials. Los Banos is highly exposed to hazardous materials transported over major state highways and railroads. On any given day, a vast assortment of petroleum products, agricultural pesticides, and industrial chemicals are moved within the City with the possibility of generating a hazardous materials incident. A natural disaster, such as an earthquake, cannot only cause a hazardous materials event, but it can also cause it to escalate. Emergency response crews may be delayed due to effects of the earthquake by causing roadway blockages and building collapse. --
April 2025 10 IP age
292
City of Los Banos EOP Hazard or Threat Specific Annexes • These are the identified hazardous materials facilities within the City that pose the greatest threat to the population should a chemical spill occur. It should be noted that there are many more hazardous materials storage sites within the City. Although they are smaller and less hazardous, they still hold the potential of becoming serious threats during an earthquake.
• There are several major dams adjacent to the City of Los Banos with known populations in their respective inundation areas. The probability of dam failure is heightened by seismic activity in the vicinity of major fault zones. The City currently has two dams that are subject to such activity. The location of the Los Banos Detention Dam and the San Luis Reservoir in the area of the Ortigalita Fault has been compensated for by structural design.

A failure of San Luis Dam could result in 2,000,000-acre feet of water being released. The flood plain resulting from such a release would place residents of Santa Nella and Los Banos areas in imminent danger. San Luis Dam was built to withstand a magnitude 8.3 occurrence at Hollister, but at that time of design, knowledge of the process of seismic liquefaction, as it applies to earth fill dams, was incomplete. The possibility of dam failure with resulting floods should be acknowledged.

It is necessary to consider the potential for seiches in the event of a major earthquake near San Luis Reservoir. Seiches are periodic oscillation of water level in relatively confined basins (seismic waves).
• After any earthquake there will be a loss of income. Individuals can lose wages due to businesses inability to function because of damaged goods or facilities.

Due to business losses, the City of Los Banos and the cities surrounding the City of Los Banos will lose revenue. Economic recovery from even a minor earthquake is critical to these communities.
• The Office of Emergency Services has identified the potential hazard areas within the City of Los Banos if a major earthquake were to occur.

April 2025 11I Page
293
City of Los Banos EOP Hazard or Threat Specific Annexes Hazard Appendix 5 - Hazardous Materials
Hazardous Materials Incidents
Hazard Definition
Hazardous materials (Hazmat) consist of substances that by their nature, lack of containment, and reactivity, have the capability for inflicting harm. Hazmat poses a threat to health and the environment when improperly managed. Hazmat can be toxic, corrosive, flammable, explosive, reactive, an irritant, or a strong sensitizer. Hazmat substances also include certain infectious agents, radiological materials, oxidizers, oil, used oil, petroleum products, and industrial solid waste substances.

Hazardous material incidents are one of the most common technological threats to public health and the environment. Incidents may occur as the result of natural disasters, human error, and/or accident. The types of hazmat incidents that can occur and the resulting impact are:

Spill or Release
Immediate threat from any hazardous materials release into the atmosphere is from exposure to toxic vapors, gases, liquids and solids. Even a small release of a hazardous substance can have devastating effects on those who are exposed. A release may result in requiring City residents and businesses to take protective actions such as evacuation or shelter in place.

The secondary risk is to the environment. Unchecked exposure can lead to contamination of the air, ground and subsurface water sources, soil and affect the health of wildlife. Large spills can contaminate drinking water supplies that may affect entire communities, especially in rivers, underground aquifers or reservoirs.

Fire
When hazardous materials burn, toxic chemicals are often present in the smoke. The greatest danger is from inhalation, but eye damage and absorption through the skin can also be a problem. Firefighting can be quite difficult. Large hazardous materials fires are mainly a hazard in and around industrial areas, although smoke and vapor plumes can travel for miles.

Explosion
The major threats from an explosion involving hazardous materials are from falling objects and flying debris, thermal exposure, released contaminants, and over pressure during detonation. Like hazardous materials fires, explosions are mainly a hazard in and around industrial areas, and along ground or marine transportation corridors.

Local Situation
The probability of a hazardous materials incident is moderate and severity in the City of Los Banos is categorized as a high risk. Hazardous Materials require special care in handling because of the hazards they pose to the publics' health and safety, and the environment. For this special care the City of Los Banos has an Emergency Response April 2025 12IPage
294
City of Los Banos EOP Hazard or Threat Specific Annexes Team. This team is staffed by city fire and police department personnel. The City of Los Banos Area Plan has been developed to more specifically address hazardous materials response.

The City of Los Banos is home to a few companies and industries that manufacture, store, use and dispose of toxic materials. The area is highly exposed to hazardous materials transported over major interstate highways, state routes, and railways. On any given day, a vast assortment of petroleum products, agricultural pesticides and industrial chemicals are moved within and through our City with the possibility of generating a hazardous materials incident.

Hazardous Materials emergencies, primarily due to surface route and rail accidents, have occurred and will continue to occur in the City of Los Banos. Although most of these incidents have been easily handled, the potential for and extreme threat to life and property is quite high. Therefore, this plan has been developed to utilize multiagency, multi-discipline and multi-jurisdictional resources to successfully counter the effects of an emergency involving hazardous materials. Additionally, the City of Los Banos Hazardous Materials Area Plan has been developed and is utilized as the response guidelines to hazardous materials incidents.

Hazardous materials incidents in the City of Los Banos would most likely occur on the transportation routes or at fixed hazardous materials facilities. Hazardous materials are often transported through the City of Los Banos area on State Route Highways 152 and 165 and on the Northern Pacific Railroad. Surface streets are also used for the local transportation of hazardous materials.

The two clinic/hospitals located in the City of Los Banos have a variety of hazardous materials, radioactive materials and solvents, and they maintain current lists of the hazardous materials in their facilities.

Finally, another source of hazardous materials incidents is the illegal manufacturing of drugs in clandestine laboratories. In many instances, the residue and hazardous waste from these laboratories are illegally dumped, posing a threat to public health, safety, and the environment.

April 2025 13IP age
295
City of Los Banos EOP Hazard or Threat Specific Annexes Hazard Appendix 6 - Agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the prominent economic segment in the County and accounts for more than 90 percent of all land area. Merced County is ranked fifth among all counties in California and sixth in the nation in the annual market value of farm products. Rich soils, accessible irrigation water, favorable climate, a large labor force, and reliable access to local, national, and global markets make Merced County a thriving agricultural community.

Agriculture is the City of Los Banos' number one industry. The Mediterranean climate, productive soil and the water distribution system allow the farmers of the region to produce over 65 different agricultural products. With that, comes the potential for agricultural hazard incidents.

Hazard Materials
Accidental releases of pesticides, fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals may be harmful to the public health, safety and the environment.

Insect Infestation
Insect infestation occurs when an undesirable type of insect inhabits an area in a manner that causes serious harm to agriculture crops, livestock, or poultry; wild land trees, plants, animals, or humans. Countless insects live on, in, and around plants, animals, and humans in all environments. Many are harmless, while others can cause fatal damage. Under some conditions, insects that have been present and relatively harmless can become hazardous. For example, severe drought conditions can weaken trees and make them more susceptible to destruction from insect attacks.

The major forms of insects are: chewing insects, boring or tunneling insects, and sucking insects. Also, while not technically an "insect," it is worth noting that pathogens such as fungi can kill large stands of trees. In conjunction with the above outlined problems, insects can carry and spread disease to plants, animals, and people.

Natural Occurring Biological Threats
Public health-related hazards may be the result of a naturally occurring event or terrorism. Key hazards of concern to the City of Los Banos are West Nile Virus (WNV), Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) and Avian Influenza A (H5N1 ), Swine Influenza (H1 N1 ), Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE, "mad cow disease"), Botulism, Campylobacter jejuni, Canine Distemper, E. coli, Exotic Newcastle Disease, Hantavirus, Hepatitis A, Lyme Disease, Monkeypox, Norwalk Virus, Plague, Salmonella, SARS, Shigella (dysentery), and Tularemia.

April 2025 14I Pa ge
296
City of Los Banos EOP Hazard or Threat Specific Annexes Hazard Appendix 7 - Transportation Incidents
Transportation Incidents
Air
An air crash that occurs in a heavily populated residential area can result in considerable loss of life and property. The impact of a disabled aircraft as it strikes the ground creates the likely potential for multiple explosions, resulting in intense fires.

Regardless of where the crash occurs, the resulting explosions and fires have the potential to cause injuries, fatalities and the destruction of property at and adjacent to the impact point.

The time of day when the crash occurs may have a profound effect on the number of dead and injured. Damage assessment and disaster relief efforts associated with an air crash incident will require support from other local governments, private organizations and in certain instances from the state and federal governments.

It can be anticipated that the mental health needs of survivors, surrounding residents and emergency responders will greatly increase due to the trauma associated with such a catastrophe.

Rail
A major train derailment that occurs in a heavily populated area can result in considerable loss of life and property. As a train leaves its track, there is no longer any control as to the direction it will travel.

Potential hazards could be overturned rail cars, direct impact into an industrial building or entering into normal street traffic. Each of these hazards encompasses many threats, such as a hazardous materials incident, fire, severe damage to either adjacent buildings or vehicles and loss of life of those in either adjacent buildings or vehicles and pedestrians.

Freight/Truck
A major truck incident that occurs in a heavily populated industrial area or residential area can result in considerable loss of life and property. When a truck is involved in an accident, there is no longer control as to the direction the truck will travel.

Potential hazards could be overturned tank trailers, direct impact either into a residence or industrial building, or entering into the normal flow of traffic. Each of these hazards encompass many threats, such as hazardous materials incident, fire, severe damage to either adjacent buildings or vehicles, and loss of life of pedestrians or those in either the adjacent buildings or vehicles.

Local Situation
The City of Los Banos is susceptible to several different types of transportation emergencies, including emergencies involving the railroad, major truck/auto accidents and airplane crashes. Many of these emergency situations may cause ancillary April 2025 15IPage
297
City of Los Banos EOP Hazard or Threat Specific Annexes emergencies such as hazardous materials spills, which may require extensive population movement and sheltering efforts. Overall, the probability is moderate and severity of a transportation emergency within or affecting the City of Los Banos is categorized as a high risk.

Air
The impact of a disabled aircraft as it strikes the ground creates the potential for multiple explosions, resulting in an intense fire. Wherever the crash occurs, the resulting explosions and fires have the potential to cause injuries, fatalities and the destruction of property at, and adjacent to the impact point. The time of day when the crash occurs may have a profound effect on the number of injuries and fatalities. • The Los Banos Airport is located near the western edge of the Los Banos. It has one 3,000-foot long runway. The land uses on either end of the runway are residential and agricultural.

Rail
Union Pacific and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad is located on the North Western edge of the City of Los Banos. A train accident in any of these areas can result in considerable injury, loss of life and/or significant property damage. An accident in rural areas of the City will pose more of a threat to livestock and the environment.

Hazardous materials spills, fires, significant property damage and mass casualty incidents are the potential hazards associated with cargo and passenger train accidents in the City of Los Banos, requiring movement and shelter operations in the affected area(s).

Freight/Truck
Major trucking routes include lnterstate-5 and State Route Highways 152, 165 and 33, which are the main access roads throughout the City of Los Banos. lnterstate-5 is heavily traveled and passes to the west of the City of Los Banos and intersects with Highways 33, 165 and 152; 7 miles west of Los Banos.

April 2025 16IP age
298
Hazard Appendix 8 - Terrorism
TerrorismlCBRNE
City of Los Banos EOP Hazard or Threat Specific Annexes Terrorism is defined in 28 CFR Section 0.85 as " ... the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives." Since September 11, 2001, terrorism has become a fact of life for all Americans. Planning for response to potential terrorist incidents has long been part of California's Emergency Preparedness Planning effort. California provides a target-rich environment for terrorists, with many facilities and venues and an easy place to hide in California's diverse population.

There are many forms that terrorism can take and the most prevalent is a terrorist attack involving Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) agents and/or devices. There is also the threat of Cyber-Terrorism involving the use of computer data and networks to interrupt or shut down critical government infrastructures such as energy, transportation or financial sectors.

Local Situation
Historically, neither the City of Los Banos nor the County has experienced terrorism threats involving CBRNE and any significant cyber-terrorism attack. In the event of an occurrence, local law enforcement has the primary responsibility to respond to terrorist events and in the event of a CBRNE incident may require the assistance of the hazardous materials response teams and other specialized response agencies depending on the situation. Overall, the probability is moderate and severity of a terrorist incident within or affecting the City of Los Banos is categorized as a high risk.

April 2025 17I Page
299
City of Los Banos EOP Hazard or Threat Specific Annexes Hazard Appendix 9 - Civil Disobedience
Civil Disobedience
Hazard Definition
Generally, civil disobedience is tied to a social situation/event or an issue of dispute, usually involving large groups who are celebratory, angry, frustrated and wanting to express an opinion or position. Public assembly can turn violent, resulting in civil disobedience conditions in which the community wellbeing is directly at risk.

Civil Disobedience incidents may result in the following impacts to public safety and wellbeing:
• Injury to targeted population groups or individuals within the perimeter of the event
• Damage to public and private property, structures and systems • Interruption of official government operations
• Loss of revenue from people being discouraged from entering affected areas • Costs of managing response resources
• Interrupted traffic and loss of mobility due to rioting and official road closures • Societal disruptions and long-term stigma associated with such occurrences Large groups of people may become unruly and disturb the peace or commit other illegal activities. The law enforcement's effort to quell such a situation may require mutual aid beyond standard agreements.

Local Situation
Civil disturbances include incidents that are intended to disrupt a community to the degree that law enforcement intervention is required to maintain public safety. Civil disturbances are generally associated with controversial political, judicial, or economic issues and/or events.

Locations within the City of Los Banos that have large public gatherings have the potential for unstable conditions, possibly impacting an Operational Area jurisdiction's ability to provide sufficient law enforcement and fire protective services.

The effects of civil disturbances are varied and are usually based upon the type, severity, scope and duration of the disturbance. The effects of civil disturbances include traffic congestion or gridlock, illegal assemblies, disruption of utility service, property damage, injuries and potentially loss of life.

During a civil disturbance that affects the City of Los Banos, there are certain facilities within the City that may be more at risk than other facilities. The following locations often hold musical concerts, sporting events, and other events that attract large numbers of people, which create significant traffic congestion problems and the potential for disruptive behavior:
• Fairgrounds
--
April 2025 18 j Page
300
City of Los Banos EOP Hazard or Threat Specific Annexes • Schools
• DES Hall
• Churches
• Los Banos Sportsmens
• Football Stadium
• Elks Lodge
• High School Gym
• Masonic Lodge
• Middle School Gyms
• Veterans Hall
April 2025 19I Page
301

THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
302
Annex A:

Direction and
Control
An Annex to the
City of Los Banos
Emergency Operations
Plan
April 2025
303
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 4 CITY OF LOS BANOS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION ....................... 4 City of Los Banos SEMS Organization ........................................................................... 4 CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS .......................................................................................... 6 EOC Purpose ................................................................................................................. 6 EOC Facility Location ..................................................................................................... 6 EOC Activation Policy .................................................................................................... 9 EOC Activation Responsibility ...................................................................................... 1 O EOC Staffing ................................................................................................................ 13 EOC Reporting ............................................................................................................. 14 EOC Reporting Systems ........................................................................................... ... 15 EOC Briefings .............................................................................................................. 15 EOC Deactivation ......................................................................................................... 17 EOC ACTION PLANNING .............................................................................................. 18 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 18 Planning Requirements ................................................................................................ 18 Plan Elements .............................................................................................................. 18 Planning Responsibilities ............................................................................................. 19 Planning Process ......................................................................................................... 20 Planning Considerations .............................................................................................. 21 Planning Cycle ......................................... .................................................................... 21 Documentation and Distribution ................................................................................... 21 CITY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ........................................................................ 22 Policy Group ................................................................................................................. 22 Management Section ................................................................................................... 22 Management Staff ..................................................................................................... 22 Public Information Officer (PIO) ................................................................................ 22 Legal Affairs Officer ................................................................................................... 22 Liaison Officer ........................................................................................................... 22 Safety & Security Officers ......................................................................................... 23 Operations Section ....................................................................................................... 23 Planning/Intelligence Section ....................................................................................... 23 Logistics Section .......................................................................................................... 24 Finance/Administration Section .................................................................................... 24 ANNEX MAINTENANCE ................................................................................................. 25 April 2025 Page 12
304
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
EOC POSITION CHECKLISTS ....................................................................................... 26 Figure 1 - City of Los Banos EOC Organization ............................................................... 5 Figure 2 - SEMS EOC Activation Requirements ............................................................. 11 Figure 3 - Planning Process Schedule ............................................................................ 20 Figure 4 - Planning Considerations .. .................... ........................................................... 21 April 2025 Page 13
305
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control

INTRODUCTION
The City of Los Banos has a municipal code that establishes an emergency organization and local disaster council (Title 4 Public Safety, Chapter 2 of the City Municipal Code). The municipal code provides for the development of an emergency plan, establishing responsibilities for emergency management operations and specifying the officials authorized to proclaim a local emergency. When there is an immediate threat or actual emergency, The City of Los Banos will implement emergency plans and take actions to mitigate or reduce the emergency threat. Actions may include deploying field-level emergency response personnel and activating the Emergency Operations Center and issuing orders to protect the public. All accessible and applicable local, state and federal resources will be committed to protect lives, property and the environment. This annex is dedicated to the overall Direction and Control of the emergency or disaster as it pertains to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

CITY OF LOS BANOS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION
City of Los Banos SEMS Organization
The City of Los Banos operates an EOC staffed by personnel from City departments and allied agencies. The EOC team is organized around the five functions (Management, Operations, Planning/Intelligence, Logistics, Finance/Administration) of the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS). City personnel staff the positions to ensure coordination. Please see Figure 1 - City of Los Banos EOC SEMS Organizational Chart.

Consistent with SEMS, the city EOC organizational structure develops in a modular fashion, based upon the type and size of the incident:
• The EOC staff builds from the top down.
• As the need arises, five separate sections can be activated, each with several sub-units that may be established as needed.
• The specific organizational structure established for any given incident will be based on the management and resource needs of the incident in is detailed in Figure 1 - City of Los Banos EOC SEMS Organizational Chart.

April 2025 Page 14
306
Operations
Section
Law Enforcement
Branch
Law
Evacuation
Search & Rescue
Fire and Rescue
Branch
Fire Unit
Emergency Medical
Services
HazMat
USAR
Public Works
Branch
Roads, Bridges &
Transportation
Flood Management
Debris & Water
Building Inspection
Utilities
Care & Shelter
Branch
General Shelters
Animals
April 2025
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
City of Los Banos EOC SEMS Organization
Management
Section
EOC Director
Public lnfonnation Officer
Legal Affairs Officer
Liaison Officer
Safety Officer
Security Officer
EOC Coordinator
Planning/Intelligence
Section
Situation/Status Unit
Action Planning Unit
Resources Unit
Advance Planning
Unit
Technical
Speciallists Unit
Geographic
lnformatio~ Systems
Demobilization
Documentation
Logistics Section
Communications
and Information
Technology Branch
Transportation
Branch
Facilities Branch
Procurement Branch
Personnel Branch
Figure 1 - City of Los Banos EOC Organization
Finance/Administra
tion Section
Cost Recovery Unit
Compensation &
Claims Unit
Fiscal Unit

307
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control

CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS
During a disaster or emergency, the City of Los Banos Emergency Operations Center (EOC) will support field response operations within the City. The EOC will operate using the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) functions, principles, and components. It will implement the action planning process, identifying and implementing specific objectives for each operational period.

EOC Purpose
Within the City of Los Banos, the various departments and agencies throughout the city are responsible for conducting normal day-to-day operations. When a major emergency or disaster strikes, the EOC is the location from which centralized emergency management will be performed. The EOC facilitates a coordinated response by all the departments and agencies that are assigned emergency management responsibilities. The level of EOC staffing will vary with the specific emergency situation. Departments with critical response functions may activate their own Department Operation Centers (DOC) which act as conduits of information between field operations and the EOC. The DOC is the location from which individual departments coordinate and control their own resources and response actions specific to that department.

The EOC provides a central location of authority and information, and allows for face-to-face coordination among personnel who must make emergency decisions. The following functions are performed in the City of Los Banos EOC:
• Managing and coordinating emergency operations.
• Receiving and disseminating warning information.
• Developing emergency policies and procedures.
• Collecting intelligence from and disseminating information to, the various EOC representatives, from the city departments, county, state, and federal agencies. • Preparing intelligence/information summaries, situation reports, operational reports, and other reports as required.
• Maintaining general and specific maps, information display boards, and other data pertaining to emergency operations.
• Continuing analysis and evaluation of all data pertaining to emergency operations. • Controlling and coordinating, within established policy, the operational and logistical support of departmental resources committed to the emergency and requesting resources from outside of the city.
• Maintaining contact and coordination with support DOCs, other local government EOCs, and the Merced Operational Area Emergency Operations Center (OA/EOC). • Providing emergency information and instructions to the public, making official releases to the news media and scheduling of press conferences as necessary.

EOC Facility Location
The Primary EOC is located at the City of Los Banos Fire Station # 1, 333 7th Street, Los Banos, CA 93635.

April 2025 Page 16
308
April 2025
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
City of Los Banos EOC
Fire Station #1 333 7th Street
□
47'
□
□
C3
□
□
□
□ u - ------2:9'--- -----'
r

309
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
The Primary EOC offers the following facilities for use during major emergencies:
• Dedicated operating space
• Extensive telephone and information management capabilities • Electronic display processing capabilities
• Radio communications capabilities
• Office support facilities
• Dedicated task work areas
• Auxiliary power generator capability
• Adequate parking for personnel
• Adequate restroom/kitchen facilities
• Joint Information Center/Media Briefing Room
• Geographic Information Systems Planning Room
April 2025 Page 18
310
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
The alternate City of Los Banos Emergency Operations Center (EOG) is located at the City of Los Banos Police Department training room 1111 G Street, Los Banos, CA 93635 April 2025 Page 19
311
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
EOC Activation Policy
The City of Los Banos has adopted the criteria (developed by CalOES) that identify the events/situations which may require EOC activation. This criterion is shown in Figure 2- SEMS EOC Activation Requirements.

EOC Activation Responsibility
The Director of Emergency Services administers and directs the city Emergency Managment Organization. During an emergency when the EOC is activated or there is the potential for activation, the Director of Emergency Services manages and directs all aspects of the city's response and recovery operations. Los Banos City Fire will be responsible for facilitating the overall physical set-up, functionality and close-out of the EOC.

April 2025 Page I 10
312
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
SEMS EOC Activation Requirements
emergency response agencies
2407 a 1
Local Emergency Proclaimed*
2407 a 2
Local Government EOC Activated
2407 a 1
Local Government activates EOC
and requests Operational Area
EOC activation 2407 a 1
Two or more cities within an
Operational Area proclaim a local
emer enc 2409 f 2
County and one or more cities
proclaim a local emergency
2409 3
City, city and county, or county
requests Governor's State of
Emergency proclamation
2409 4
Governor proclaims a State of
Emergency for county or two or
more cities 2409 5
Operational Area requests
resources from outside it
boundaries** 2409 f 6
Operational Area receives
resource requests from outside it
boundaries** 2409 7
An Operational Area EOC is
activated 2411 a
A Regional EOC is activated
2413 a 1
ernor proclaims a State of
er
ernor proc aims an
r volcanic prediction
Use ICS
Use ICS
Use ICS
Use ICS
Use ICS
Use ICS
Use ICS
Use ICS
Use ICS
Use ICS
Use ICS
UselCS
Use ICS
Use ICS
Use SEMS
Use SEMS
Use SEMS
Use SEMS
Use SEMS
UseSEMS
Use SEMS
Use SEMS
Use SEMS
UseSEMS
Use SEMS
Use SEMS
Use SEMS
Activate OA
EOC
Activate OA
EOC
Activate OA
EOC
Activate OA
EOC
Activate OA
EOC
Activate OA
EOC
Activate OA
EOC
Activate OA
EOC
Activate OA
EOC
Activate OA
EOC
Activate OA
EOC
Activate
REOC
Activate
REOC
Activate
REOC
Activate
REOC
Activate
REOC
Activate
REOC
Activate
REOC
Activate
REOC
Activate
REOC
Activate
REOC
Activate
REOC
Activate
soc
Activate
soc
Activate
soc
Activate
soc
Activate
soc
Activate
soc
Activate
soc
Activate
soc
Activate
soc
Activate
soc
Activate
soc
This matrix highlights the flow of SEMS activation requirements. Activation of an Operational Area EOC triggers activation of the Regional EOC which, in tum, triggers activation of the State level EOC. * The EOC is usually activated, but in some circumstances, such as agricultural emergencies or drought, a local emergency **
§
may be proclaimed without the need for EOC activation.

Does not apply for requests for resources used in normal day-to-day operations which are obtained through existing mutual aid agreements providing for the exchange or furnishing of certain types of facilities and services as provided for under the California Disaster and Civil Defense Master Mutual Aid Agreement (MMAA).

Indicates sections in the California Code of Regulations (CCR) Title 19, Division 2, Chapter 1 (SEMS) Figure 2 • SEMS EOC Activation Requirements
If EOC activation is warranted, the first EOC staff member to arrive begins set-up procedures. The Director of Emergency Services or designee (Los Banos City OES) makes all decisions regarding the level and scope of EOC operations. The scope and April 2025 Page 111
313
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
nature of the emergency, current conditions, and potential concerns dictate the level of EOC operations and staffing requirements.

April 2025 Page 112
314
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Security and Access Control
Upon activation, only authorized personnel are permitted in the EOC. Access shall be granted to all personnel identified as EOC staff or city officials, and those persons having legitimate business in the EOC. Authorized EOC staff and visitors shall be issued identification for EOC access. The identification shall distinguish the bearer as a member of the EOC team or as a visitor.

EOC Staffing
The City of Los Banos Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) will be activated when an emergency occurs or threatens to exceed capabilities to adequately respond to and mitigate an incident(s). The scope of an emergency, rather than the type, will largely determine whether the EOP and EOC will be activated, and to what level.

For planning purposes, the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) has established three "levels" of response to emergencies. The City of Los Banos also employs this system to guide local response to emergencies. Emergency Response includes the following three levels:

Level One EOC Activation: Level One is a minimum activation. This level may be used for situations which initially only require a few people, e.g., a short term earthquake prediction at condition one or two level; alerts of storms, tsunamis; or monitoring of a low risk planned event. At a minimum, Level One staffing consists of the EOC Director. Section Coordinators and a situation assessment activity in the Planning and Intelligence Section may be included in this level. Other members of the organization could also be part of this level of activation e.g., the Communications Unit, from the Logistics Section, or an Information Officer.

Level Two EOC Activation: Level Two activation is normally achieved as an increase from Level One or a decrease from Level Three. This activation level is used for emergencies or planned events that would require more than a minimum staff but would not call for a full activation of all organization elements, or less than full staffing. One person may fulfill more than one SEMS function. The EOC Director, in conjunction with the General Staff, will determine the required level of continued activation under Level Two, and demobilize functions or add additional staff to functions as necessary based upon event considerations. Representatives to the EOC from other agencies or jurisdictions may be required under Level Two to support functional area activations.

Level Three EOC Activation: Level Three activation involves a complete and full activation with all organizational elements at full staffing. Level Three would normally be the initial activation during any major emergency. The numbering sequence of EOC staffing progression is established in the SEMS guidelines and is opposite of the NIMS numbering sequence. Given that the SEMS guideline has been in place since the inception of SEMS, this plan recommends continuing the sequence as established in the SEMS guidance documents.

Communications
Communications within the EOC are
appropriate means possible (usually in
April 2025
accomplished using the most expedient and
person). Each EOC position has a telephone

315
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
available for communicating directly with EOC staff members, outside agencies, or field forces. Radios may also be used for direct communications with field forces or outside agencies. Key decision-makers and certain EOC staff will be issued portable radios.

Regardless of the medium used, all significant communications shall be recorded on the EOC unit/activity log.

EOC Reporting
Information may be sent to City departments, EOC personnel, the and other key agencies using the Response Information Management System (RIMS), OASIS, radio, telephone, email, internet or fax. Regardless of the method of communication, all data should be verified prior to transmission. If unverified data must be transmitted, it should be clearly designated as unconfirmed information. The Los Banos EOC should transmit the following reports with DOCs, other EOCs and the OA EOC:

Preliminary Reports
Preliminary Reports are used during the first two hours of an emergency to:
• Provide an initial picture of the scope and magnitude of the situation.

Situations Reports
Situation Reports are brief narratives that present a concise picture of the emergency situation and are prepared for specific time periods.
• At the beginning of an emergency response, the EOC Management and Planning staff will determine appropriate times for submitting data and issuing Situation Reports.
• The Situation Report is intended for use after the first two hours of an emergency and can be updated as requested or needed.
• The Situation Reports contain the information presented on the Situation Report form located in Supporting Documents section of the Basic Plan. The information may be transmitted via the Internet or fax.

Flash Reports
Flash Reports are used for transmitting critical, time-sensitive information outside regularly scheduled Preliminary Reports or Situation Reports. For example, a Flash Report would be used to report an impending dam failure or a receipt of a Federal Declaration of a major disaster.
• Oral Flash Reports may precede written reports. The written report later serves as confirmation and documentation.

Documentation
Unit/activity logs are used to record significant events, communications and actions associated with an emergency for a given operational period (shift). Each EOC staff position is responsible for maintaining a unit/activity Log.

April 2025 Page I 14
316
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
All copies of reports, SEMS forms, and logs must be submitted to the Planning/Intelligence Section, Documentation Unit, prior to the close of each operational period (or prior to EOC deactivation if operations do not require multiple shifts).

Status Boards
Status Boards are erasable boards located around the EOC. The Status Boards provide decision-makers and EOC staff with essential information such as road closures, shelter location information, river gauge levels etc., at a glance.

EOC Reporting Systems
The State of California has an internet based information reporting system for use during emergencies. The purpose of the Response Information Management System (RIMS) is to improve the state's ability to respond to major disasters. The system will increase the level of service and efficiency by improving the state's ability to:
• Respond to, manage and coordinate requests for resources • Collect, process, and disseminate information during and after a disaster RIMS is used by the City EOC to communicate with the Merced County OA EOC. RIMS is available through the Internet, with appropriate security passwords. A link to RIMS can be found on the CalOES webpage.

EOC Briefings
The purpose of briefings is to familiarize or update EOC staff on the current emergency situation. Briefings provide an opportunity for the Section Chiefs, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Director and all EOC staff to exchange information on the incident, create and evaluate an Action Plan, and make any revisions deemed necessary to the response strategy and/or priorities. Regular briefings provide a forum away from the high level of activity in the EOC for ensuring that each of the five essential SEMS functions are coordinated (Management, Operations, Planning, Logistics and Finance) and that the EOC staff have the same information from which to base individual and collective actions and decisions.

Management and General Staff
The Management and General Staff conduct regular briefings to receive updated information, evaluate the effectiveness of the response strategy, identify and solve problems, and revise objectives, response strategy and priorities as necessary. These briefings do not replace the Action Planning Sessions, which are required for each operational period. The General Staff briefings should be conducted outside the activity of the EOC. Each Section Chief will appoint someone in the section to assume his/her role in the EOC for the duration of the briefing.

During the briefing, the EOC Director asks each Section Chief for a thorough, but concise status report. Only information relevant to the entire EOC should be discussed in the group briefing. Function-specific issues and questions should be discussed one-on-one between the EOC Director and the involved Section Chief.

April 2025 Page I 15
317
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
At the conclusion of each briefing, the time for the next General Staff briefing is set. Section Chiefs leave each General Staff briefing with a clear understanding of the objectives to be accomplished and the specific information to be collected before the next briefing.

Section Briefings
Following each Management and General Staff briefing, Section Chiefs provide their respective Section staff with a briefing. Overall situation status and response objectives, strategy and priorities should be reviewed. Each Section member must have a clear understanding of the activities they are expected to perform, including any coordination requirements with other EOC staff or external agencies.

Incoming Briefing
Upon arrival at the EOC, Section Chiefs are briefed by the EOC Director to obtain an overall perspective on the current situation. Section Chiefs provide a similar briefing to the personnel assigned to their respective Sections. Incoming briefings include:
• Current situation assessment
• Summary of the significant actions taken or in process • Initial incident objectives and priorities
• Any limitations on available communications or personnel/equipment resources • Any directives on specific actions to be taken
In addition to the above information, Section Chiefs review the following information with assigned staff:
• Responsibilities of the assigned function
• Any specific actions to be taken
• Appropriate flow/sharing of information within and between Sections • Work shifts
• Eating and sleeping arrangements, if necessary
• Time of next briefing
Update Briefings
Throughout EOC activation, General Staff and individual Section briefings are conducted on a regular, predetermined basis, and whenever a major change in incident status has occurred. Update briefings should include a review of the following information:
• Current situation assessment
• Current and potential problems
• Actions being taken, including staff assigned
• Weather forecast, if applicable
• Time for next scheduled briefing
Shift Change Briefing
Shift change briefings are a component of the EOC Action Planning Process. At these briefings the current Action Plan is "handed off' and a briefing on assignments for the operational period which is about to begin, is presented. Facilitated by the April 2025 Page 116
318
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Planning/Intelligence Section Chief, this briefing is approved by the EOC Director and attended by the General staff as appropriate. Shift change briefings should include the following:
• Current situation assessment
• Current and potential problems
• Review of the Action Plan
• Weather forecast, if applicable
• Time for next scheduled briefing
Deactivation Briefing
Immediately following deactivation of the EOC, the EOC Director, with all EOC staff, conducts a deactivation briefing. The purpose of this briefing is to advise all EOC staff of the specific contacts and/or referrals to be made for any incident-related questions or concerns that may arise.

EOC Deactivation
Once the critical aspects of an emergency or disaster have been secured, EOC operations may begin to scale down as conditions warrant. The purpose of this procedure is to outline the process to be followed whenever it is determined that the EOC can be deactivated.

The EOC Director, with input from the Section Chiefs, may decide to deactivate the EOC.

Deactivation Triggers
Once the emergency response phase has been terminated and system operations are stabilized, the EOC Director may determine that the EOC can be deactivated. Triggers for determining deactivation may include:
• The emergency response phase has been terminated and recovery operations are underway.
• No further city, OA, state, media or public information dissemination is needed.

Procedure for Deactivation
The EOC Director will:
• Establish the time period for deactivation
• Advise EOC staff of the actions to be taken, including time • Identify EOC staff to be on-call if stand down is implemented • Direct the liaison or other EOC staff to make notifications Deactivation Notifications
All internal and external individuals, groups and agencies that were notified of activation will be notified of stand down and/or deactivation. At a minimum, all department managers, elected officials, neighboring jurisdictions, responding agencies will be notified. The person making the notifications, documents the date, time, name and contact method for all persons/organizations notified. Notifications will include:
• Date and time of stand down period or deactivation
• A 24-hour contact number for further information
April 2025 Page 117
319
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control

EOC ACTION PLANNING
Introduction
The use of Action Plans in the City of Los Banos EOC provides a clear and measurable process for identifying objectives and priorities for a given event. Action Planning is an important management tool that involves:
• Process for identifying priorities and objectives for emergency response or recovery efforts.
• Plans which document the priorities and objectives, and the tasks and personnel assignments associated with meeting the objectives.

The Action Planning process should involve the EOC Director and Section Chiefs (one from each Section), along with other EOC staff, as needed, such as special districts, and other agency representatives.

Planning Requirements
The initial EOC Action Plan may be a verbal plan that is developed during the first hour or two following EOC activation. A verbal plan may also be utilized for incidents involving a limited scope, short duration (less than 12 hours) and a limited number of response personnel. An EOC Action Plan shall be developed whenever the EOC is activated, either partially or fully. A written EOC Action Plan is required whenever:
• Two or more agencies are involved in the response
• The incident overlaps more than one operational period • All EOC functions are fully staffed
The EOC Action Plan addresses a specific operational period (not to exceed 24 hours).

The plan should be regularly reviewed and evaluated throughout the operational period and revised or updated as warranted.

Plan Elements
The elements to be included in the EOC Action Plan are also indicated on the Action Plan form located in the Supporting Documents section of the Basic Plan and include:
• Operational period covered by the plan
• Identify parts of EOC organization that have been activated on an organization chart
• Assignment of primary and support personnel and material resources to specific tasks and locations
• Describe any logistical or technical support to be provided and by whom • State the objectives (attainable, measurable and flexible) to be accomplished • Establish the current priorities to meet the objectives • Describe the strategy to be utilized to achieve the objectives In addition to the required elements listed above, the Action Plan may also include:

April 2025 Page 118
320
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
• Specific departmental mission assignments
• Policy and/or cost constraints
• Any inter-agency considerations
Planning Responsibilities
Primary responsibility for developing the EOC Action Plan rests with the Planning/Intelligence Section. However, development of the plan requires the active participation of the EOC Director and the General Staff. The Operations Section, in particular, must work closely with the Planning/Intelligence Section during Action Plan development. When indicated, the Planning/Intelligence Section Chief will request specific technical experts to provide input to the plan. The EOC Director is responsible for approving the plan.

For incidents requiring close coordination with external agencies, (e.g., local OES, State field response agencies, special districts, etc.), input from the involved agencies should also be included in the Action Planning process.

Specific EOC staff responsibilities associated with the Action Plan include the following:

Management and General Staff
• Provide general incident objectives and strategy
• Provide direction and overall management
• Ensure incident safety
• Approve the completed Action Plan
Operations Section Chief
• Determine the tactics necessary to achieve objectives • Determine associated resource requirements
• Communicate Action Plan to EOC staff and Incident Commanders, as appropriate • Conduct Operations Shift Briefing
Planning/Intelligence Section Chief
• Conduct the Action-Planning meeting
• Establish planning timelines
• Coordinate preparation of the Action Plan
• Manage planning process
Logistics Section Chief
• Establish/confirm procedure for off-incident resource ordering • Ensure that resource ordering process is in place
• Ensure that Logistics Section can support the Action Plan Finance Section Chief
• Provide cost assessment of incident objectives
• Ensure that adequate finance approvals are in place for implementation of the Action Plan
April 2025 Page I 19
321
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Planning Process
The Planning/Intelligence Section staff will maintain the EOC Major Incident Status Board and will develop short-and long-term planning scenarios based upon the situation and its impacts on facilities and operations, as reported. Utilizing these planning scenarios, the Planning/Intelligence Section Chief will conduct an Action Planning meeting with the EOC Director, General Staff and appropriate technical experts. The Operations Section Chief will immediately report any significant changes in information verbally to the Planning/Intelligence Section Chief.
0700-0800
0800-0900
0900-1000
1000 -1400
1400 -1600
1600
1600- 1700
1700 -1800
1800-1900
1900-2000
2000 - 2100
2100-2200
2200-0200
0200-0400
0400
0400-0500
0500-0600
0600-0700
April 2025
Shift Change.

Prepare for Planning Meeting. Purpose: To review accomplishments, identify new issues, identi resource needs, and determine assi nments for next o erational eriod.

Planning Meetings (with Management and General Staff, Resources Status Unit Leader, Su I Unit Leader, Communications Unit Leader, and Technical S ecialists .

Prepare EOC Action Plan.

Finalize EOC Action Plan.

Complete EOC Action Plan.

Prepare for Operations Briefing. Purpose: To review EOC Action Plan for next o erational eriod.

Operations briefing (Management, General Staff, and identified Operations staff and Technical S ecialists .

Finalize Reports (including Situation Status Report for the Operational Area EOC).

Shift Change.

Prepare for Planning Meeting. Purpose: To review accomplishments, identify new issues, identi resource needs, and determine assi nments for next o erational eriod.

Planning Meetings (with Management and General Staff, Resources Status Unit Leader, Su I Unit Leader, Communications Unit Leader, and Technical S ecialists .

Prepare EOC Action Plan.

Finalize EOC Action Plan.

Complete EOC Action Plan.

Prepare for Operations Briefing. Purpose: To review EOC Action Plan for next o erational eriod.

Operations briefing (Management, General Staff, and identified Operations staff and Technical S ecialists .

Finalize Reports (including Situation Status Report for the Operational Area EOC).

Figure 3 - Planning Process Schedule
Page I 20
322
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Planning Considerations
In developing the Action Plan, a number of issues should be considered, as outlined in the table below. Applicable issues should be addressed in each iteration of the Action Plan. . ·- ,-- - -"' - •.•• ll,."1,,."1lI;;;i: 1•eJ~~lt1::1~#•1-lleNi,..'i ~JeJl'!i.."'il:ilUii\"l, ·- - - • Inter-Agency • Use of resources Liaison
Coordination • Contact information and frequency
• Communications methods
Public Information • Constraints on information to be Public Information Officer disseminated EOC Director
• Special instructions
• Target areas/audiences
Safety • Special precautions to be taken Safety Officer • Personal protective gear required
Technical Resources • System maps and schematics Planning/Intelligence • Technical expert input Section Chief
Operations • Special skills required Operations Section Chief • Mutual aid needs
• Staging Area needs
• Progress in resolving major
incident objectives
Policy • Legal/political issues EOC Director
• Fiscal constraints
Special Needs • Contingency Plans Planning/Intelligence Section Chief
Special Resources • Availability of special supplies and Logistics Section Chief equipment
• Transportation support
Figure 4 - Planning Considerations
Planning Cycle
The Planning Chief, with input from the EOC Director and the Operations Section Chief, establishes the schedule and cycle for action planning. Initially, meetings may be conducted every few hours or several times each day. Over time, meetings may be held twice each day, and then daily. The following graphic describes the planning cycle process for development of the Action Plan.

Documentation and Distribution
Written EOC Action Plans will be documented on the Action Planning form. The Planning/Intelligence Section Situation Status function is responsible for:
• Posting a copy of the current Action Plan in the EOC and on the Intranet, if operational
• Maintaining a copy of each Action Plan as part of the permanent incident record • Distributing copies of the current Action Plan to all involved agencies and other personnel as directed by the Planning/Intelligence Section Chief April 2025 Page 121
323
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
The Operations Section Chief will ensure that the current EOC Action Plan is distributed to all Operations Section personnel.

CITY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Policy Group
The Policy Group function is responsible to address the economic, social and political impacts of an emergency. In the City of Los Banos EOC, the Policy function is the responsibility of the City Council, Disaster Council, and the City Manager and/or their designee.

Management Section
The Director of Emergency Services leads the Management Section and is responsible for the overall management of EOC operations to address the impacts of an emergency directly upon the city and assessing conditions outside the city, which have the potential for affecting local resources. Additionally, the Director of Emergency Services is responsible for directing the creation of an EOC Action Plan and the overall strategic direction of response, including appropriate mutual aid liaison activities.

Management Staff
Assisting the Director of Emergency Services is the Management Staff. The Management Staff is responsible for providing direct administrative and executive-level support to the Director, as well as for providing additional emergency support functions within selected areas of responsibility. When fully activated the EOC Management Staff includes the following:

Public Information Officer (PIO)
The PIO is directly responsible for managing Emergency Public Information activities within the EOC and in support of all city Emergency Public Information operations. The PIO may be assisted by additional staff who will conduct assorted Emergency Public Information tasks and duties (Rumor Control and activation of the Los Banos Information Center) within the EOC or a Joint Information Center (JIC) if established, or at a field incident command post. The responsible city department staffing this position is the City Manager's Office/Public Information Officer and other PIOs in various city departments.

Legal Affairs Officer
The Legal Affairs Officer is responsible for providing legal advice and guidance to the Director and the Council on all emergency management issues and concerns. The responsible city department staffing this position is the City Attorney.

Liaison Officer
The Liaison Officer functions as the primary point of contact for all allied agencies and jurisdictional representatives not directly assigned to the city EOC. All agency and jurisdictional representatives will coordinate with the Liaison Officer, as needed. The responsible individuals/agencies staffing this position are designated by the EOC Director based on the incident.

April 2025 Page I 22
324
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Safety & Security Officers
The Safety & Security Officers are responsible for ensuring that the EOC is secure when activated, that hazards are identified and mitigated, and that the EOC environment is suitable for conducting operations in a safe and healthful manner. The responsible city departments staffing these positions are the Police Department for security and the Fire Department for safety.

Operations Section
The Operations Section, an element of the EOC General Staff is responsible for coordinating the deployment of response resources in support of field operations. Such coordination activities will normally include:
• Manage operational elements of approved Emergency Action Plan (EAP). • Support Department Operations Centers (DOC) and field incident commands (if DOCs not activated) and associated response activities. • Coordinate and liaison with DOCs for reporting status information to the EOC for action planning and situation reporting purposes.
• Liaise with designated Mutual Aid Coordinators.
• Coordinate incident response assets (in accordance with the approved Action Plan) regardless of agency affiliation or type of asset (e.g., law enforcement, fire suppression, medical, etc.).
• Assess the emergency within the city or in nearby jurisdictions that affect local government's response organizations.

This section is composed of several functional groups, each with its own functional coordinator. Some or all of the functions may be involved in an incident response. An Operations Section Chief will be identified between fire, law enforcement, public works or other staff as designated by the EOC Director.

The Operations Section Chief will activate those functions deemed appropriate. When fully activated, the Operations Section could be comprised of the following branches, with each position being staffed with city or allied-agency personnel. • Law Enforcement Branch - Police Department
• Fire and Rescue Branch - Fire Department
• Public Works Branch - Public Works Department
• Mass Care & Shelter Branch - Recreation, Animal Control Planning/Intelligence Section
The Planning/Intelligence Section, an element of the EOC General Staff, collects and analyzes incident data relating to hazards, damage, operations, and other problems. This section becomes the organizational focus for all information or intelligence analysis and advanced planning relative to the incident or emergency.

The Planning/Intelligence Section is divided into several units. Within those units, the following emergency support functions are organized and performed as part of the Planning/Intelligence Section.

April 2025 Page I 23
325
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
• Situation Status Unit
• Action Planning Unit
• Resource Status Unit
• Documentation Unit
• Advanced Planning Unit
• Technical Specialists Unit
• Demobilization Unit
This section will be staffed by the Fire Department, Planning Department, Redevelopment and other departments as directed by the EOC Director as needed to perform the various functions required to support emergency management operations within the activated EOC. Additional branches or units may be established as needed to meet operational needs.

Logistics Section
The Logistics Section is responsible for coordinating the provision of a broad assortment of procurement, service, maintenance, communication, and information technology services in support of the city's emergency management activities during a disaster.

The Logistics Section is divided into several branches. Within those branches, the following emergency support functions are organized and performed as part of the Logistics Section.
• IT and Communications Branch
• Facilities Branch
• Personnel Branch
• Procurement Branch
• Transportation Branch
The section will be staffed by Recreation, Human Resources, City Manager's Office and Public Works, as needed to perform the various functions required to support emergency management operations within the activated EOC. Additional branches or units may be established as needed to meet operational needs.

Finance/Administration Section
This section is responsible for the financial management of an operation, including payment for equipment, supplies, and services. It is also responsible for maintaining and monitoring response costs, personnel time-keeping records, and for providing administrative support to the EOC. The following functions are the responsibility of the Finance Section.
• Cost Recovery Unit
• Compensation and Claims Unit
• Fiscal Unit
The section will be staffed by the City Finance and other city departments as directed by the EOC Director as needed to perform the various functions required to April 2025 Page 124
326
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
support emergency management operations within the activated EOC. Additional branches or units may be established as needed to meet operational needs.

ANNEX MAINTENANCE
The City of Los Banos Fire Department will coordinate with the various City Departments on any updates and revisions of this Direction and Control Annex. These annexes will be reviewed annually.

Those agencies and organizations listed as having anticipated roles and responsibilities under this annex shall inform the Director of Emergency Services when they are aware that changes need to be made.

April 2025 Page I 25
327
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control

EOC POSITION CHECKLISTS
April 2025 Page j 26
328
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
The following position checklists are intended to provide guidance for the application of the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) for an EOC/field response to a disaster.

JOB ASSIGNMENT Receive assignment from your department, including:

CHECK-IN

1. Job assignment

2. Reporting location

3. Reporting time

4. Travel instructions

5. Any special communications instructions, e.g., phone numbers, travel frequency
Upon arrival at the EOC or incident, check in at designated Check-in location.

Check-in may be found at:
1 . Emergency Operations Center

2. Incident Command Post

3. Base or Camps

4. Staging Areas
INITIAL BRIEFING Receive briefing from immediate supervisor.

WORK MATERIALS Acquire work materials.

WORK SAFE

SUPERVISION
Conduct all tasks in a manner that ensures safety and welfare of you and your co-workers.

Organize and brief subordinates, if in supervisory role.

COMMUNICATION Know the assigned telephone or cellular numbers and radio frequency (ies) (if necessary) for your area of responsibility and ensure that communication equipment is operating properly.

Use clear text and ICS terminology (no codes) in all radio communications (only when needed in the field.)
DOCUMENTATION Complete forms and reports required of the assigned position and send through chain of command to Documentation Unit.

DEMOBILIZATION Respond to demobilization orders and brief subordinates regarding demobilization.

April 2025 Page 127
329
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Purpose
The Management Section directs the City of Los Banos Emergency Management Organization, coordinates the actions of the EOC staff, establishes operational priorities, ensures development and implementation of strategies to meet the needs of the emergency, works with Elected Officials on issues related to emergency response and recovery, communicates with the media, coordinates response with outside agencies including federal and state resources, and ensures the safety of the responders . The Management Section staff must evaluate the potential economic, social and environmental impacts of the disaster on its citizens, while managing the response to the conditions within the city. Additionally, the Management Section must consider whether an emergency in a neighboring city could impact Los Banos, or draw upon resources normally available to the city.

When fully staffed, the Management Section may include the positions shown in the organizational chart above. If staffing is not available for each position, the duties assigned to the unfilled position are the responsibility of the Director of Emergency Services.

Objectives
The overall objective of emergency management is to ensure the effective management of response forces and resources in preparing for and responding to situations associated with disasters. To carry out its responsibilities, the Management Section will accomplish the following objectives during a disaster/emergency:
• Overall management and coordination of emergency response and recovery operations.
• Coordinate and liaise with appropriate federal, state and other local government agencies, as well as applicable segments of private sector entities and volunteer agencies.
• Establish priorities and resolve any conflicting demands for support. • Prepare and disseminate emergency public information to inform, alert and warn the public.
• Disseminate damage information and other essential data.

April 2025 Page I 28
330
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
EOC Director Position Checklist
(Position filled by City Manager, Assistant City Manager or Designee) Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All personnel.
□ Determine appropriate level of activation based on situation as known. □ Mobilize appropriate personnel for the initial activation of the EOG. □ Establish the appropriate staffing level for the City of Los Banos Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and continuously monitor organizational effectiveness, ensuring that appropriate modifications occur as required. □ Exercise overall management responsibility for the coordination between emergency response agencies.
□ Respond immediately to EOG site and determine operational status. □ Obtain briefing from whatever sources are available.
□ Ensure that the EOC is properly set up and ready for operations. o Ensure that an EOC check-in procedure is established immediately. o Ensure that an EOG organization and staffing chart is posted and completed. o Determine which sections are needed, assign Section Chiefs as appropriate and ensure they are staffing their sections as required.
o Determine which Management Section positions are required and ensure they are filled as soon as possible.
o In coordination with General Staff, set priorities for response efforts. o Ensure that all agency actions are accomplished within the priorities established. o Ensure that Inter-Agency coordination is accomplished effectively within the EOG. o Ensure that communications with emergency response agencies are established and functioning.
o Confer with the General Staff to determine what representation is needed at the EOC from member jurisdictions, special districts, and other emergency response agencies.
o Assign a liaison officer to coordinate outside agency response to the EOG, and to assist as necessary in establishing an lnteragency Coordination Group. o Monitor General Staff activities to ensure that all appropriate actions are being taken.
o In coordination with the Public Information Officer, conduct news conferences and review media releases for final approval, following the established procedure for information releases and media briefings.
o Ensure that the Liaison Officer is providing for and maintaining effective interagency coordination.
o Based on current status reports, establish initial strategic objectives for the EOG. o In coordination with Management Staff, prepare management function objectives for the initial Action Planning Meeting.
o Convene the initial Action Planning meeting. Ensure that all Section Chiefs, Management Staff, and other key agency representatives are in attendance.

April 2025 Page I 29
331
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Ensure that appropriate Action Planning procedures are followed (refer to Planning/Intelligence Section, "Action Planning") and the meeting is facilitated appropriately by the Planning/Intelligence Section.
□ Once the Action Plan is completed by the Planning/Intelligence Section, review, approve and authorize its implementation.
□ Conduct periodic briefings with the General Staff to ensure strategic objectives are current and appropriate.
□ Conduct regular briefings for the Elected and Executive representatives and/or their designee.
□ Formally issue Emergency Proclamation and coordinate with other agencies as appropriate.
□ Brief your relief at shift change, ensuring that ongoing activities are identified and follow-up requirements are known.
□ Authorize deactivation of sections, branches, and units when they are no longer required.
□ Notify the other activated EOCs, emergency response agencies, and other appropriate organizations of the planned deactivation time. □ Ensure that any open actions not yet completed will be handled after deactivation. □ Ensure that all required forms or reports are completed prior to deactivation. □ Be prepared to provide input to the After Action Report. □ Deactivate the EOC at the designated time, as appropriate. □ Proclaim termination of the emergency and proceed with recovery operations. □ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page J 30
332
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Emergency Services Coordinator Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Assist the EOC Director with the overall facilitation and functioning of the Los Banos Emergency Operations Center (EOC.)
□ Assist and serve as an advisor to the EOC Director and General Staff as needed, providing information and guidance related to the internal functions of the EOC and ensure compliance with existing emergency plans and procedures. □ Assist the EOC Director in determining appropriate staffing for the EOC. □ Provide assistance and information regarding section staffing to all General Staff. □ Assist the EOC Director and the General Staff in developing overall strategic objectives as well as section objectives for the Action Plan. □ Advise the EOC Director on procedures for enacting emergency proclamations, emergency ordinances and resolutions, and other legal requirements. □ Assist the Planning/Intelligence Section in the development, continuous updating and execution of the EOC Action Plan.
□ Provide overall procedural guidance to General Staff as required. □ Ensure that all notifications are made to Merced County OES and represent Los Banos on any and all Merced County and CalOES Inland Region conference calls or briefings, as necessary.
□ Ensure that all communications with jurisdictional emergency response agencies have been established and are maintained.
□ Assist the EOC Director, PIO and Liaison in preparing for and conducting briefings with Management Staff, the Elected/Executives members, the media, and general public.
□ Assist the EOC Director and Liaison Officer in establishing and maintaining an Interagency Policy Group comprised of outside agency representatives and executives not assigned to specific sections within the EOC.
□ Assist the Liaison Officer in ensuring proper procedures are in place for directing agency representatives and conducting VIP/visitor tours of the EOC. □ Provide assistance with shift change activity, as required. □ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 31
333
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Public Information Officer Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Serve as the coordination point for all media releases for the Los Banos Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
□ Represent the Los Banos EOC as the lead Public Information Officer (PIO). □ Ensure the public, within the affected area, receives complete, accurate and consistent information about life safety procedures, public health advisories, relief and assistance programs and other vital information.
□ Coordinate media releases with Public Information Officers representing other affected emergency response agencies within the jurisdiction. □ Coordinate the provision of situation information on the City's website and ensure that rumor control is provided with the same information throughout the event. □ Organize the format for press conferences in coordination with the EOC Director. □ Maintain a positive relationship with the media representatives. □ Supervise the Rumor Control function (IF ACTIVATED).
□ Establish and manage the Joint Information Center (JIC), as necessary. □ Determine staffing requirements and make required personnel assignments for the JIC function as necessary.
□ Obtain policy guidance from the EOC Director on media releases. □ Keep the EOC Director advised of all unusual requests for information and all major critical or unfavorable media comments. Recommend procedures or measures to improve media relations.
□ Coordinate with the Situation Status Unit and identify method for obtaining and verifying significant information as it develops.
□ Develop and publish a media briefing schedule, to include location, format, preparation, and distribution of handout materials.
□ Implement and maintain an overall information release program. □ Establish a Media Information Center, as necessary, providing necessary space, materials, telephones, and electrical power.
□ Maintain up-to-date status boards and other references at the media information center. Provide adequate staff to answer questions from members of the media. □ Interact with other EOC sections, branches, and units to provide and obtain information relative to public information operations.
□ Develop content for state Emergency Alert System (EAS) releases. Monitor EAS releases, as necessary.

April 2025 Page I 32
334
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
□ In coordination with other EOC sections, as approved by the EOC Director, issue timely and consistent advisories and instructions for life safety, health, and assistance to the public.
□ At the request of the EOC Director, prepare media briefings for Elected/Executive representatives and/or their designees, other government officials, and provide assistance as necessary to facilitate their participation in media briefings and press conferences.
□ Ensure that adequate staff is available at incident sites to coordinate and conduct tours of the disaster areas.
□ Provide sufficient staffing and telephones for call center operations to efficiently handle incoming media and public calls.
□ Prepare, update, and distribute to the public a Disaster Assistance Information Directory which contains locations to obtain food, shelter, supplies, health services, etc.
□ Ensure that announcements, emergency information, and materials are translated and prepared for special populations (non-English speaking, hearing impaired, etc.). □ Monitor broadcast media, using information to develop follow-up news releases and rumor control.
□ Ensure file copies are maintained of all information releases (for submission to Planning/Intelligence Section).
□ Provide copies of all releases to the EOC Director.
□ Conduct shift change briefings in detail, ensuring that in-progress activities are identified and follow-up requirements are known.
□ Prepare final news releases and advise media representatives of points-of-contact for follow-up stories.
□ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 33
335
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Rumor Control Unit Position Checklist
{Usually used in large disasters, otherwise PIO performs this function) Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Provide staffing for rumor control telephone bank.
□ Establish a "Disaster Hotline" with an up-to-date recorded message. □ Supervise the Rumor Control Unit.
□ Obtain "confirmed" disaster information.
□ Operate a telephone bank for receiving incoming inquiries from the general public. □ Correct rumors by providing factual information based on confirmed data. □ Establish a "Disaster Hotline" recorded message and provide updated information periodically.
□ Refer inquiries from member of the media to the lead Public Information Officer or designated staff.
□ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 34
336
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Liaison Officer Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action/ □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Oversee all liaison activities, including coordinating outside agency representatives assigned to the Los Banos Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and handling of requests from other EOCs for Los Banos EOC agency representatives. □ Establish and maintain a central location for incoming agency representatives, providing workspace and support as needed.
□ Ensure that position specific guidelines, policy directives, situation reports, and a copy of the EOC Action Plan are provided to Agency Representatives upon checkin. □ In coordination with the Management Section, provide orientations for VIPs and other visitors to the EOC.
□ Contact Agency Representatives already on-site, ensuring they:
✓ Sign into the EOC organization
✓ Understand assigned functions
✓ Know work locations
✓ Review and understand Los Banos' EOC organization and floor plan □ Determine if additional agency representation is required from:
✓ Other agencies
✓ Schools
✓ Volunteer organizations
✓ Private organizations
✓ Utilities not already represented
□ Arrange and coordinate VIP tours with the PIO and the Elected/Executive members or their designees.
□ Determine the status and resource needs and availability of other agencies. □ Notify and coordinate with adjacent jurisdictions on facilities and/or dangerous releases which may impose risk across boundaries.
□ Request agency representatives maintain communications with their agencies and obtain Situation Status Reports regularly.
□ Act as liaison with state or federal emergency response officials and appropriate city and/or county personnel.
□ With the approval of the EOC Director, provide agency representatives from the Los Banos EOC to other EOCs, as required and requested.
□ Maintain a roster of agency representatives located at the EOC. Roster should include the assignment within the EOC (Section or lnteragency Coordination Group). Roster should be distributed internally on a regular basis. □ Release agency representatives that are no longer required in the EOC when authorized by the EOC Director (be sure to get contact information from representative before demobilization.)
April 2025 Page I 35
337
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
□ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 36
338
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Legal Affairs Officer Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Facilitate requests for Local Emergency proclamations and requests for a State of Emergency to the Governor through the Merced County OA. □ Provide legal opinion on requests from management on actions which may have impacts on jurisdictional policy and authority by ordinances, statutes and under state and federal laws (e.g., evacuations, quarantines, etc.) □ Check-in with the EOC Director and clarify any issues regarding authority and assignment, including the functions of others in the EOC organization. □ Review rules, regulations and laws required for acquisition and/or control of critical resources within the city.
□ Develop necessary ordinances and emergency orders to provide legal basis for enforce emergency actions or protective measures.
□ Establish communications with other jurisdictional legal offices for support. □ Facilitate requests for support or information as requested. □ Review and/or prepare the templates for declarations and other actions. □ Provide appropriate proclamation status to the Planning/Intelligence Section. □ Keep the jurisdictional Executives and/or their designees informed and provide policy guidance and clarification for the EOC Management staff, as required. □ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 37
339
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Safety Officer Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action/ □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Ensure that all buildings and other facilities used in support of the Los Banos EOG are in safe operating condition.
□ Monitor operational procedures and activities in the EOG to ensure they are being conducted in a safe manner, considering the existing situation and conditions. □ Stop or modify all unsafe operations outside the scope of the EOG Action Plan, notify the EOG Director of actions taken.
□ Tour the entire EOG facility and evaluate conditions. Advise the EOG Director of any conditions and actions that might result in liability - e.g., oversights, improper response actions, etc. Include these when writing the EOC Safety Plan. □ Study the EOG facility and document the locations of all fire extinguishers, emergency pull stations, and evacuation routes and exits. □ Be familiar with particularly hazardous conditions in the facility and reduce their threats.
□ Prepare and present safety briefings for the EOG Director and General Staff. □ Ensure that the EOG facility is free from any environmental threats - e.g., radiation exposure, air purity, water potability, etc.
□ Keep the EOG Director advised of unsafe conditions; take action when necessary. □ Coordinate with the Finance Section in preparing any personnel injury claims or records necessary for proper case evaluation and closure. □ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 38
340
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Security Officer Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! o Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
o Provide or coordinate/monitor 24-hour security for the Los Banos EOC, as necessary.
o Control personnel access to the Los Banos EOC in accordance with policies established by the EOC Director.
o Determine the current EOC security requirements and arrange for staffing as needed.
o Determine needs for special access to EOC facilities. o Provide Elected/Executive and VIP security as appropriate and required. □ Provide recommendations as appropriate to EOC Director. □ Prepare and present security briefings for the EOC Director and General Staff at appropriate meetings.
o Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 39
341
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Operations Section
Purpose
The Operations Section supports all tactical emergency response assets, regardless of agency affiliation or type. The Operations Section orchestrates strategic support to all emergency response operations. The Operations Section implements the Emergency Operations Center (EOG) Action Plan and facilitates the direction of and makes changes based on the needs of the emergency. The Operations Section staff must evaluate the potential economic, social and environmental impacts of the disaster on its citizens, while managing response to the conditions within the city. Additionally, the Operations Section staff must consider whether an emergency in a neighboring jurisdiction could impact the City of Los Banos or draw upon resources normally available to the city.

When fully staffed, the Operations Section may include the positions shown in the organizational chart above. The duties assigned to the unfilled position are the responsibility of the Operations Section Chief.

Objectives
The Operations Section carries out the objectives of the EOG Action Plan and requests additional resources as needed. The Operations Section's primary responsibilities in a disaster/emergency are to:
• Support tactical operations.
• Assist in the development of the Operations Section portion of the EOG Action Plan. • Request, coordinate and manage resources needed to implement the Operations Section tactics as a part of the EOG Action Plan development. • Report situation status information through DOC's, or if no DOC is activated to field directly.

April 2025 Page I 40
342
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Operations Section Chief Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Ensure the Operations function is carried out including coordination of response for all
operational functions assigned to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). □ Ensure operational objectives and assignments identified in the EOC Action Plan are carried out effectively.
□ Establish the appropriate level of branch and unit organizations within the Operations Section, continuously monitoring its effectiveness and modifying accordingly.
□ Exercise overall responsibility for the coordination of Branch and Unit activities within the
Operations Section.
□ Ensure the Planning/Intelligence Section is provided with Branch Status Reports on a regular schedule.
□ Conduct periodic Operations briefings for the EOC Director, as required or requested.
□ Provide overall supervision of the Operations Section. □ Ensure that the Operations Section is set up properly and that appropriate personnel, equipment, and supplies are in place, including maps and status boards. □ Meet with Planning/Intelligence Section Chief to obtain a preliminary situation briefing.
□ Determine the need for Mutual Aid.
□ If Mutual Aid systems are activated, ensure that the appropriate Mutual Aid Coordinator or representative is located in the corresponding branch in operations. □ Obtain a current communications status briefing from Telecommunications in Logistics and ensure there is adequate equipment and frequencies available for the section.
□ Determine estimated times of arrival of section staff from the Personnel Branch in Logistics.
□ Confer with the EOC Director to ensure that the Planning and Logistics Sections are staffed at levels necessary to provide adequate information and support for response operations.
□ Coordinate with the Liaison Officer regarding the need for agency representatives in the Operations Section.

April 2025 Page I 41
343
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
□ Establish radio or cell phone communications with Incident Commander(s) operating in the field, if no DOC is activated.
□ Determine activation status of other EOCs around the jurisdiction and establish communication links with their Operations Sections.
□ Based on the situation known or forecasted, determine likely future needs of the Operations Section.

Identify key issues currently affecting the Operations Section, meet with Section personnel to determine appropriate section objectives for the first operational period .
□ Review responsibilities of branches in section to develop an Operations Plan detailing strategies for carrying out Operations objectives. □ Adopt a proactive attitude. Think ahead and anticipate situations and problems before they occur.
□ Ensure that all media contacts are referred to the Public Information Officer. □ Conduct periodic briefings and work to reach consensus among staff on objectives for forth-coming operational periods.
□ Attend and participate in EOC Action Planning meetings. · □ Provide the Planning/Intelligence Section Chief with the Operations Section's objectives prior to each Action Planning meeting.
□ Work closely with each Branch Coordinator to ensure that the Operations Section objectives, as defined in the current Action Plan, are being addressed. □ Ensure that the branches coordinate all resource needs through the appropriate Mutual Aid Coordinators or the Logistics Section.
□ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page 142
344
I
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Law Enforcement Branch Coordinator Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Coordinate law enforcement, traffic, evacuation/movement and security/access control operations.
□ Supervise the Law Enforcement Branch.
□ Coordinate all law enforcement activities with the other units of the Operations Section and with the Operations Section Chief on a regular basis. □ Assist with notification, alert and warning of the public as necessary. □ Track law enforcement resources committed and resources that are still available for deployment and keep the Resources Unit apprised of status. □ Assist with coordination of deceased with the Merced County Sheriff's Department. □ Based on the situation, activate the necessary Units within the Law Enforcement Branch per the EOC Organization Chart. If units are not activated those duties are the responsibility of the Branch Coordinator.
□ Provide an initial law enforcement situation report to the Operations Section Chief. □ Based on the initial EOC strategic objectives, prepare objectives for the Law Enforcement Branch and provide them to the Operations Section Chief. □ Maintain current status on Law Enforcement missions being conducted. □ Coordinate the need for voluntary or mandatory evacuations with the Operation Section Chief.
□ Initiate animal control measures as necessary and coordinate with the Care and Shelter Branch.
□ On a regular basis, complete and maintain the Law Enforcement Branch Status Report and provide to the Operations Section Chief.
□ Refer all contacts with the media to the Public Information Officer. □ Assist Planning/Intelligence Section with Damage Assessment in disaster area. □ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 43
345
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Law Enforcement Operations Unit Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Evaluate and process requests for Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Resources through the Merced Operational Area Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Coordinator. □ Establish and maintain communication with the Law Enforcement Branch Directors in the field.
□ Respond to requests for Law Enforcement resources from the field in a timely manner, following established priorities (life safety, protection of property, and then the environment).
□ Monitor and track law enforcement resources utilized during the event. □ Provide general support to field personnel as required. □ Supervise the Law Enforcement Operations Unit.
□ Establish and maintain radio or cell-phone communication with the Law Enforcement Branch Directors at the field level.
□ Obtain regular status reports on the law enforcement situation from the Department Operations Center or Law Enforcement branch at the field level. □ Assess the impact of the disaster/event on the Los Banos Police Department's operational capability.
□ Establish the objectives of the Law Enforcement Operations Unit based on the nature and severity of the disaster, and provide them to the Law Enforcement Branch Coordinator prior to the first Action Planning meeting. □ Ensure that the assignment of the law enforcement resources are closely monitored and coordinated, and that on-scene time is logged at the field level. □ If not addressed at the ICP, ensure that incident facilities are established (staging areas, etc.) to coordinate incoming law enforcement mutual aid and resources, as requested.
□ In coordination with Situation Status Unit, determine if current and forecasted weather conditions will affect law enforcement operations. □ Coordinate with the Fire Operations Branch to determine geographical boundaries of evacuations.
□ Coordinate with the Care and Shelter Branch to establish suitable shelter locations and appropriate shelter facilities for evacuated population and/or animals. □ Assist in establishing camp facilities for law enforcement personnel, through the Logistics Section, if not addressed at the ICP.
□ Reinforce the use of proper procedures for media contacts.

April 2025 Page I 44
346
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
□ Provide law enforcement status updates to the Law Enforcement Branch Coordinator on a regular basis.
□ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 45
347
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Fire and Rescue Branch Coordinator Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Coordinate fire, hazardous materials, and search and rescue operations. □ Assist the Fire & Rescue Mutual Aid Coordinator in acquiring mutual aid resources, as necessary.
□ Complete and maintain branch status reports for major incidents requiring or potentially requiring operational area, state, and federal response, and maintain status of unassigned fire & rescue resources.
□ Implement the objectives of the EOC Action Plan assigned to the Fire & Rescue Branch.
□ Provide overall supervision of the Fire & Rescue Branch. □ Prepare and submit a preliminary branch status report as appropriate to the Operations Section Chief.
□ Prepare objectives for the Fire & Rescue Branch and provide them to the Operations Section Chief prior to the first Action Planning meeting. □ Ensure that Branch and Unit position logs and other files are maintained. □ Maintain current status of Fire & Rescue missions being conducted in your area of responsibility.
□ Provide the Operations Section Chief and the Planning/Intelligence Section Chief with an overall summary of Fire & Rescue Branch operations periodically or as requested during the operational period.
□ On a regular basis, complete and maintain the Fire & Rescue Branch Status Report. □ Refer all contacts with the media to the Public Information Officer. □ Ensure that fire, hazardous material, and search and rescue resources are channeled through the mutual aid coordinators.
□ Prepare objectives for the Fire & Rescue Branch for the subsequent operations period provide them to the Operations Section Chief prior to the end of the shift and the next Action Planning meeting.
□ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 46
348
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Fire Operations Unit Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action/ □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Evaluate and process requests for fire resources through the Merced Operational Area Fire & Rescue Mutual Aid Coordinator.
□ Establish and maintain communication with Fire Branch Directors in the field for incidents occurring in the City.
□ Respond to requests for fire resources from the field in a timely manner, following established priorities (life safety, property, and then the environment). □ Monitor and track fire resources utilized during the event. □ Provide general support to field personnel, as required. □ Supervise the Fire Operations Unit.
□ Establish and maintain radio or cell-phone communication with the Department Operations Center or Fire Branch Director at the field level. □ Obtain regular status reports on the fire situation from the Fire & Rescue Branch at the field level.
□ Assess the impact of the disaster/event and the Los Banos Fire Department's operational capabilities.
□ Establish the objectives of the Fire Operations Unit based on the nature and severity of the disaster, and provide them to the Fire & Rescue Branch Coordinator prior to the first Action Planning Meeting.
□ If the Department Operations Center is not activated, ensure that the assignment of fire resources are closely monitored and coordinated, and that on-scene time is logged at the field level.
□ Provide fire status updates to the Fire & Rescue Branch Coordinator on a regular basis.
□ Evaluate and process all requests for fire mutual aid resources through the Operational Area Fire & Rescue Mutual Aid Coordinator.
□ If not addressed at the Incident Command Post, ensure that incident facilities are established (marshaling areas, staging areas, etc.) to coordinate incoming fire mutual aid resources, as required.
□ In coordination with Situation Status, determine if current and forecasted weather conditions will affect fire and rescue operations.
□ Inform the Fire & Rescue Branch Coordinator of all significant events that occur. □ Coordinate with the Law Enforcement Branch to determine status of evacuations and shelter locations.

April 2025 Page 147
349
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
□ Assist in establishing camp facilities through the Logistics Section, if not addressed at the ICP or DOC.
□ Reinforce the use of proper procedures for media contacts. □ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page 148
350
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
EMS Unit Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Coordinate personnel, equipment and resources to provide emergency medical care and transportation during a disaster.
□ Monitor and coordinate all tactical operations of out-of-hospital triage. □ Assess number of medical casualties and needs.
□ Coordinate resources and communication with health care facilities and transportation agencies for patient evacuation and care. □ Maintain contact with medical field operations and ensure coordination and information exchange between field responders and the EOC. □ Initiate and maintain contact with the Merced County Operational Area Medical/Health Coordinator.
□ Prepare objectives for the EMS Unit and provide them to the Fire & Rescue Branch Coordinator prior to the first Action Planning Meeting. □ Refer all contacts with the media to the Public Information Officer. □ Brief the Merced County Operational Area Medical/Health Coordinator about the:
✓ Scope of medical involvement
✓ Resources committed, need for mutual aid
✓ Approximate number/location of casualties that require hospitalization □ Advise the Control Facility (CF) to assess/report back on local hospital capabilities and impact on operations.
□ Coordinate with the CF and the Fire & Rescue Branch Coordinator for transportation and care of injured persons, including transportation to appropriate care facilities/areas.
□ Provide information on established disaster routes to hospitals, healthcare facilities, and to other transport agencies.
□ Coordinate with Law Enforcement Branch Coordinator during evacuations to relocate and reduce the patient population in affected hospitals, nursing homes and other care facilities.
□ Coordinate continued medical care for patients who cannot be moved when hospitals/nursing homes/healthcare facilities are evacuated. □ Identify facilities that could be expanded or utilized for emergency treatment and extended care centers.
□ Establish and coordinate the staffing of casualty collection points (CCP) as needed. □ Coordinate/provide for appropriate medications to be distributed to hospitals, shelters, CCPs and/or treatment areas.

April 2025 Page 149
351
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
□ Establish a patient tracking system in coordination with Fire and Law. □ Identify issues, resources needs, and shortfalls for the next operational period. □ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 50
352
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Hazardous Materials Unit Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Determine the scope of hazardous materials incidents throughout the jurisdiction. □ Assist in mobilizing hazardous materials teams at the request of the Incident Commanders in the field.
□ Provide hazardous materials support, as required to emergency response agencies consistent with established priorities and objectives.
□ Ensure that deployed teams are provided with adequate support. □ Supervise the Hazardous Materials Unit.
□ Work closely with all Operations Section Branch Coordinators to determine the scope of hazardous materials incident response required. □ Coordinate with the Fire & Rescue Branch Coordinator to determine missions for hazmat teams based on established priorities.
□ Mobilize and deploy available hazardous materials teams in a manner consistent with the HazMat Mutual Aid System established priorities. □ Establish radio or cell-phone communication with all deployed hazmat teams to determine the scope of support required.
□ Work closely with the Resources Unit to determine the status and availability of HazMat Response Teams in the jurisdiction.
□ Coordinate with the Public Works Branch to provide on-site assistance with hazmat operations at the request of Field Incident Commander.
□ Coordinate with the EMS Unit to determine medical facilities where victims of hazmat incidents can be transported following decontamination. □ Coordinate with the Coroner to provide on-site assistance for fatalities at hazmat scenes.
□ Monitor and track the progress and status of each hazmat team. □ Ensure that HazMat Team Leaders report all significant events. □ Assist in establishing camp facilities for hazmat teams through the Logistics Section, if not addressed at the ICP.
□ Inform the Fire & Rescue Branch Coordinator of all significant events. □ Reinforce the use of proper procedures for media contacts. This is particularly critical in instances where the media is seeking technical information on the hazardous material, statistical information, or personal identities of injured victims or fatalities.
□ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 51
353
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Public Works Branch Coordinator Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Survey all utility systems and restore systems that have been disrupted, including coordinating with utility service providers.
□ Survey all public and private facilities, assessing the damage to such facilities and coordinating the repairs of damage to public facilities. □ Supervise the Public Works Branch.
□ Based on the situation, activate the necessary units within the Public Works Branch per the EOC Organization Chart.
□ Contact and assist the Operational Area Public Works Mutual Aid Coordinator with the coordination of mutual aid resources as necessary. If there is none, work through a Coordinator in the Merced County EOC.
□ Provide an initial situation report to the Operations Section Chief. □ Based on the initial EOC strategic objectives prepare objectives for the Public Works Branch and provide them to the Operations Section Chief prior to the first Action Planning meeting.
□ Maintain current status on all public works activities being conducted in your area of responsibility.
□ Ensure that damage and safety assessments are being carried out for both public and private facilities request mutual aid as required.
□ Determine and document the status of transportation routes into and within the affected areas.
□ Coordinate debris removal services as required.
□ Provide the Operations Section Chief and the Planning/Intelligence Section Chief with an overall summary of the Public Works Branch operations periodically during the operational period or as requested.
□ Ensure that all Public Works Status Reports, as well as the initial damage estimates are completed and maintained.
□ Refer all contacts with the media to the Public Information Officer. □ Prepare objectives for the Public Works Branch for the subsequent operations period, and provide them to the Operations Section Chief prior to the end of the shift and the next Action Planning meeting.
□ Provide your relief with a briefing at shift change, informing him/her of all ongoing activities, branch objectives for the next operational period, and any other pertinent information.
□ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 52
354
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Roads and Bridges (Transportation) Unit Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Provide road closure and traffic light outage information to the EOC. □ Coordinate with Fire and Law on road closures and openings. □ Ensure that current road closures and traffic signal outage information is displayed in the EOC.
□ Participate in evacuation route planning.
□ Coordinate transportation related activities with other operations units. □ Coordinate with Cal Trans and CHP on status of highways. □ Coordinate and track mutual aid resources.
□ Maintain contact with department operations centers and ensure coordination and information exchange between field responders and the EOC. □ Collect preliminary situation information on division activities, the emergency situation, and the status of resources.

Based on the situation, staff the unit to perform the following functions:
✓ Road closure coordination
✓ DOC/field coordination
✓ Evacuation coordination
□ Brief the Branch Coordinator on the emergency situation:
✓ Scope of the division's involvement in the incident
✓ Personnel and resources committed, need for mutual aid ✓ Current and potential threats to life and property
✓ Recommend course of action to mitigate immediate threats ✓ Share current situation status and division activities that may impact another department's operations to ensure field activities are coordinated ✓ Discuss strategies for dealing with potential problems ✓ Identify critical issues, needs, and resources
✓ Update the Action Plan and report back on previously assigned tasks □ Warn the Branch Coordinator immediately when the emergency situation escalates or there is a critical situation occurring.
□ Assist with Action Planning:
✓ Prepare objectives for the Branch Coordinator prior to the briefing/planning meetings
✓ Brief unit on the EOC Action Plan objectives and assign specific responsibilities ✓ Provide unit tactical plan to the Branch Coordinator
April 2025 Page I 53
355
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
□ Coordinate critical emergency information within the unit and with other units in the branch.
□ Assist with resource management by tracking resources used in the response, or sent/received as mutual aid and coordinate with the resources tracking unit. □ Provide periodic situation or status reports to the Branch Coordinator for update of the overall situation.
□ Ensure that unit position logs are maintained.
□ Identify issues, resources needs, and shortfalls for the next operational period. □ Brief your replacement at shift change. Ensure that in-progress activities are identified and follow-up requirements are conveyed.
□ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 54
356
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Flood Management Unit Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities -All Positions.
□ Gather information about the status of rivers, levees and dams and provide information about flooding and levee status in the affected areas to the Operations Section Chief.
□ Provide affected agencies with information and coordinate mutual aid requests for assistance/resources from agencies within the jurisdiction, including but not limited to, specialized personnel, equipment and transportation. □ Manage the process of tracking, requesting, and deploying flood control mutual aid resources.
□ Provide status information and reports to the Planning/Intelligence Section for inclusion into the situation report.
□ Maintain activity log for the flood control function. At a minimum, the log should record the following:
✓ Conversations in which decisions were reached, instructions given or received, vital information exchanged
✓ Requests filled, mission assignments from Merced County OES and ✓ Major events/activities
□ Establish contact with the following agencies/jurisdictions:
✓ Merced County
✓ DWR Flood Operations Center
□ Request and obtain reports from flood control agencies within the affected area.

This information should include:
✓ Status of rain/stream gages ALERT
✓ Status of levee patrols
✓ Damage to levees/flood fight locations status and risk ✓ Flooding occurring or imminent, areas of impact, estimated damages ✓ Sump pump outages and causes of outage and when repairs will be complete and street flooding and risk of structure flooding
✓ Status of storm drain systems
✓ Status of all dams which could affect the area including: inflow, outflow and volume
✓ Special resources required to accomplish flood fight and major problem identification
✓ Projection of impending areas of concern
✓ Established locations for staging and processing incoming support resources April 2025 Page I 55
357
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
□ Consolidate all information on the Flood Control Status Report form. Provide information to the Planning/Intelligence Section.
□ Determine the various flood control agencies capabilities to staff flood fight, and level of additional support needed.
□ Assess resource capabilities within the jurisdiction and be prepared to respond to mutual aid resources requests.
□ Coordinate requests for additional personnel or other support with other agencies and jurisdictions.
□ Process requests for mutual aid to Merced County OES, if resources within the jurisdiction are inadequate.
□ Participate in Action Planning sessions.
□ Disseminate established flood control priorities to jurisdictions. □ Brief your relief at shift change time. Ensure that in-progress activities are identified and follow-up requirements are known.
□ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 56
358
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Debris Management, Waste Management
and Recycling Unit Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Assess and project debris types and quantities generated by the event. □ Identify preferred debris collection, storage, diversion, and disposal alternatives. □ Coordinate intra-departmental and intra-jurisdictional debris management efforts. □ Supervise the Debris Management Unit (DMU).
□ Determine regulatory compliance needs.
□ Based on the situation, activate the necessary units with the DMU per the DMU organization chart.
□ Contact and coordinate with other City departments and Merced County to establish collection and disposal of debris with the mutual aid resources. □ Provide an initial situation report to the Operations Section Chief. □ Based on the initial EOG strategic objectives prepare objectives for the Debris Management Unit and provide them to the Public Works Branch prior to the first Action Planning meeting.
□ Ensure that Debris Management Unit position logs and other necessary files are maintained.
□ Maintain current status on all debris management activities being conducted in your area of responsibility.
□ Ensure that debris assessments are being carried out for both public and private facilities; request mutual aid as required.
□ Ensure that regular residential refuse and recycling collection services are maintained to the extent possible. Identify areas where service is not possible and communicate to the EOG.
□ Ensure the Merced County waste disposal and transfer facilities remain operational. □ Ensure that adequate public education efforts aimed at keeping Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) and source materials separated and segregated are executed.
□ Secure debris removal services from franchised haulers and other services providers as required.
□ Provide the Public Works Branch an overall summary of the Debris Management Unit operations periodically during the operational period or as requested. □ Coordinate all contacts with the media with the Public Information Officer. □ Ensure that the temporary Debris Storage facilities are returned to their pre-event condition prior to the site closure
□ Ensure that debris tonnage jurisdictional allocations are distributed accurately.

April 2025 Page I 57
359
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
□ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page 158
360
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Building Inspection Unit Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Collect initial damage/safety assessment information from other branches/units within the Operations Section.
□ Provide detailed damage/safety assessment information to the Planning/Intelligence Section, with associated loss damage estimates. □ Maintain detailed records on damaged areas and structures. □ Coordinate mutual aid requests for engineers to inspect structures and/or facilities, to include organizing the inspectors into inspection teams upon their arrival. □ Supervise the Building Inspection Unit.
□ Obtain initial damage/safety assessment information from the Fire & Rescue Branch, Law Enforcement Branch, Utilities Unit, and other branches/units as necessary.
□ Coordinate with other sources for additional damage/safety assessment information.
□ Prepare detailed damage/safety assessment information, including estimate of value of the losses, and provide to the Planning/Intelligence Section. □ Clearly label each structure and/or facility inspected in accordance with ATC-20 standards and guidelines.
□ Maintain a list of structures and facilities requiring immediate inspection or engineering assessment.
□ Coordinate all requests for engineers and building inspectors from emergency response agencies. Communicate mutual aid resource needs with the Merced County EOC.
□ Keep the Public Works Branch Coordinator informed of the inspection and engineering assessment status.
□ Refer all contacts with the media to the Public Information Officer. □ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 59
361
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Utilities Unit Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Assess the status of utilities, and provide Utilities Status Reports as required. □ Coordinate restoration of damaged utilities with utility representatives. □ Supervise the Utilities Unit.
□ Establish and maintain a position log and other necessary files . □ Establish and maintain communications with Pacific Gas and Electric (P .G. & E.), Sac Sewer District and other utility service providers. □ Assess the extent of damage to utility systems in the city. □ Coordinate with the Liaison Officer to ensure that agency representatives from utility service providers are available to respond to the EOC.
□ Ensure that all information on system outages are consolidated and provided to the Situation Status Unit in the Planning/Intelligence Section. □ Ensure that support to utility providers is available as necessary to facilitate restoration of damaged systems.
□ Keep the Public Works Branch Coordinator informed of the restoration status. □ Refer all contacts with the media to the Public Information Officer. □ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 60
362
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Care and Shelter Branch Chief Position Checklist I
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! o Manage and assumes responsibilities of those functions assigned to the Care and Shelter Branch.
o Coordinates with the ARC on the overall management of mass care shelters, including the preparation of action plans, listing objectives to be accomplished, and formation of strategies to achieve those objectives as well as advanced planning considerations.
□ Coordinates with other Merced County and other city Operations Section counterparts to ensure support services are provided to shelters, including medical, public and behavioral health, security, fire/safety, and building inspection. o Communicates care and shelter activities to the Operations Section Chief. o Ensures coordination with the ARC to provide temporary shelter, food, clothing, medical care, and other essential life support needs for persons impacted by the disaster.
□ Coordinate with the Liaison Officer to request an Agency Representative from the American Red Cross. Work with the Agency Representative to coordinate all shelter and congregate care activity.
o Provide the Operations Chief and Planning Chief with updates and/or reports as requested or appropriate.
o Prepare objectives for the Care and Shelter Branch for the subsequent operational period and provide them to the Operations Section Chief prior to the end of the shift and the next Action Planning meeting.
□ Refer all contacts with the media to the Public Information Officer. □ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 61
363
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Animal Care Unit Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Coordinate the provision of animal shelter with the Section Chief. □ Coordinate with the Care and Shelter Branch Coordinator on animal shelter locations adjacent to human shelters.
□ Coordinate with veterinarians/CVMA to prevent the spread of animal diseases during disasters.
□ Coordinate and track mutual aid resources.
□ Maintain contact with Merced County Animal Control and ensure coordination and information exchange between agencies.
□ Work with the Merced County Agricultural Commissioner on issues associated with livestock.
□ Request support from neighboring animal control agencies, Merced County, NGO animal welfare groups and large animal haulers for assistance in animal evacuation and shelter.
□ Refer all contacts with the media to the Public Information Officer. □ Collect preliminary situation information and the status of resources. □ Warn Branch Coordinator immediately when the emergency situation escalates or there is a critical situation occurring.
□ After the disaster, coordinate the process of displaced animal reunification and or placement.
□ Disassemble the temporary animal shelter, disinfect and store the equipment or return to original owners.
□ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 62
364
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Planning/Intelligence Section
Purpose
The Planning/Intelligence Section is responsible for directing and managing the creation of a comprehensive situation status report, development of EOC Action Plans for each operational period, and maintenance of all documentation related to the emergency. The Planning/Intelligence Section staff must evaluate the potential economic, social and environmental impacts of the disaster, while managing response to the conditions within the city. Additionally, the Planning/Intelligence Section staff must consider whether an emergency in a neighboring jurisdiction could impact the City of Los Banos or draw upon resources normally available to the city.

The Planning/Intelligence Section Chief identifies whether full or partial staff is required to respond. When fully activated the section may include the positions shown in the organizational chart above. The duties assigned to the unfilled position are the responsibility of the Planning/Intelligence Section Chief.

Objectives
The Planning/Intelligence Section will accomplish the following specific objectives during a disaster/emergency:
• Collect initial situation and damage assessment information. • Display situation status information in the EOC using maps and visual aids. • Conduct mapping and documentation operations.
• Disseminate summary situation status and damage assessment reports to other EOC sections, City departments, and Merced County EOC.
• Determine the City's post-event condition and prepare a post-disaster recovery plan. • Provide planning support to other sections.
• Ensure accurate recording and documentation of the incident. • Prepare the City's EOC Action Plan.
• Maintain proper and accurate documentation of all actions taken to ensure that all required records are preserved for future use and CalOES and FEMA filing requirements.
• Acquire technical experts for special interest topics or special technical knowledge subjects.

April 2025 Page I 63
365
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Planning/Intelligence Section Chief Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action/ □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Ensure that the responsibilities of the Planning/Intelligence Section are carried out, to include:
✓ Ensure collecting, analyzing, and displaying of situation information ✓ Preparing periodic Situation Reports
✓ Preparing and distributing the EOC Action Plan and facilitating the Action Planning meeting
✓ Conducting Advance Planning activities and reports
✓ Providing technical support services to the various EOC sections and branches ✓ Documenting and maintaining files on all EOC activities □ Establish the appropriate level of organization for the Planning/Intelligence Section. □ Ensure the early and continued coordination with the Planning/Intelligence Sections of other activated EOCs within the jurisdiction (i.e. special districts, Merced OA EOC or Inland REOC).
□ Exercise overall responsibility for the coordination of unit activities within the section. □ Keep the EOC Director informed of significant issues affecting the Planning/Intelligence Section.
□ In coordination with the other Section Chiefs, ensure that Branch Status Reports and situation Status Reports are used to develop the EOC Action Plan. □ Supervise the Planning/Intelligence Section.
□ Ensure that the Planning/Intelligence Section is set up properly and appropriate personnel, equipment, and supplies are in place, including maps and status boards. □ Based on the situation, activate within the section as needed and designate Unit Leaders for each element per the EOC Organization Chart. □ Request additional personnel for the section as necessary to maintain a 24-hour operation.
□ Establish contact with all activated DOCs and within the jurisdiction and coordinate Situation Status Reports with their Planning/Intelligence Sections. □ Meet with Operations Section Chief and obtain and review any major incident reports.
□ Review responsibilities of branches in section and develop plan for carrying out all responsibilities.
□ Make a list of key issues to be addressed in the EOC Action Plan process by consulting with Section Chiefs, including specific objectives to be accomplished during the initial Operational Period.
□ Keep the EOC Director informed of significant events. □ Adopt a proactive attitude, thinking ahead and anticipating situations and problems before they occur.
□ Ensure that the Situation Analysis Unit is maintaining current information for the Situation Status Report.

April 2025 Page I 64
366
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
□ Ensure major incidents reports and branch status reports are completed by the Operations Section and are accessible by Planning/Intelligence Section. □ Ensure a Situation Status Report is produced and distributed to all EOC Sections and the Merced OA EOC at least once, prior to the end of the operational period. □ Ensure all status boards and other displays are kept current and that posted information is neat and legible.
□ Ensure the Public Information Officer has immediate and unlimited access to all status reports and displays.
□ Conduct periodic briefings with section staff and work to reach consensus among staff on section objectives for forthcoming operational periods. □ Facilitate the EOC Director's Action Planning meetings approximately two hours before the end of each operational period.
□ Ensure objectives for each section are completed, collected, and posted in preparation for the next Action Planning meeting.
o Ensure the EOC Action Plan is completed and distributed at the start of the next operational period.
o Work closely with each unit within the Planning/Intelligence Section to ensure the section objectives as defined in the current EOC Action Plan are being addressed. o Ensure the Advance Planning Unit develops and distributes a report that highlights forecasted events or conditions likely to occur beyond the forthcoming operational period (usually within the next 36-72 hours) particularly those situations which may influence the overall strategic objectives of the EOC. o Ensure the Documentation Unit maintains files on all activities related to the event, and provides reproduction services for the EOC, as required. o Provide technical services, such as energy advisors and other technical specialists to all EOC sections as required.
□ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 65
367
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Situation Status Unit Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action/ □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Oversee the collection, organization, and analysis of disaster situation information.

This includes gathering data by contacting all activated EOCs in the jurisdiction. □ Ensure that information collected from all sources is validated prior to posting on status boards.
□ Ensure that Situation Status Reports are developed for dissemination to EOC staff and the Merced OA EOC.
□ Ensure that an EOC Action Plan is developed for each operational period, based on objectives developed by each EOC Section.
□ Ensure that all maps, status boards, and other displays contain current and accurate information.
□ Supervise Situation Analysis Unit.
□ Ensure there is adequate staff available to collect and analyze incoming information, maintain the Situation Status Report and facilitate the Action Planning process. □ Prepare Situation Analysis Unit objectives for the initial Action Planning meeting. □ Oversee the collection and analysis of all event or disaster related information. □ Oversee the preparation and electronic distribution of the Situation Status Report.

Coordinate with the Documentation Unit for manual distribution and reproduction as required.
□ Ensure that each EOC Section provides the Situation Analysis Unit with Branch Status Reports on a regular basis.
□ Meet with the Public Information Officer to determine the best method for providing them with up-to-date information.
□ Prepare a situation summary for the EOC Action Planning meeting. □ Ensure each section provides an update on their objectives at least 30 minutes prior to each Action Planning meeting. This includes those completed, and the status of those not completed, as well as new objectives to be added to the Action Plan. □ Convene and facilitate the Action Planning meeting following the meeting process guidelines.
o In preparation for the Action Planning meeting, ensure that all EOC objectives are posted on chart paper and the meeting room is set up with appropriate equipment and materials (easels, markers, Situation Status Reports, etc.). □ Following the meeting, ensure that the Documentation Unit publishes and distributes the action Plan at the beginning of the next operational period. □ Ensure that adequate staff is assigned to maintain all maps, status boards, and other displays.
□ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 66
368
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Action Planning Unit Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Establish an EOC Action Planning meeting schedule for the operational period with the EOC Director and Planning/Intelligence Section Chief. □ Coordinate the calling of EOC Action Planning meetings and reminding Section Chiefs to bring summaries of their issues and needs, along with updates on the existing Action Plan.
□ Facilitate the EOC Action Planning Meeting.
□ Complete and distribute the initial/updated EOC Action Plan (EAP). □ Monitor the current Situation Report.
□ Coordinate the EOC Action Plan (EAP) meeting with the EOC Director and Planning/Intelligence Section Chief.
□ Remind all of the Section Chiefs and the EOC Director about ten minutes before the EAP meeting so they can prepare their concerns, needs, and updates to any action items on the existing EAP.
□ Facilitate the EAP meeting by ensuring the following actions occur in the meeting:
✓ Provide a short briefing on situation and resource status. ✓ Set control objectives for the event---desired management outcomes. ✓ Plot control lines and division boundaries for the event. ✓ Specify tactics for each Section.
✓ Specify resources needed by each Section.
✓ Specify Operations facilities and reporting locations-Plot on map. ✓ Place resource and personnel orders.
✓ Consider Communications, Medical and Traffic Plan requirements. ✓ Finalize, approve and implement EOC Action Plan.
□ Prepare a draft EAP and submit it to the EOC Director/Planning/Intelligence Section Chief for approval.
□ Print and distribute the approved EAP as directed by the Planning/Intelligence Section Chief. (Ensure that a copy is provided to all EOC positions). □ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 67
369
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Documentation Unit Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action/ □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Collect, organize and file all completed event or disaster related forms, to include:
all EOC Position Logs, Situation Status Reports, EOC Action Plans, and any other related information, just prior to the end of each operational period. □ Provide documentation reproduction services to EOC staff. □ Distribute the EOC Situation Status Reports, EOC Action Plan, and other documents, as required.
□ Maintain a permanent electronic archive of all Situation Reports and Action Plans associated with the event or disaster.
□ Assist the EOC Coordinator in the preparation and distribution of the After Action Report.
□ Supervise the Documentation Unit.
□ Meet with the Planning/Intelligence Section Chief to determine what EOC materials should be maintained as official records.
□ Meet with the Planning/Intelligence Section Chief to determine what EOC materials and documents are necessary to provide accurate records and documentation for recovery purposes.
□ Initiate and maintain a roster of the City EOC staffing to ensure that position logs are accounted for and submitted to the Documentation Unit at the end of each shift. □ Reproduce and distribute the Situation Status Reports and Action Plans either manually or electronically. Ensure distribution is made to the OES Inland REOC. □ Keep extra copies of reports and plans available for special distribution, as required. □ Set up and maintain document reproduction services for the EOC □ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 68
370
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Resources Tracking Unit Position Checklist
Please read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Prepare and maintain displays, charts and lists which reflect the current status and location of controlled resources, transportation and support vehicles. □ Establish a resources reporting system for field and EOC units. □ Prepare and process resource status change information. □ Coordinate with city/county/state counterparts.
□ Prepare Resources Tracking Unit objectives for the initial Action Planning meeting. □ Develop a system to track resources deployed for disaster response. □ Establish a reporting procedure for resources at specified locations. □ Direct the collection, organization and display status of incident resources to include allocation, deployment and staging areas.
□ Maintain a master list of all resources reported.
□ Provide for an authentication system in case of conflicting resources status reports. □ Provide a resources overview and summary information to the Situation Status Unit as requested and written status reports on resources allocations as requested by the Section Chiefs.
□ Assist in strategy planning based on the evaluation of the resources allocation, resources en route and projected resources shortfalls.
□ Ensure available resources are not overlooked by the Operations Section staff. □ Make recommendations to the Planning/Intelligence Section Chief of resources that are not deployed or should be deactivated.
□ Prepare a situation summary for the EOC Action Planning meeting. □ Ensure that adequate staff is assigned to maintain all maps, status boards, and other displays.
□ Maintain uniUactivity log.

April 2025 Page I 69
371
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Advance Planning Unit Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Development of an Advance Plan consisting of potential response and recovery related issues likely to occur beyond the next operational period, generally within 36 to 72 hours.
□ Review all available Status Reports, Action Plans, and other significant documents. □ Determine potential future impacts of the event or disaster particularly issues which might modify the overall strategic EOC objectives. This includes coordination of information with all activated jurisdictional EOCs.
□ Provide periodic briefings for the EOC Director and General Staff addressing Advance Planning issues.
□ Supervise the Advance Planning Unit.
□ Monitor the current Situation Report to include recent updates. □ Meet individually with the General Staff and determine best estimates of the future direction of the event or disaster.
□ Develop an Advance Plan identifying future policy related issues, social and economic impacts, significant response or recovery resource needs, and any other key issues likely to affect EOC operations within a 36 to 72 hour time frame. □ Submit the Advance Plan to the Planning Chief for review and approval prior to conducting briefings for the General Staff and EOC Director. □ Review Action Planning objectives submitted by each section for the forthcoming operational period. In coordination with the General Staff, recommend a transition strategy to the EOC Director when EOC activity shifts predominantly to Recovery Operations.
□ Maintain unit/activity log
April 2025 Page I 70
372
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Demobilization Unit Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Develop a Demobilization Plan for the EOC based on a review of the pertinent planning documents and status reports. Ensure demobilization is coordinated in the activated jurisdictional DOCs as well as the Logistics section as they will carry out the Demobilization Plan.
□ Supervise personnel assigned to the Demobilization Unit. □ Monitor the current situation report to include recent updates. □ Meet individually with the EOC Director and General Staff to administer the section worksheets for the demobilization plan.
□ Utilizing the worksheets, develop the Demobilization Plan and circulate to the EOC Director and General Staff for review.
□ Formalize the Demobilization Plan for the EOC Director. □ Demobilization planning must occur at least once during the operational period for as long as EOC Sections are formally staffed.
□ Advise all Section Chiefs to ensure that demobilized staff complete all reports, timesheets, and exit surveys in coordination with the Personnel Unit prior to leaving the EOC.
□ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page 171
373
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Technical Specialists Unit Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Provide technical observations and recommendations to the EOC in specialized areas, as required.
□ Ensure that qualified specialists are available in the areas required by the particular event or disaster.
□ Supervise the Technical Services Unit.
□ Coordinate with the Logistics Section to ensure that technical staff are located and mobilized.
□ Assign technical staff to assist other EOC Sections in coordinating specialized areas of response or recovery.
□ Assign technical staff to assist the Logistics Section in interpreting specialized resources.
□ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page 172
374
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
(This page left intentionally blank)
April 2025 Page J 73
375
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Logistics Section
Purpose
The Logistics Section's primary responsibility is to ensure the acquisition, transportation and mobilization of resources are available to support the response effort at the disaster sites, public shelters, EOCs, etc. This Section provides all necessary personnel, supplies and equipment procurement support. Methods for obtaining and using facilities, equipment, supplies, services and other resources to support emergency response at all operational sites during emergency conditions, will be the same as those used during normal operations unless authorized by the Director of Emergency Services. The difference is the coordination will be from the EOC.

When fully activated the section may include the positions shown in the organizational chart above. If staffing is not available for each position, the duties assigned to the unfilled position are the responsibility of the Logistics Section Chief.

Objectives
The Logistics Section ensures that all other sections are supported for the duration of the incident. Any personnel, equipment, supplies or services required by the other sections, except mutual aid resources requested through law enforcement and fire mutual aid channels, will be ordered through the Logistics Section.

The Logistics Section will accomplish the following specific objectives during a disaster:
• Collect information from other sections to determine needs and prepare for expected operations.
• Coordinate provision of logistical support with the EOC Director. • Prepare required reports identifying the activities performed by the Logistics Section.
• Determine the City's logistical support needs and plan for both immediate and longterm requirements. • Maintain proper and accurate documentation of all actions taken and all items procured to ensure that all required records are preserved for future use for CalOES and FEMA filing requirements.

April 2025 Page 174
376
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Logistics Section Chief Position Checklist
Please read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Ensure the logistics function is carried out in support of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). This function includes providing communication services, resource tracking, acquiring equipment, supplies, personnel, facilities, and transportation services as well as arranging for food, lodging, and other support services to the EOC and its supporting facilities.
□ Establish the appropriate level of branch and/or unit staffing within the Logistics Section, continuously monitoring the effectiveness of the organization and modifying as required.
□ Ensure section objectives, as stated in the EOC Action Plan are accomplished within the operational period or within the estimated time frame. □ Coordinate closely with the Operations Section Chief to establish priorities for resource allocation to activated EOCs within the jurisdiction. □ Keep the EOC Director informed of all significant issues relating to the Logistics Section.
□ Supervise the Logistics Section.
□ Ensure the Logistics Section is set up properly and that appropriate personnel, equipment, and supplies are in place, including maps, status boards, vendor references, and other resource directories.
□ Based on the situation, activate Branches/Units within the Section as needed and designate Branch and Unit Leaders for each element per the EOC Organization Chart.
□ Mobilize sufficient Section staffing for 24-hour operations. □ Establish communications with Logistics Sections in activated DOCs within the jurisdiction.
□ Advise Logistics Section Branches and Units to coordinate with appropriate branches in the Operations Section to prioritize and validate resource requests from activated DOCs within the jurisdiction. This should be done prior to acting on the request.
□ Meet with the EOC Director and General Staff and identify immediate resource needs.
□ Meet with the Finance Section Chief and determine level of purchasing authority for the Logistics Section.
□ Assist Branch and Unit Leaders in developing objectives for the section as well as plans to accomplish their objectives within the first operational period, or in accordance with the Action Plan.
□ Provide periodic Section Status Reports to the EOC Director. □ Adopt a proactive attitude, thinking ahead and anticipating situations and problems before they occur, especially regarding the acquisition, movement, and deployment of resources.

April 2025 Page 175
377
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
□ Meet regularly with Section staff and work to reach consensus on section objectives for forthcoming operational periods.
□ Provide the Planning/Intelligence Section Chief with the Logistics Section objectives at least 30 minutes prior to each Action Planning meeting. □ Attend and participate in EOC Action Planning meetings. □ Ensure that transportation requirements, in support of response operations, are met. □ Ensure that all requests for facilities and facility support are addressed. □ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 76
378
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
IT Unit Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Provide desktop support services to EOC.
□ Ensure all desktop and printer hardware is fully functional, coordinating with hardware vendors where necessary to obtain in-warranty support. □ Install desktop hardware.
□ Ensure latest desktop images are ready, available and installed on all supported desktops.
□ Ensure available images have the latest security updates and software versions installed.
□ Provide desktop support and troubleshooting activities as necessary in EOC. □ Keep team members informed of developments, bringing up to speed at shift changes.
□ Perform post-mortem from incident management reports and submit reports to designated EOC contact.
□ Monitor and maintain Anti-Virus service to assure client servers and desktops are protected from virus, spyware/grayware.
□ Monitor and maintain shared file and print servers to assure file and print services are available.
□ Monitor and maintain backup service to assure servers and files are being backed up and recoverable.
□ Maintain adequate documentation of systems and services supporting EOC activations.

April 2025 Page 177
379
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Telecommunications Unit Position Checklist
(Telephones, Network, Internet, Email)
Read entire position checklist before taking any action/ □ Ensure that all necessary voice and data communications lines remain operational. □ Monitor and maintain network devices to assure LAN connectivity and Internet access
□ Monitor and maintain severs to assure network authentication services are available.
□ Monitor and maintain Email servers to assure email service is available. □ Monitor and maintain telephone service support for end-users. □ Maintain adequate documentation of systems and services supporting EOG activations.
□ Attend any necessary EOG Operations training as recommended from EOG staff. □ Ensure that all user requests and/or service incidents are maintained □ Keep EOG personnel informed of the status of communications systems. □ Review and update procedures for supported systems as needed or as requested by EOG staff.
□ Perform post-mortem from incident management reports and submit reports to designated EOG contact.

April 2025 Page 178
380
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Facilities Branch Position Checklist
Please read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Ensure that adequate essential facilities are provided for the response effort, including securing access to the facilities and providing staff, furniture, supplies, and materials necessary to configure the facilities in a manner adequate to accomplish the mission.
□ Ensure acquired buildings, building floors, and/or workspaces are returned to their original state when no longer needed.
□ Supervise the Facilities Branch.
□ Work closely with the EOG Coordinator and other sections in determining facilities and furnishings required for effective operation of the EOG. □ Coordinate with branches and units in the Operations Section to determine if assistance with facility acquisition and support is needed at the field level. □ Arrange for continuous maintenance of acquired facilities, to include ensuring that utilities and restrooms are operating properly.
□ If facilities are acquired away from the EOG, coordinate with assigned personnel and designate a Facility Manager.
□ Develop and maintain a status board or other reference which depicts the location of each facility a general description of furnishings, supplies, and equipment at the site, hours of operation, and the name and phone number of the Facility Manager. □ As facilities are vacated, coordinate with the Facility Manager to return the location to its original state. This includes removing and returning furnishings and equipment, arranging for janitorial services, and locking or otherwise securing the facility.
□ Keep the Logistics Section Chief informed of significant issues affecting the Facilities Branch.
□ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page 179
381
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Procurement Branch Position Checklist
Please read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Oversee the procurement and allocation of supplies and material not normally provided through mutual aid channels.
□ Coordinate delivery of supplies and material as required through the Logistics section.
□ Supervise the Procurement Branch.
□ Determine procurement spending limits. Obtain a list of pre-designated emergency purchase orders as required in coordination with the Finance Section, Fiscal Unit. □ In conjunction with the Resource Tracking Unit, maintain a status board or other reference depicting procurement actions in progress and their current status. For Example:
✓ resources readily available
✓ resource requests
✓ status of shipments
✓ priority resource requirements
✓ shortfalls
□ Determine if the procurement item can be provided without cost from another jurisdiction or organization within the jurisdiction.
□ Determine unit costs of supplies and material, from suppliers and vendors, and if they will accept purchase orders as payment prior to completing the order. □ Orders exceeding the purchase order limit must be approved by the Finance Section before the order can be completed.
□ Keep the Finance Section Chief informed of significant issues affecting the Procurement Branch.
□ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 80
382
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Feeding Unit Position Checklist
Please read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Determine feeding requirements for the EOC and supporting facilities. □ Complete menu planning including determining the required catering options and food distribution facilities.
□ Provide water and general maintenance of the food service areas. □ In conditions wherein food preparation is conducted relative to the response scenario, direct food preparation including serving.
□ Determine location of working assignment of catering and service staff at the EOC and supporting facilities.
□ Determine method of feeding to best fit each situation. □ Obtain necessary equipment and supplies to operate food service facilities. □ Set up food unit equipment.
□ Prepare menus to ensure personnel of well-balanced meals, appropriate snacks and an adequate supply of drinks available.
□ Ensure that sufficient water is available to meet all personnel needs. □ Ensure that all appropriate health and safety measures are taken. □ Supervise all food unit personnel.
□ Keep inventory of food on hand, and check in food orders. □ Provide Procurement Branch with food supply orders.
□ Keep the Logistics Section Chief informed of significant issues affecting the Food Unit.
□ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 81
383
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Personnel Branch Position Checklist
Please read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Provide personnel resources as requested in support of the EOC, DOC and Field Operations.
□ Identify, recruit, track and register volunteers as required. □ Develop an EOG organization chart.
□ Supervise the Personnel Branch.
□ In coordination with the Documentation Unit, develop a large poster size EOG organization chart depicting each activated position. Upon check in, indicate the name of the person occupying each position on the chart. The chart should be posted in a conspicuous place, accessible to all EOG personnel. □ Coordinate with the Liaison Officer and Safety Officer to ensure that all EOG staff, including volunteers, receive a current situation and safety briefing upon check in. □ Establish communications with volunteer agencies and other organizations that can provide personnel resources.
□ Coordinate with the Merced OA EOG to activate the Emergency Management Mutual Aid System (EMMA) if approved by the Logistics Section Chief, and ONLY AFTER REQUESTED BY THE EOC DIRECTOR.
□ Process all incoming requests for personnel support. Identify the number of personnel, special qualifications or training, reporting location, and the person or unit they should report to upon arrival. Determine the estimated time of arrival of responding personnel, and advise the requesting parties accordingly. □ Maintain a status board or other reference to keep track of incoming personnel resources.
□ Coordinate with the Liaison Officer and Security Officer to ensure access and proper direction for responding personnel upon arrival at the EOG. □ To minimize redundancy, coordinate all requests for personnel resources from the field level, or from activated DOCs within the jurisdiction, through the EOG Operations Section prior to acting on the request.
□ In coordination with the Safety Officer, determine the need for crisis counseling for emergency workers; acquire a mental health specialist as needed. □ Arrange for childcare, eldercare, and pet care services for EOG personnel as required.
□ Keep the Logistics Section Chief informed of significant issues affecting the Personnel Branch.
□ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 82
384
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Transportation Branch Position Checklist
Please read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Coordinate with Fire and Law on road closures and traffic light outage information to the EOC.
□ Ensure that current road closures and traffic signal outage information is displayed in the EOC.
□ Participate in evacuation route planning, transportation routes and resources to support operations.
□ Coordinate transportation related resource needs with other operations units to include heavy equipment resources.
□ Coordinate with the Merced OA EOC for highway status with Cal Trans and CHP. □ Based on the situation, staff the branch to perform the following functions:
• Road closure and traffic light outage coordination
• DOC/field coordination
• Light and heavy equipment transportation resources
□ Warn the Branch Chief immediately when the emergency situation escalates or there is a critical situation occurring.
□ Coordinate transportation resources to support evacuation. □ Assist with resource management by tracking transportation resources used in the response, or sent/received as mutual aid.
□ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 83
385
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Finance Section
Purpose
The Finance Section is responsible to organize and operate the finance and administration actions for the EOC; arrange for emergency purchasing and financing of resources and services; participate in development and implementation of the EOC Action Plan; and activate and supervise the Finance Section staff.

When fully activated the section may include the positions shown in the organizational chart above. If staffing is not available for each position, the duties assigned to the unfilled position are the responsibility of the Finance Section Chief.

Objectives
To carry out its responsibilities, the Finance Section will accomplish the following objectives during a disaster:
• Determine the extent to which the City's computer systems are accessible and/or usable.
• Determine if the City's bank can continue handling financial transactions. • Maintain to the extent possible the financial continuity of the City (payroll, payments and revenue collection).
• Disseminate information about the disaster accounting process to other sections and departments as necessary.
• Upon declaration of a disaster by the State and/or Federal Governments, coordinate with disaster agencies to initiate the recovery of City costs. • Coordinate with the other sections and departments the collection and documentation of costs pertaining to the disaster/emergency both for cost recovery purposes and to insure prompt vendor payments.
• Coordinate with disaster assistance agencies and the impacted City departments for the required inspections, documentation, audits and other necessary work in order to recover costs.

April 2025 Page I 84
386
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Finance/Administration Section Chief Position Checklist Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Ensure that all financial records are maintained throughout the event or disaster. □ Ensure that all on-duty time is recorded for each person staffing the EOC. □ Ensure that all on-duty time sheets are collected from Field Level Supervisors or Incident Commanders and their staff, who are assigned within the jurisdiction. □ Ensure that there is a continuum of the payroll process for all City employees responding to the event or disaster.
□ Determine purchase order limits for the procurement function. □ Ensure that workers' compensation claims, resulting from the response to the event or disaster by employees, are processed within a reasonable time, given the nature of the situation.
□ Ensure that all travel and expense claims are processed within a reasonable time, given the nature of the situation.
□ Provide administrative support to the EOC Sections as required, in coordination with the Personnel Unit.
□ Activate units within the Finance Section as required and monitor section activities continuously and modify the organization as needed.
□ Ensure that all recovery documentation is accurately maintained during the response and submitted on the appropriate forms to FEMA and/CalOES. (See Part IV of the EOP)
□ Supervise the Finance Section.
□ Ensure that the Finance Section is set up properly and that appropriate personnel, equipment, and supplies are in place.
□ Based on the situation, activate units within the Section as needed and designate unit leaders for each element per the EOC Organization Chart. □ Ensure that sufficient staff is available for a 24-hour schedule, or as required. □ Ensure there is coordination with all activated DOCs for the purpose of gathering and consolidating response cost estimates and other related information. □ Meet with the Logistics Section Chief and review financial and administrative support requirements and procedures. Determine the level of purchasing authority. □ In coordination with Unit Leaders, determine the initial Action Planning objectives operational periods.
□ Adopt a proactive attitude, thinking ahead and anticipating situations and problems before they occur. If there is any indication that the jurisdiction can no longer support the costs of the response and/or recovery, the EOC Director needs to be informed immediately.
□ Ensure that Finance position logs and other necessary files are maintained. □ Ensure that displays associated with the Finance Section are current and that information is posted in a legible and concise manner.

April 2025 Page I 85
387
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
□ Participate in all Action Planning meetings.
□ Keep the EOC Director, General Staff, and individual City departments aware of the current fiscal situation and other related matters, on an on-going basis. □ Ensure the Cost Recovery Unit maintains all financial records throughout the event or disaster.
□ Ensure the Time Keeping Unit tracks and records all agency staff time. □ Ensure departments are coding their time correctly in accordance with the specific SOPs for disaster cost tracking.
□ Ensure that the Procurement Unit processes purchase orders and develops contracts in a timely manner.
□ Ensure that the Compensation and Claims Unit processes all workers' compensation claims resulting from the disaster, in a reasonable time frame, given the nature of the situation.
□ Ensure that the Time Keeping Unit processes all time sheets and travel/expense claims promptly through City budget and payroll office. □ Ensure that the Finance Section provides administrative support to other EOC Sections as required.
□ Maintain unit/activity logs.

April 2025 Page I 86
388
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Cost Recovery Unit Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Collect and maintain documentation of all disaster information for reimbursement from FEMA and CalOES.
□ Coordinate all fiscal recovery with responding disaster assistance agencies. □ Prepare and maintain a cumulative cost report for the event or disaster. Be sure to provide this at least once a shift to the Situation Status Unit. □ Supervise the Cost Recovery Unit and ALL recovery operations. □ In coordination with the finance office, compute costs for use of equipment and facilities owned, rented, donated, or obtained through mutual aid. □ Obtain information from the Resources Unit regarding equipment use times. □ Ensure that each section is documenting cost recovery information from the onset of the event or disaster or collect required cost recovery documentation daily, at the end of each shift.
□ Meet with the Documentation Unit in Planning and review EOC position logs, journals, all Status Reports, and Action Plans to determine additional cost recovery items that may have been overlooked.
□ Act as the liaison for the jurisdiction with the disaster assistance agencies, to coordinate the cost recovery process.
□ Prepare all required state and federal documentation as necessary to recover all allowable disaster response and recovery costs.
□ Prepare and maintain a cost report for the Finance Chief, EOC Director, and Elected/Executive representatives. The report should provide cumulative analyses, summaries, and total expenditures for the jurisdiction (for information purposes). □ Organize and prepare records for final audit.
□ Maintain unit/activity log.

April 2025 Page I 87
389
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Fiscal Unit Position Checklist
Please read entire position checklist before taking any action! o Coordinate vendor contracts, not previously addressed by existing approved vendor lists.
o With the Procurement Unit in Logistics on all matters involving the need to exceed established purchase order limits.
o Supervise the Fiscal Unit.
o Establish and maintain position logs and other necessary files. o Review and be familiar with the emergency purchasing procedures. o Prepare and sign contracts as needed and obtain concurrence from the Finance/Administration Section Chief, per existing policy and procedures. o Ensure that all contracts identify the scope of work and specific site locations. o Negotiate rental rates not already established, or purchase price with vendors as required.
o Warn vendors as necessary, regarding unethical business practices, such as inflating prices or rental rates for their merchandise or equipment during disasters.

There are both State and Federal penalties for price gouging during disasters. o Finalize all agreements and contracts, as required.
o Complete final processing and send documents to Finance Department for payment.
□ Verify costs data in the pre-established vendor contracts and/or agreements. □ In coordination with the Logistics Section, ensure the purchase orders are completed in a timely manner.
□ Keep the Finance/Administration Section Chief informed of all significant issues involving the Fiscal Unit.

April 2025 Page 188
390
City of Los Banos EOP Annex A: Direction and Control
Compensation and Claims Unit Position Checklist
Read entire position checklist before taking any action! □ Review Common Responsibilities - All Personnel.
□ Oversee the investigation of injuries and property/equipment damage claims involving the jurisdiction and arising out of the event or disaster. □ Complete all forms required by Workers' Compensation program and the jurisdiction.
□ Maintain a file of injuries and illnesses associated with the event or disaster, which includes results of investigations.
□ Supervise the Compensation and Claims Unit.
□ Maintain a chronological log of injuries and illnesses, and property damage reported during the event or disaster.
□ Investigate all injury and damage claims as soon as possible. □ Prepare appropriate forms for all verifiable injury claims and forward them to Workers' Compensation within the required time frame, consistent with existing Policy and Procedures.
□ Coordinate with the Safety Officer regarding the mitigation of hazards. □ Keep the Finance Chief informed of significant issues affecting the Compensation and Claims Unit.
□ Forward all equipment or property damage claims to the Cost Recovery Unit. □ Maintain unit/activity logs.

April 2025 Page I 89
391

THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
392
Annex B:

Continuity of
Operations
(COOP)/Continuity
of Government
(COG)
An Annex to the
City of Los Banos
Emergency Operations
Plan
April 2025
393
City of Los Banos EOP Annex B: COOP/COG
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... ....................... 3 Purpose ..................................................................................................................................................... 3 Continuity of Government ........................................................................................................................ 4 Preservation of Local Governments- Succession of Local Officials .......................................................... 4 Standby Officers for the Local Governing Body ........................................................................................ 5 Suspensions and Appointments ................................................................................................................ 5 Temporary Seat of Government ............................................................................................................... 5 PRESERVATION OF VITAL RECORDS .............................................................................................................. 6 Preservation Methods .............................................................................................................................. 7 Security Measures Used to Protect Essential Records ............................................................................. 7 CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS (COOP) .......................................................................................................... 8 Essential Functions .................................................................................................................................... 8 Annex Maintenance .................................................................................................................................. 9 Succession of Departmental Leadership ................................................................................................... 9 April 2025 Page 12
394
City of Los Banos EOP Annex B: COOP/COG

INTRODUCTION
The City of Los Banos, as a jurisdiction within Merced County government, is responsible for essential functions, such as public safety, public health, public works, and for protecting its citizens, staff, visitors, and businesses. The City must be prepared to conduct emergency operations to respond to emergencies, as well as to support the City's own functions during emergencies, and especially during catastrophic events that may severely impact the citizenry and its populace.

Continuity of Government (COG) is defined as the preservation, maintenance, or reconstitution of the civil government's ability to carry out its constitutional responsibilities during a time of emergency or disaster. This effort typically involves:
• Succession of Leadership;
• Pre-delegation of emergency authority;
• Devolution Strategy.

Continuity of Operations (COOP) is defined as an effort within individual departments to ensure continuity of minimum Essential Functions across a wide range of emergencies and events. Essentially, it is the capability of maintaining the business of government under all eventualities. This effort typically involves:
• The identification and prioritization of each department's Essential Functions;
• The identification of Critical Resources that support Essential Functions; • Personnel Protection;
• Activation, Organization and Responsibilities;
• Alternate Locations;
• Succession and Delegation of Authority.

Most specifically, the COG refers to activities that support the continuance of constitutional government, such as providing for legislative activities, elected officials convening to complete constitutionally required activities, and command of emergency operations and recovery, while the COOP refers to activities that support the continuance of the governmental operations.

Purpose
The purpose of this annex is to support the City of Los Banos' Emergency Operations Plan and to document the agreed upon strategy for the City's response to emergencies that involve the activation and the implementation of activities in response to a disaster or emergency that impacts the operations and governmental functions of the City. Focus areas within this annex includes the continuity of essential functions of the City's Departments and the Charter Offices, and details the orders of succession for key positions within the City Government.

April 2025 Page 13
395
City of Los Banos EOP Annex B: COOP/COG
Continuity of Government
Government at all levels is responsible for providing continuous, effective leadership and authority under all aspects of emergency services operations (preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation). Under California's concept of mutual aid, local officials remain in control of their jurisdiction's emergency operations while additional resources may be provided by others upon request. A key aspect of this control is to be able to communicate official requests, situation reports, and emergency information throughout any disaster a community might face.

Preservation of Local Governments - Succession of Local Officials Sections 8635 through 8643 of the California Government Code:
• Furnish a means by which the continued functioning of political subdivisions can be assured by providing for the preservation and continuation of county government in the event a State of Emergency or Local Emergency is declared. • Authorize political subdivisions to provide for the succession of officers (department heads) having duties related to law and order and/or health and safety.
• Under Article 15, the duties of a governing body during emergencies include ascertaining the damage to the jurisdiction and its personnel and property, reconstituting it and any subdivision, and performing functions in preserving law and order and furnishing local services.
• Authorize governing bodies to designate and appoint three standby officers for each member of the governing body and for the Chief Executive, if not a member of the governing body. Standby officers may be residents or officers of a political subdivision other than that to which they are appointed. Standby officers take the same oath as regular officers and are designated number 1, 2, and 3.
• Authorize standby officers to report ready for duty in the event of a State of Emergency, or Local Emergency at the place previously designated. • Authorize local governing bodies to convene as soon as possible whenever a State of Emergency, or Local Emergency exists, and at a place not within the political subdivision. Authorize that, should all members, including all standbys, be unavailable, temporary officers shall be appointed as follows:

April 2025
o By the Chairman of the Board of the county in which the political subdivision is located, or
o By the Chairman of the Board of any other county within 150 miles (nearest and most populated down to farthest and least populated), or

396
City of Los Banos EOP Annex B: COOP/COG
o By the mayor of any city within 150 miles (nearest and most populated down to farthest and least populated).

Standby Officers for the Local Governing Body
Lines of Succession and Alternate Officials
• Title 4 Public Safety, Chapter 2 Civil Defense.
• The alternates to key positions in units of the emergency organization are shown in appropriate staff, service, or division annexes of this operations plan. • The lines of succession list to key positions in the regular departments and agencies of the City of Los Banos government are shown in executive or administrative orders (or the equivalent) issued by department or agency authorities and in the table is provided at the end of this annex.

The City Council has designated the following order of succession:

1. Police Chief

2. Fire Chief

3. Public Works Director
Suspensions and Appointments
Section 8621 of the California Government Code:

The code specifies that during a State of War Emergency, in the event that any officer of a political subdivision or employee of a state agency refuses or willfully neglects to obey an order or emergency regulation, the Governor may suspend that person and designate a replacement.

Section 23600 of the California Government Code provides that the Board of Supervisors shall designate alternative City seats which may be located outside City boundaries, (real property cannot be purchased for this purpose), a resolution designating the alternate City seats must be filed with the Secretary of State, and additional seats may be designated subsequent to the original site designations if circumstances warrant.

Temporary Seat of Government
The primary temporary seat of government site for the City of Los Banos will be:
• 520 J Street, Los Banos, CA 93635
Alternate sites can include:

April 2025 Page I 5
397
City of Los Banos EOP Annex B: COOP/COG
645 7th Street- Community Center & 1111 G Street- Los Banos PD

PRESERVATION OF VITAL RECORDS
Preservation of vital records of the City of Los Banos is critical to conducting emergency operations in the event of a disaster and to restoring the day-to-day operations of the city following a disaster. In addition, certain records contain information that document and protect the rights and interests of individuals and government. These latter records must also be protected and preserved.

In the City of Los Banos, the City Clerk's Office is responsible for the preservation and protection of vital records. Each department within the City will identify, maintain, and protect its vital records.

Typically, vital records comprise of a small percentage all the records of the city government and meet one or more of the following criteria:
1 . Records necessary to conduct emergency operations may include the following categories:
• Utility system maps
• Locations of emergency supplies and equipment
• Emergency operations plans and procedures
• Lists of regular and auxiliary personnel

2. Records required to restore day-to-day city operations include the following categories:
• Constitutions and charters
• Statutes
• Ordinances
• Resolutions
• Court records
• Official proceedings
• Financial reports

3. Records necessary for the protection of rights and interests of individuals and government, which may include the following categories:
• Vital statistics and records by the City Clerk
• Land and tax records
• License registers
• Articles of incorporation
April 2025 Page I 6
398
City of Los Banos EOP Annex B: COOP/COG
Currently, vital records for the City of Los Banos are routinely stored within City Hall, located at 520 J Street in Los Banos.

Preservation Methods
The first step in preserving essential city records is to identify the source, location, and department to which is designated as the official record holder for this record. Vital records typically appear on an approved records retention schedule for each city department.

Each department typically maintains the approved records retention schedules. The schedules should be among the first documents reviewed in restoring city operations following the occurrence of a disaster.

Current back-up and preservation methods for City records and vital information within the City Clerk's Office includes:
• All records are backed up on tape nightly and placed in a fire proof box and sent to an offsite facility on a monthly basis; and
• All records are backed up to disk (in-house) weekly and any changes are backed up to disk nightly.

Additionally, each city department is responsible for managing the back-up and preservation of their vital and essential records.

Security Measures Used to Protect Essential Records
Essential city records may be protected at any point in the life cycle (e.g., from creation to final disposition). As the designated responsible position, the City Clerk may assist departments in identifying and planning the appropriate methods of protecting such records. The department will determine the appropriate method of managing the essential records, including:

1. Determining the appropriate time and methods of protection, including the resources of department(s) and other factors unique to the department(s).

2. Acceptable methods of preserving essential records may include the following methodologies:

April 2025
• Media - whether to store materials as hard copy, microfiche, disk, CD etc. • Dispersal - maintaining records in two different city facilities/departments. • Duplication - essential records are duplicated on a scheduled basis and held for the purpose of reconstructing such records at any time, with the least amount of effort and cost.
• On-site storage - essential records are stored on-site in fire resistant containers, file cabinets, safes, vaults, and or fire rooms designed for preservation of vital records.

399
City of Los Banos EOP Annex B: COOP/COG
• Off-site storage - stored off-site in facilities specifically designed to preserve and make available such records when needed. These may be commercial sites.

3. Current Storage Facilities
• If an emergency threatens the safety of the city's essential records, they will be relocated to an alternate facility by the Department that is responsible for the records.
• As departments create records, documents considered essential county records will be identified and preserved by the methods indicated above.

Records from other departments are backed-up and stored as determined by the Department Director.

4. City archives:

The City of Los Banos has also established an archive for the preservation and permanent retention of documents and information of historic value. The archive is specifically designed to store vital city records, and contains records that may serve the following purposes:
• Protect the rights of individuals and government.
• Document the development of the City, its organization structure and decisions made by its governing body.
• Such records may, therefore, be used to restore City operations following disasters and documenting actions of the government body and from other information contained in the archives.
• The city archive includes, but is not limited to the backup tapes on the computer network managed by the Information Technology staff.

CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS (COOP)
It is the responsibility of all City officials, elected and appointed, to ensure the survival and continuity of government operations. This includes the maintenance of essential services during emergencies, as well as timely recovery and restoration of government functions following a disaster. The public can only be served if government is able to respond and support community needs during emergencies.

Essential Functions
From the standpoint of identifying essential functions of City of Los Banos government, the following represents general areas of primary service that should be maintained:

April 2025 Page 18
400
City of Los Banos EOP Annex B: COOP/COG
• Public Safety (law enforcement, fire suppression, emergency rescue, EMS, hazmat, emergency management, public health)
• Critical Infrastructure (roads, water systems, sewer and sanitation, communications)
• Public Functions (vital records, funding disbursement) • Critical Administrative Functions (Payroll, Human Resources, Information Technology, Finance, Public Works).

Each city department is responsible for the development of a plan for the continuance of essential government functions during major emergencies. Each departmental plan becomes a supporting document for Merced County Continuity of Operations/Continuity of Government (COOP/COG) plan and should be reviewed regularly, tested periodically and evaluated as to efficacy and appropriateness.

Annex Maintenance
The City of Los Banos Emergency Services Director in collaboration with City Administration will update, revise and record any revisions of this Continuity of Government/Continuity of Operations Annex.

Succession of Departmental Leadership
City Manager
Police Department
Fire Department
Administrative Services
Planning Department
City Engineer/Public Works
De artment
Recreation
Information Technology
De artment
April 2025

1. CFO/Treasurer

2. HR Director/Cit Clerk

1. Police Chief

2. Police Commander

1. Fire Chief

2. Assistant Fire Chief

1. City Attorney

1. Human Resources Director

2. Human Resources Technician

1. Administrative Services Director

2. Assistant Administrative Services
Director

1. Planning Director

2. Plannin Mana er

1. Public Works Director/City Engineer

2. Assistant Public Works Director

1. Public Works Director/City Engineer

2. Parks and Recreation O erations Mana er

1. Information Technology Director

2. Information Technology Technician
Pagel9
401

THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
402
Annex C:

Communication
and Warning
An Annex to the
City of Los Banos
Emergency Operations
Plan
April 2025
403
City of Los Banos EOP Annex C: Communication and Warning Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 3 Purpose ........................................................................................................................ 3 Communications ....................................................................................................... 3 Warning .................................................................................................................... 3 COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS ..................................................................................... 3 Expectations of Use ..................................................................................................... 3 COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM VULNERABILITIES ................. ................... ................... 4 General ........................................................................................................................ 4 Warning ........................................................................................................................ 4 CITY OF LOS BANOS RADIO FREQUENCIES .. ........................................ ................... 5 Los Banos .................................................................................................................... 5 FEDERAL ALERT AND WARNING SYSTEMS .. ............................................................ 5 Emergency Alert System (EAS) ................................................................................... 5 National Warning System (NAWAS) ..................................... .............................. ......... 5 STATE ALERT AND WARNING SYSTEMS ................................................................... 5 California Warning System (CALWAS) .................................................... .................... 5 California Emergency Services Radio System (CESRS) .................................... ......... 6 California Law Enforcement Radio System (Inter-agency Radio) (CLERS) ................. 6 California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS) ........................... 6 Emergency Digital Information System (EDIS) ............................................................ 6 Operational Area Satellite Information System (OASIS) .............................................. 7 California Health Alert Network (CAHAN) .................................................................... 8 LOCAL/OPERATIONAL AREA ALERT AND WARNING SYSTEMS .............................. 8 Local Alerting and Warning System ............................................................................. 8 Los Banos Siren ........................................................................................................... 9 Emergency Alert List .................................................................................................... 9 Law Enforcement Network ........................................................................................... 9 Public Health and Social Services Network ............................................................... 10 OTHER WARNING DEVICES AND SYSTEMS ............................................................ 10 City of Los Banos Website ......................................................................................... 1 O Local Radio and Television Stations .......................................................................... 1 O Communications Management .................................................................................. 10 ANNEX MAINTENANCE ............................................................................................... 11 April 2025 Page 12
404
City of Los Banos EOP Annex C: Communication and Warning

INTRODUCTION
Essential to all emergency organizations is an effective communications capability to support emergency operations. The magnitude of a particular emergency situation will determine the degree to which communications systems are used. Communications systems are relied upon to be used for direction/coordination of emergency operations, alerting and warning government and the public, and provide advice and instructions to the public.

Purpose
Communications
This annex describes the processes for providing reliable and effective communications among organizations participating in an emergency operation and outlines communications procedures and facilities by which the emergency missions and functions of the operations plan will be carried out in an emergency.

Warning
This annex describes the system that provides reliable, timely, and effective warnings to the public at the onset and throughout a disaster and outlines warning procedures to inform the public of any highly probable and/or immediate danger.

COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS
Expectations of Use
Generally, in a wide-spread disaster, communications used daily by most agencies, particularly public safety agencies, will be used as well for intra-jurisdictional communications. These agencies will also be expected, at least initially, to operate from their day-to-day offices and headquarters. Departments requiring personnel augmentation to properly staff their facilities should request assistance through the Logistics Section/Personnel Unit at the City EOC. Emergency procurements of communications-related equipment/supplies should also be handled through the Logistics Section/Procurement Unit of the EOC.

All communications personnel must familiarize themselves with protective measures and countermeasures to employ that minimize the risk of outages or failures caused by elements of a disaster or emergency.

The City of Los Banos Emergency Services has a radio system installed in the EOC that supports and coordinates communication between on and off scene personnel.

Typically, communications is conducted via cell phone. The interoperable communication plan for the City of Los Banos is the Merced County Operational Area Tactical Interoperable Communications Plan (TICP).

April 2025 Page 13
405
City of Los Banos EOP Annex C: Communication and Warning

COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM VULNERABILITIES
General
Telecommunications systems are composed of many subsystems, each may be interdependent or interconnected. A radio network, for example, may use a combination of telephone lines, microwave circuits, satellite interfaces, underground and overhead cables, and secondary radio paths. The failure of any one link in this chain can effectively disable or severely limit a large portion of the system.

Communications systems may be overloaded or even rendered inoperable in an emergency. Telephone communications may be overloaded by calls within or into affected areas. The situation may be further complicated by physical damage to equipment, loss of electrical power and subsequent failure of some auxiliary sources. Loss of emergency power has been the primary cause of communications failure in past disasters. Poor installation practices and inadequate preventative maintenance of backup power sources can contribute to the high failure rate. Scarcity of primary fuels during an emergency or disaster situation for back-up systems (gasoline, natural gas, and diesel) may limit viability of surviving communications sites.

In situations arising from a radiological incident or detonation, high intensity, short duration electromagnetic pulse (EMP), may cause damage or malfunctions to unprotected electrical and electronic systems. EMP damage can occur instantaneously over very large areas. All communications equipment is susceptible to damage or destruction by EMP, including broadcast stations, radios, televisions, car radios, and battery-operated portable radios.

Warning
Warning is the process of alerting governmental forces and the general public to the threat of imminent extraordinary danger. Dependent upon the nature of the threat and the population group at risk, warning can originate at any level of government.

Success in saving lives and property is dependent upon timely dissemination of warning and emergency information to persons in threatened areas. Local government is responsible for warning the populace of the jurisdiction. Government officials accomplish this using warning devices located within the community or mounted on official vehicles. The warning devices are normally activated from a point staffed 24 hours a day.

There are various mechanical systems in place, described below, whereby an alert or warning may originate or be disseminated. Following the description of the systems is an explanation of the "Emergency Conditions and Warning Actions" through which these systems may be accessed.

April 2025 Page 14
406
City of Los Banos EOP Annex C: Communication and Warning

CITY OF LOS BANOS RADIO FREQUENCIES
Emergency Alert System (EAS)
EAS is a network of public broadcast stations and interconnecting facilities that have been authorized by the FCC to operate in a controlled manner during a state of public peril or disaster, or other large scale emergency. The system's main purpose is to provide the President and Federal Government Officials the means by which to transmit emergency communications to the public. It may also be used for local, state and other national programming for public information on situations posing a threat to life and/or property.

National Warning System (NAWAS)
This system is a nationwide wire-line communications 2-way voice system connecting subscribing emergency management organizations and designed primarily to warn of a nationwide attack. It may also be used for coordination and communications for major peacetime emergencies.

STATE ALERT AND WARNING SYSTEMS
California Warning System (CALWAS)
CALWAS is the state portion of NAWAS that extends to communications and dispatch centers throughout the state. CalOES headquarters ties into the federal system through the Warning Center in Sacramento. Circuits then extend to county warning points. The California Highway Patrol headquarters in Sacramento is the state's alternate warning point. Both state and federal circuits are monitored 24 hours a day at the Warning Center, the alternate point and each of the local warning points. Counties not on this system will receive warning through other means (normally over the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System [CLETS]).

April 2025 Page I 5
407
City of Los Banos EOP Annex C: Communication and Warning California Emergency Services Radio System (CESRS)
CESRS serves as an emergency communications system for CalOES and county emergency services organizations. The system assists in the dissemination of warning information and to support disaster and emergency operations. The system may be used on a day-to-day basis for administrative emergency services business. Statewide communications are provided through a number of microwave interconnected mountain top relays. It operates under appropriate FCC rules and regulations and is administered by CalOES.

California Law Enforcement Radio System (Inter-agency Radio) (CLERS) CLERS is a microwave interconnected radio repeater system with statewide coverage.

It may also have been referred to locally as Inter-agency Radio. This system was designed for use by law enforcement agencies for point-to-point communications and to provide a backup warning system to all counties in the state. CalOES provides and maintains the statewide repeater system and microwave network for use by law enforcement agencies. System users are responsible for providing their own base station equipment and obtaining proper licensing from the FCC. CLERS participation is voluntary, and many agencies no longer maintain the equipment. The City of Los Banos Police Department does not participate in CLERS.

California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS) CLETS is a high-speed message switching system which became operational in 1970.

CLETS provides law enforcement and criminal justice agencies access to various data bases and the ability to transmit and receive point-to-point administrative messages to other agencies within California or via the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NLETS) to other states and Canada. Broadcast messages can be transmitted intrastate to participating agencies in the Group Bulletin Network and to regions nationwide via NLETS. The State provides the computer hardware, switching center personnel, administrative personnel, and the circuitry to one point in each county. The local agencies provide the circuitry and equipment which link them to their county termination point. A number of agencies have message switching computer (MSC) systems and computer aided dispatch (CAD) systems which directly connect to CLETS. The CLETS terminal in the City of Los Banos is housed at the Los Banos Police Department.

Emergency Digital Information System (EDIS)
The EDIS provides local, and state agencies with a direct computer link to the news media and other agencies during emergencies. EDIS supplements existing emergency public information systems such as the Emergency Alert System. By combining existing data Input Networks with a digital radio Distribution System, EDIS gives authorized agencies a direct data link to the news media and other agencies.

April 2025 Page J 6
408
City of Los Banos EOP Annex C: Communication and Warning The main purpose of EDIS is to distribute official information to the public during emergencies. However, a system that is not used day-to-day will not be used with confidence during an emergency. Therefore, certain non-emergency uses of EDIS are permitted so long as they do not interfere with more urgent transmissions.

EDIS may be used to transmit information in the following categories, listed in priority order:
• FLASH - Alerts and warning of immediate life-safety value to members of the public.
• NEWS - Information of immediate benefit to the public. Releases in this category may include reports of unusual natural, social or technological events; notices of government activities requiring specific action by members of the public; road and traffic information and instructions for those affected by an emergency. • INFO - Advisory messages for coordination between government and the news media. Topics might include: times and locations of news briefings, schedules for media tours of emergency scenes, "pool coverage" arrangements, airspace restrictions.
• TEST - Transmissions to verify operation of equipment and for training of originating personnel.

Senders of EDIS messages should bear in mind that almost anyone can obtain the equipment to receive EDIS messages. Confidential or sensitive information should never be transmitted over EDIS.

Operational Area Satellite lnfonnation System (OASIS)
The OASIS project, funded under the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1986, was established to create the most robust communications system possible using leased transponder space from commercial satellite operators. The result is the establishment of a system which allows virtually un-interruptible communication between state, regional and operational area level EOCs.

OASIS is a system that consists of a communications satellite, multiple remote sites and two hubs. The satellite is in a stationary or gee-synchronous orbit above the earth's equator. A high frequency (HF) radio system and a satellite communications network were constructed to link all 58 counties with CalOES and other state agencies for disaster communications as well as day-to-day traffic. The system, which uses technology similar to cellular telephones, has more than 800 phone lines statewide.

The equipment necessary for the remote sites includes a six-foot diameter dish antenna using Very Small Aperture Terminal or VSAT technology. These sites were originally April 2025 Page 17
409
City of Los Banos EOP Annex C: Communication and Warning set up by CalOES and are capable of conducting eight simultaneous voice conversations and one data channel at DSL speed.

The final components are the hubs. The hubs are large external dish antennas and a network control station which is managed by CalOES personnel. The hubs provide access control for the system and can control all 58 Operational Areas. CalOES personnel will use the hubs to define the network, detect trouble and serve as an emergency alert network for other CalOES personnel.

California Health Alert Network (CAHAN)
The California Health Alert Network (CAHAN) is the State of California's web-based information and communications system available on a 24/7/365 basis for distribution of health alerts, dissemination of prevention guidelines, coordination of disease investigation efforts, preparedness planning, and other initiatives that strengthen state and local preparedness. CAHAN participants have the ability to receive alerts and notifications via alphanumeric pager, e-mail. fax, and phone (cellular and landline).

The City of Los Banos does not participate in or receive CAHAN alerts.

LOCAL/OPERATIONAL AREA ALERT AND WARNING SYSTEMS
Local Alerting and Warning System
The City Police and Fire Departments have the primary responsibility in alerting and warning the public, with assistance from the Public Information Officer and Team, as deemed necessary. Alerting and warning the public may be accomplished through the Emergency Alert System (EAS), special broadcasts, or simply driving up and down the streets using the public address system.

Examples of emergencies identified by the City of Los Banos which may warrant either immediate or delayed response under EAS by the broadcast industry are heavy rains and flooding, widespread power failures, severe industrial accidents, hazardous material accidents, agricultural and transportation incidents, serious fires and earthquakes. The context of any emergency broadcast transmitted on EAS should be of concern to a significant segment of the population of the City of Los Banos.

The City Manager, while not the originator of the EAS material, is responsible for the content and authenticity of the information broadcast over the local EAS. Local broadcast stations have the right to edit or use any or all of an EAS broadcast. Any jurisdiction within the County may make separate programming arrangements with any broadcast station independent of the EAS. Los Banos has an exterior siren that sites atop the fire station that has been and will be used as a local alert and warning system should the need arise.

April 2025 Page 18
410
City of Los Banos EOP Annex C: Communication and Warning Los Banos Siren
The City of Los Banos has a audible siren system located on the roof of the Police Department. The Police Department is located at 535 J Street, Los Banos, CA 93635. This audible siren can be heard within a 10 mile radius from the siren location. For more information on the Los Banos Siren system contact wither the Police or Fire Departments.

Emergency Alert List
The Emergency Alert List is to be activated and implemented when an emergency or disaster affects the City of Los Banos and poses a major threat to life, property, and/or the environment. The list will only be activated when directed by the City of Los Banos Director of Emergency Services, the Deputy Directors of Emergency Services, or the Incident Commander when a disaster occurs or threatens to occur within City limits.

Once activation is requested and properly authorized, the City of Los Banos Emergency Operations Center personnel will implement the Emergency Alert List. Notifications and alerts begin with the Director of Emergency Services. If the Director cannot be reached, his/her successor(s) will be contacted until someone is reached to assume the Director of Emergency Services' role.

The dispatcher will provide the Director with a complete status of the incident or disaster, identifying damage sustained, current response actions, resource status, etc.

Based on the information provided by the dispatcher, the Director of Emergency Services will determine what parts of the Emergency Alert List will be implemented, including what sections of the City of Los Banos Emergency Operations Center will be alerted and requested to respond.

The dispatchers will confirm whether or not the Director of Emergency Services will personally contact and inform the City of Los Banos Council of the situation in the City.

The Director may request that the dispatchers notify the City Council.

Additionally, the City of Los Banos Office of Emergency Services must maintain and keep current the Emergency Alert List. The City Office of Emergency Services must also ensure that Emergency Command Center, the Emergency Services Director, and the Deputy Directors have current copies of the Emergency Alert List.

Law Enforcement Network
This network operates on several channels. Channels are used for the city wide dispatch and control of Law Enforcement service mobile units based on area. These channels will be used by the Law Enforcement Unit in the EOC to keep informed on developments. Main dispatch will remain with City of Los Banos Police Department and should the 9-1-1 system go offline, the notification duties get transferred to other agencies. The EOC will have radio contact to a dispatch operator.

April 2025 Page 19
411
City of Los Banos EOP Annex C: Communication and Warning The City of Los Banos Dispatch Center
The dispatch center provides a centralized, law enforcement program directly supporting the Police Department. Operational responsibilities incorporate a wide variety of public safety activities, and direct interaction with many local government agencies. Event coordination involves the use of complex phone, radio and computer aided dispatch systems.

Public Health and Social Services Network
This network is operated by the Merced County Department of Public Health which utilizes VHF to communicate with hospitals and clinics. The Public Health, Hospitals and Clinics in the City of Los Banos rely on the use of landline phone, cellular phones and deployment of the Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) network for shelter communications and are notified through the CAHAN system as well as other communication systems used by the City.

OTHER WARNING DEVICES AND SYSTEMS
City of Los Banos Website
The City of Los Banos website, losbanos.org, is used as a resource for information dissemination to the citizenry and general public.

Local Radio and Television Stations
The City of Los Banos has dedicated radio and television station channels to inform the citizenry of potential incidents. Those channels are as follows:

Primary Radio KUBB Country 96.3 FM
Secondary Radio KQLB 106.9 FM
Primary TV
Secondary TV
Other TV
Channel 30 Action News Fresno
Channels 24 and/or 47
Government Access Channel 96
Other warning systems utilized by the City of Los Banos include mobile emergency vehicle sirens and loudspeakers, helicopters using PA systems, door-to-door notification by neighborhood groups and associations, and law enforcement volunteers, explorers and reserve deputies/officers.

Communications Management
In the event that there is a breakdown or a shortfall in communication channels, the City of Los Banos Office of Emergency Services has a radio cache of 50 VHF Portable radios that are programmed with federal interoperability frequencies.

April 2025 Page I 10
412
City of Los Banos EOP Annex C: Communication and Warning

ANNEX MAINTENANCE
The City of Los Banos Fire Department will coordinate with the Police Department on any updates and revisions of this Communications and Warning Annex.

Those agencies and organizations listed as having anticipated roles and responsibilities under this annex shall inform the Director of Emergency Services when they are aware that changes need to be made.

April 2025 Page I 11
413

THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
414
Annex D:

Emergency
Public
Information
An Annex to the
City of Los Banos
Emergency Operations
Plan
April 2025
415
City of Los Banos EOP Annex D: Emergency Public Information Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 3 Emergency Public Information Assumptions ................................................................ 3 PUBLIC OUTREACH PROGRAMS ................................................................................ 3 EMERGENCY PUBLIC INFORMATION ......................................................................... 3 JOINT INFORMATION SYSTEM (JIS) ............................................................................ 4 Joint Information System ................... ........................................................................... 4 Joint Information Center (JIC) ...................................................................................... 4 Public Information Coordinators (PIO) Coordination Teams ........................................ 4 Media Centers .............................................................................................................. 5 Inquiry Centers ............................................................................................................. 5 Virtual Joint Information Center .................................................................................... 5 April 2025 Page 12
416
City of Los Banos EOP Annex D: Emergency Public Information

INTRODUCTION
Public information consists of the processes, procedures, and systems to communicate timely and accurate information by accessible means and in accessible formats on the incident's cause, size and current situation to the public, responders, and additional stakeholders (both directly affected and indirectly affected). Public information must be coordinated and integrated as part of the Multiagency Coordination System across jurisdictions, agencies, and organizations; among federal, state, tribal and local governments; and with the private sector and NGOs. Public information includes processes, procedures and organizational structures required to gather, verify, coordinate, and disseminate information.

Emergency Public Information Assumptions
The following assumptions involving public information during emergencies highlight how local government response and public preparedness may be affected during a major emergency. • The public will demand information about the emergency and instructions on proper survival/response actions.
• Rumors and misinformation are likely to develop when there is a lack of official news and information readily available.
• The media will demand information about the emergency. • Local and regional radio/television stations without emergency power may also be off the air.
• Telephones (cellular and hardwire) may be inoperative. • The emergency organization will become overwhelmed by the demand for information if sufficiently trained staff is not available.

PUBLIC OUTREACH PROGRAMS
The City will communicate and educate the public (including businesses, individuals, and residents) on the risks and issues faced by the community and provide resources to mitigate risks and support preparedness. Outreach programs should address information on established emergency plans and procedures and delineate the roles and responsibilities of first responders and the public immediately following an emergency and during a sustained response. For more information on preparedness planning refer to the Basic Plan Section 8.0.

EMERGENCY PUBLIC INFORMATION
During an emergency, the City will be responsible to disseminate information about the emergency to keep the public informed about what has happened, the actions of emergency response agencies and to summarize the expected outcomes of the emergency actions. • Local Government Responsibilities: Local government will provide immediate and critical emergency public information to their constituents. • State Government Responsibilities: CalOES will coordinate the state's emergency public information efforts and provides support to other state agencies to ensure that the state government issues a timely, clear, concise, consistent message. • State Assistance to Local Officials: State assistance may be required when:

April 2025 Page 13
417
City of Los Banos EOP Annex D: Emergency Public Information o The means of dispersing public information at the local government level is damaged or overwhelmed.
o Critical information needs to be disseminated to victims, responders, recovery personnel and members of the media.
o Multiple response agencies and levels of government need to work cooperatively to provide consistent emergency information.

JOINT INFORMATION SYSTEM (JIS)
Under SEMS, public information is directly managed and controlled by the jurisdictions with responsibility for the emergency incident through the Multiagency Coordination System (MACS) beginning at the Field Level under a Unified Command structure and linking to Multiagency Coordination Groups (MAC Group) within each EOC level of SEMS as a Joint Information Center (JIC). Collectively, the activated JICs form the Joint Information System (JIS) that coordinates and communicates lifesaving measures, evacuation routes, threat and alert methods and other public safety information to numerous audiences in an accurate, timely, accessible, and consistent manner.

Joint Information System
The JIS provides the mechanism to organize, integrate and coordinate information to ensure timely, accurate, accessible, and consistent messaging activities across multiple jurisdictions and/or disciplines with the private sector and NGOs. It includes the plans, protocols, procedures, and structures used to provide public information. Federal, state, tribal, territorial, regional, local, and private sector Public Information Officers (PIO) and established JICs are critical supporting elements of the JIS. Key elements include the following:
o lnteragency coordination and integration;
o Gathering, verifying, coordinating, and disseminating consistent messages; o Support for decision makers; and
o Flexibility, modularity, and adaptability.

Joint Information Center (JIC)
The JIC is a central location that facilitates operation of the JIS. It is a location where personnel with public information responsibilities perform critical emergency information functions, crisis communications and public affairs functions. A JIC may be established at various levels of government, at incident sites, or can be components of federal, state, tribal, territorial, regional, or local EOC. Typically, an incident specific JIC is established at a single, on scene location in coordination with federal, state and local agencies (depending on the requirements of the incident). Informational releases are cleared through Incident Commander (IC)/Unified Command, and/or the EOC.

Public Information Coordinators (PIO) Coordination Teams When a JIC is established, it will be staffed with Public Information representatives from the responding agencies, who will coordinate as a team to:

April 2025
o Gather, verify, and produce information for dissemination to the media and public (such as news releases, background information, fact sheets, public service announcements, briefings, and news conference materials). o Respond to media questions and requests.

418
City of Los Banos EOP Annex D: Emergency Public Information o Schedule media releases, briefings, news conferences, interviews, public service announcements, etc.
o Arrange for media interviews and tours.
o Assign agency representatives to coordinate information from their agency with other team members before it is released to the public.

Media Centers
Local government agencies may establish a Media Center that serves as a central location for media briefings, conferences, and information distribution. Media Centers may be activated independently or as part of a larger JIC. The Media Center for the City will be located at:

Los Banos City Hall
520 J Street
Los Banos, CA 93635
Inquiry Centers
Local government agencies may activate an inquiry center to centralize information sharing between the public, the media and government. Inquiry centers should be directly linked to media centers or joint information centers as appropriate. Inquiry Centers allow for:
o Establishment of Public Information Hotlines (including TTY capability for individuals who are deaf) and hotline staff.
o Monitoring of radio and television stations and informing the PIO Coordination Team of inaccuracies.
o Sharing of information about the emergency or the government's response. o Identification of information trends, which in turn allows PIO to focus on providing targeted information.
o Identification of rumors and misinformation and bringing these to the attention of the PIO Coordination Team.
o Response to questions using official, verified information that has been approved for release.
o Call referrals, as appropriate, to federal, state, local, volunteer, and private sector agencies.
o Current and updated information records.
o Records of questions, responses, and actions.
o Enhancing information to meet the needs of those whose primary language is not English and to meet the functional needs of the blind, deaf and hard of hearing.

Virtual Joint Information Center
A virtual JIC may be initiated through technological means when geographical restrictions, incident management requirements, or other limitations preclude physical attendance by public information officers/liaisons at a central location. Through telephone or video teleconferences, personnel participating in the virtual- JIC can meet and coordinate information.

April 2025 Page 15
419

THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
420
Annex E:

Recovery and
Mitigation
An Annex to the
City of Los Banos
Emergency Operations
Plan
April 2025
421
City of Los Banos EOP Annex E: Recovery and Mitigation
Table of Contents
RECOVERY .. ............................................ ......................... ......................... ................ .......................... .......... 3 Transition to Recovery ....................... ................................ ........... .............................................. ................. 3 Short Term Recovery .. ................................................ ................................. ... ....................................... ...... 3 Long Term Recovery .................................................... ......................... .... .................................................. 4 RECOVERY OPERATIONS RESPONSIBILITIES ................... ............ .......................................................... 5 RECOVERY PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS ........ .... ..................... .... .............. .......................... .............. .... 6 Physical Recovery Activities ................. .................................................... ................... ............... ................. 6 Governmental Recovery Activities .............................................................................................. ........... ...... 6 Social Recovery Activities ..... .............. .......................... .. ......................... .................................................... 6 Economic Recovery Activities ...................................................................................................................... 7 DOCUMENTATION ...................................................... .. ............................................ .... ............................. 7 STATE AND FEDERAL POST-DISASTER ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS .. ..................... ............................... 8 Introduction ...................... .... .......................................... .............................................................................. 8 Emergency Proclamations/Declarations .................. ............... ............... .. ................. .................... ............. .. 9 Damage Assessment ..................................... ............................................................... ............................. 10 City Responsibilities to Access Assistance ................................................. ............................................... 11 Applicant Briefings ............................................................................... ................................................ ..... . 11 Public Assistance Project Approval Process .............................................................. ............... ................ 12 Individuals and Households Program (IHP) .................... ........................................................................... 12 SBA and USDA ..................................................................................................................................... ..... 12 HAZARD MITIGATION - IMPROVING CONDITIONS TO PREVENT LOSS ....... ........................................ 13 Introduction ................. ................ ... .. ....... ....... .. ............. .................................................. ...................... .. ... 13 Hazard Mitigation Planning ..................... .. ......................... .................................................................... .... 13 Funding for PresDisaster Mitigation ......... .. .............................................. .................................................. 13 Funding for Post-Disaster Mitigation ..... ..... ............. ....................................... ............................................ 14 DISASTER ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS AND THEIR REQUIREMENTS ... ............ .............. ... .................... 15 Public Assistance through CalOES ....... ....................... ............................................................................. 16 Public Assistance through other Agencies .. ............................................ ....................... ... ........................ 17 Individual and Family Assistance ............................. ... .. ................... .. .. ... .. ...................... ................ ........... 18 Businesses, Ranchers and PNP Assistance .................................................. .. .. ......................... ........... ... 19 April 2025 Page 12
422
City of Los Banos EOP Annex E: Recovery and Mitigation

RECOVERY
Transition to Recovery
While the immediate lifesaving activities are occurring, the City's Emergency Manager is simultaneously assessing how soon the response phase can transition to recovery. Critical response phase operations will gradually shift to assisting individuals, households, businesses, and governments in meeting basic needs and returning to self-sufficiency.

The recovery phase of an emergency or disaster is often defined as restoring a community to its pre-disaster condition. More realistically, recovery is the process of re-establishing a state of normalcy in the affected communities. The specific approach to recovery operations following a disaster will be determined by the location, type, magnitude, and effects of the incident.

The City of Los Banos and various special districts within the city boundaries will be involved in recovery operations. In the aftermath of a disaster, many residents, businesses, and even government itself will have specific needs that must be met before they can return to their predisaster lives. There will be a need for services such as:
• Assessment of the extent and severity of damages to homes, businesses, and infrastructure; • Restoration of services generally available in communities - water, power, transportation, food, and medical assistance;
• Repair of damaged homes, businesses, and infrastructure; and • Professional counseling when the sudden changes resulting from the emergency have resulted in mental anguish and inability to cope.

The City can help individuals, families, businesses, and community organizations recover by ensuring that these services are available and by seeking additional resources if the community needs them. If the City of Los Banos requires state or federal assistance, a local proclamation of an emergency may be required as a prerequisite to obtaining the assistance. This annex provides an overview of state and federal assistance programs, including proclamation/declaration requirements. Please Note: If a local emergency proclamation is required, it must be issued within 10 days of the event.

The recovery process occurs in two phases; short-term and long-term. Those processes are discussed in more detail in the following sections.

Short Term Recovery
The goal of short-term recovery is to restore the City to at least a minimal operating capacity.

Short-term recovery includes:
• Utility restoration;
• Delivery of social, medical, and mental health services; • Provision of interim housing
• Re-establishment of Los Banos government operations;
• Establishment of transportation routes;
• Debris removal;
• Cleanup operations; and
• Abatement and demolition of hazardous structures.

The City will coordinate its efforts to restore utility systems and services during recovery operations between City departments, special districts serving the City and investor-owned utilities, including Pacific Gas and Electric, Comcast Cable, and the various telephone companies April 2025 Page I 3
423
City of Los Banos EOP Annex E: Recovery and Mitigation
serving the City. Medical and other essential services may need to operate from temporary facilities, as necessary. If there is serious damage to the City's housing stock, the City may be asked to identify and assist in the support of interim housing solutions, such as motels or temporary trailer sites. The City may request support to conduct Critical Incident Stress Debriefings {CISD) for emergency response personnel and victims of the disaster event.

The City will ensure that debris removal and cleanup operations are expedited. The City will need to inspect damaged buildings and facilities. Assistance in conducting post-disaster inspections of public and private facilities may be requested through California's Safety Assessment Program, which is accessed through the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (CalOES). The Safety Assessment Program provides professional evaluators (volunteers) and mutual aid resources to local governments to determine use and occupancy of homes, buildings, and infrastructure. On the basis of the City's assessments, structures that pose a public safety concern may be demolished or cordoned off.

If needed for the continuation of government operations and the provision of recovery services, the City may implement its Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP), including relocation of operations from damaged facilities. If such relocation is required, information on alternate service delivery locations will be provided to the public. For more information on the City's COOP refer to Annex B of the Emergency Operations Plan.

Long Term Recovery
The goal of long-term recovery is to restore facilities and the community to pre-disaster condition.

Long-term recovery includes hazard mitigation activities, restoration or reconstruction of public facilities, facilitating restoration and reconstruction of damaged homes and businesses, and disaster response cost recovery. The city will be responsible for its own approach to mitigation, which could include zoning variances, building codes changes, plan reviews, seismic safety elements, and other land use planning techniques. Long term recovery will likely necessitate the need for significant coordination with Merced County, state, and federal entities, the private sector, and with community-based organizations.

With public safety a primary concern, rapid recovery may require adjustments to various City policies, procedures, codes, and ordinances to streamline the recovery process. Identification of specific statutes and policies to be adjusted will be disaster-specific and should be identified during the damage assessment process. The City will also determine if temporary modification of state or county statutes are needed to facilitate recovery; if so, those modifications should be requested through the SEMS process.

Depending on the extent of the damage, the City may consider activating a Local Assistance Center (LAC) to provide a centralized location or "one stop shop" for services and resource referrals for the unmet needs of disaster victims. State funding may be available for eligible LAC operations. Historically, LACs have proven to be a key factor for a successful recovery. LAC characteristics generally include:
• Resource facility for recovery information, services and programs • Community-based service facilities
• Managed by the City
• Staffed by Red Cross, other NGO's and various City of Los Banos departments, PNPs, local, state, and federal government, as appropriate
• Local utilities, insurance adjusters, and others may be asked to collocate with the LAC to facilitate access to services
April 2025 Page 14
424
City of Los Banos EOP Annex E: Recovery and Mitigation
Depending on the extent of damage, state and federal recovery assistance will also be sought for residents, businesses, and community organizations. If federal assistance for households and businesses is granted, the City may be asked to assist in implementing a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC). A DRC may be activated by key federal agencies to provide a location for victims and private non-profit organizations to obtain information about federal recovery programs. The DRC may be collocated with a LAC if one has been established.

RECOVERY OPERATIONS RESPONSIBILITIES
The city has specific responsibilities in recovering from a disaster. The list below summarizes some of the key functional responsibilities:
• Political process management; interdepartmental coordination; policy development; decision making; coordination with community and non-profit organizations; establish a long-term recovery committee (if needed); and public information. • Conduct Initial Damage Estimate; compile and update damage information; and assist state and federal agencies in conducting formal Preliminary Damage Assessment, as needed.
• Activation of the Safety Assessment Program (if needed); land use and zoning variance; permits and controls for new development; revision of building regulations and codes; code enforcement; and plan review.
• Debris removal; demolition; construction; management of and liaison with construction contractors; and restoration of utility services.
• Housing programs; assistance programs for those with functional needs; and low income and special housing needs.
• Public finance; budgeting; contracting; accounting and claims processing; taxation; and insurance settlements.
• Redevelopment of existing areas; planning of new redevelopment projects; and financing new projects.
• Applications for disaster financial assistance; liaison with assistance providers; onsite recovery support; and disaster financial assistance project management. • Advise on emergency authorities, actions, and associated liabilities; preparation of legal opinions; identification of statutes in need of temporary modification; and review and assist in preparation of new ordinances and resolutions. • Implementation of the COOP (if needed); government operations and communications; space acquisition; supplies and equipment; vehicles; personnel; and related support.

April 2025 Page I 5
425
City of Los Banos EOP Annex E: Recovery and Mitigation

RECOVERY PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS
Rebuilding and restoration efforts require decisions on a number of critical activities that have long-term social, economic, and physical recovery implications. Specific recovery considerations will be disaster specific and will be identified through the post-disaster damage assessment process. Recovery considerations will begin to be identified through the advance planning process undertaken during the response phase. During development of advance plans that address the transition to recovery, Planning Section staff should consider the applicability of the activities and issues listed below to the specific disaster scenario.

Physical Recovery Activities
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Conducting a comprehensive damage assessment and compiling the data into an Initial Damage Estimate to support a local Emergency Proclamation Identifying and preserving damaged historical or cultural sites Identifying environmental concerns (e.g., damage adjacent to riparian habitat) Removing debris from public and private property and managing disposal sites Identifying redevelopment opportunities, if appropriate Deferring permits, fees, etc. for rebuilding of damaged structures Pursuing hazard mitigation projects and advancing mitigation efforts, including upgrading infrastructure and utilities
• Modifying land use and zoning requirements and incorporating changes in construction standards and other codes, both for repair or rebuilding of disaster-damaged structures and for promoting disaster resistant future development • Evaluating repair and rebuilding options
Governmental Recovery Activities
•
•
•
•
•
•
Continuing the performance of governmental functions ("Continuity of Government") Protecting, restoring, or replacing essential City facilities, equipment, records, processes, etc. ("Continuity of Operations")
Managing donations of goods, services, and funds to assist with recovery Coordinating voluntary agencies and requests for volunteer assistance to assist with recovery
Establishing a "long term recovery committee" to aid in building community consensus by engaging stakeholders, special interest groups, and the public in decision-making processes
Updating community plans, including the Emergency Plan and Redevelopment Plan, based on lessons learned from the disaster
• Upgrading communication systems
• Communicating recovery activities to the public
• Addressing community questions about health consequences of the event Social Recovery Activities
• Promoting community participation in recovery efforts through the "Long Term Recovery Committee", volunteer opportunities, and in plan revision • Supporting distribution of essential commodities and other daily living needs • Evaluating community stress and providing services for the mental health of individuals • Supporting restoration of critical community support structure, such as schools, medical services, and financial institutions
• Restoring community values
• Promoting family and individual preparedness
April 2025 Page I 6
426
City of Los Banos EOP Annex E: Recovery and Mitigation
• Establishing Local Assistance Centers for 'one-stop' disaster recovery services and assisting in establishing a Disaster Recovery Center(s) in the City if requested to do so to support delivery of state and federal recovery programs Economic Recovery Activities
• Establishing a documentation system to collect and store disaster-related cost information to ensure maximum state and federal reimbursement
• Filing insurance claims, as appropriate
• Identifying economic impact of the disaster on the community, such as impacts on the tax base and employment
• Reviewing the City budget to identify potential sources of available working capital • Facilitating business recovery by reestablishing commercial services and promoting businesses in damaged areas
• Securing disaster business loans, disaster recovery assistance grants and hazard mitigation project funding

DOCUMENTATION
Documentation is essential to recovering expenditures related to emergency response and recovery operations. For the city, documentation must begin at the field response level and continue throughout the operation of the Emergency Operations Center as the disaster unfolds.

As such, the City of Los Banos should incorporate disaster documentation into their current accounting system. To obtain maximum reimbursement for disaster-related expenditures, it is critical that the city:
• Implement the disaster documentation system during a disaster; • Ensure disaster-related expenditures are easily distinguished from on-going activities; and
• Maintain accurate accounting records for disaster-related expenditures including:
o Force account labor (timesheets) and equipment;
o Invoices for rented equipment, materials, and purchases; o Photographs of damage and repair;
o Insurance information;
o Environmental and historical preservation issues; and o Records of donated goods and services.
• Keep these records for a minimum of three years after the last action on a state or federally funded disaster project (CalOES will notify the city when the three year-time frame begins)
April 2025 Page I 7
427
City of Los Banos EOP Annex E: Recovery and Mitigation

STATE AND FEDERAL POST-DISASTER ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
Introduction
Depending on the nature and extent of the disaster, state and federal assistance programs may be available to assist the City, special districts, and eligible households, businesses and nonprofit organizations that have experienced disaster-related expenses that are not covered by insurance. For public agencies, assistance may be available, on a cost-share basis, for emergency response costs, costs for debris removal and emergency protective measures, and repair or rebuilding of damaged facilities and infrastructure. For households and businesses, assistance may include loans to repair damaged buildings. Households may also be eligible for assistance with other unmet needs and businesses may be eligible for loans for disaster-related loss of revenue. Disaster unemployment assistance and assistance for disaster-related mental health needs may also be available. The following pages describe the assistance programs that may be available under certain criteria, following a disaster April 2025 Page I 8
428
City of Los Banos EOP Annex E: Recovery and Mitigation
Emergency Proclamations/Declarations
If Los Banos requires state or federal assistance, it is important to know if a local proclamation of an emergency is a prerequisite to obtaining the assistance. The chart below provides an overview of the programs discussed in this section and indicates proclamation/declaration requirements.

Please Note: If a local emergency proclamation is required, it must be issued within 10 days of the event. More information on these assistance programs is provided following this section of the annex.
- - ~ ~ - - ~ - II ... . ... "' .. I ji" . . . .... '.L-~SJ .. ll~ _. ..... lull, ...,1_ _!.._ ..... \ .MJ 1· t Ur. ., ... -~ . ~,II, -~ l ~ii•TIII ~la"&l·;U[t}all l•uu:..a, •-1:1 ~ .. - ·- ·- , ... 1• ... I .... w .. m~ ... .. ,.,1 '.I - -~ = ~·1:e - . . - ... . . I - Provides professional evaluators to SAP determine safety, use and occupancy of No No No
homes and buildinqs
FMAG Reimbursement of emergency No No Yes
response costs for fire suppression
State PA under an Funding to restore eligible public CALOES Secretary's Yes No No Concurrence infrastructure
State PA under a Reimbursement of eligible local
Governor's emergency response costs, debris Yes Yes No proclamation of state removal and funding to restore eligible of emerqency public infrastructure
Reimbursement of eligible local
Federal PA (major emergency response costs, debris
disaster declaration) removal and funding to restore eligible Yes Yes Yes public and allowable private non-profit
infrastructure
Federal PA Reimbursement of eligible local (emergency Yes Yes Yes declaration) emergency response costs
Individuals and Grants for unmet recovery needs to Household Program Yes Yes Yes (IHP) individuals and families
State Supplemental Supplemental grants for individuals for Grant Program recovery may be available only when Yes Yes Yes (SSGP) maximum IHP has been reached
SBA Economic Injury Working capital loans for small
Disaster Loan businesses that have suffered an No No Yes Proqram economic loss due to a disaster
SBA Physical Loans for individuals, families and
Disaster Loan businesses that have lost real and No No Yes Proqram personal property due to a disaster
USDA Disaster Loans for farmers and ranchers for
Designation physical and crop production losses No No Yes due to a disaster
Referral/resource services and shortCrisis Counseling term counseling for emotional and Yes Yes Yes Programs mental health problems caused by the disaster
Disaster Weekly unemployment benefits and job Unemployment Yes Yes Yes Assistance finding services due to a disaster
April 2025 Page 19
429
City of Los Banos EOP Annex E: Recovery and Mitigation
Damage Assessment
When requesting state or federal disaster assistance, the City of Los Banos must provide information to support the request. The chart below describes the mechanisms required to document damages and determine needed assistance in the impacted area.

Initial Local jurisdiction Initial description of damage Provides information for CalOES Damage including: to determine if state and/or
Estimate • type and extent of public and federal disaster assistance is (IDE) private sector damage warranted and to what external • basic repair and emergency resources are needed. An IDE response costs should be provided concurrently
• any acute public health issues with request for assistance. Not • number of homes and businesses providing this information not insured or underinsured promptly can delay recovery assistance.

Preliminary CalOES Preliminary detailed damage report Provides information for CalOES Damage Recovery including: to determine extent and type of Assessment Branch staff • facility types (e.g., school, road, state and/or federal disaster (PDA) assisted by private residences) and location assistance. This information is CalOES • facility insurance and/or also used by FEMA to prepare a Regional staff, maintenance records regional analysis of the request local, state • damage description and repair for consideration by FEMA and/or federal estimates headquarters.
government staff • local government budget reports
• destroyed/damaged residences,
personal property, businesses
• any identified environmental or
historical issues
Damage Small Business Includes the number of private Ensures minimum damage Assessment Administration homes and businesses damaged or criteria have been satisfied to by other (SBA) destroyed and estimate uninsured implement the Physical or Federal losses. It also may include Economic Injury Disaster Loan Agencies documentation showing economic Program.
injury to businesses.

U.S. Dept. of
Agriculture Includes cause, type and value of Provides USDA with justification (USDA) and/or crop/livestock losses. to implement emergency loan local Agricultural program.

Commissioner
(this is usually
done by the Ag
commissioner
April 2025 Page I 10
430
City of Los Banos EOP Annex E: Recovery and Mitigation
City Responsibilities to Access Assistance
If a request for assistance is necessary, the City should include the following information in the request:
• A copy of the local proclamation (if required)
• Initial Damage Estimate (IDE)
• Written request/resolution by the City Council (or the City Manager if the council cannot be convened)
• Type of disaster and areas of the City affected
• Date of occurrence and whether situation is continuing • Type of assistance needed
Submit the request to:
• Merced County OES
The County will then forward the request to the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (CalOES). The City should submit its request separately only if the County does not intend to submit the same request. Assistance programs have deadlines for application which must be strictly adhered to; technical assistance is available from CalOES in identifying those deadlines.

When a request for assistance is submitted, CalOES will:
• Review the request for completeness;
• Request additional information if necessary
• Determine the need to conduct damage assessments, and • Make a determination regarding the level of appropriate disaster assistance for the request.

Applicant Briefings
If there is a state or federal declaration including the provision of public or individual assistance the CalOES Recovery Branch will schedule and hold Public Agency Applicant Briefings. Affected public agencies will be notified by letter, e-mail, CalOES website, CalOES regional offices, or by telephone of the date, location, and time of the briefing. The City and any local special districts that have experienced damages or may have eligible response costs should participate in the Applicant Briefing.

At the Applicant Briefing available Public Assistance (assistance to public agencies) and Individual Assistance (assistance for households and businesses) will be described. Applications for federal and state Public Assistance will be available and accepted during these briefings.

Detailed instructions on Public Assistance applicant eligibility, project eligibility, eligible costs, program criteria, documentation requirements and important deadlines for work completion will also be explained. Public Assistance applicants are assigned a primary point of contact that will process the application, monitor work progress, and provide technical assistance for the duration of the application.

April 2025 Page 111
431
City of Los Banos EOP Annex E: Recovery and Mitigation
Public Assistance Project Approval Process
The CalOES Recovery Branch encourages applicant agencies to participate fully in the decisionmaking process of the approved scope of work and cost estimation for each project. The City and other eligible applicants are notified by mail when FEMA or the state has approved the project for funding. This notification includes instructions to request payment of the funds. Additional information regarding both federal and state public assistance programs on the Recovery section of the CalOES website and technical assistance is available through the CalOES Recovery Branch or the Regional Office.

Upon a Presidential declaration, local governments that have incurred significant emergency response costs may request the expedited processing of state and federal funding. Qualifying costs may include:
• Emergency costs (e.g., police and fire overtime salaries); • Debris removal necessary to protect life and property; and • Temporary shelter operating costs
Individuals and Households Program (IHP)
Upon the implementation of the IHP, individuals are required to first 'tele-register" with FEMA.

Widespread notice through the local media and posting on the city's website to inform the public of the toll-free tele-registration number. Upon tele-registration, FEMA will assign a representative to evaluate the claim and will refer the individual to the appropriate program for loan and/or grant assistance. Individuals will then be provided loan and/or grant application information, instructions, terms and conditions directly from the agency providing assistance (FEMA, SBA, USDA). The City may be asked for assistance in identifying appropriate locations for Disaster Recovery Centers and to participate in the DRC when activated.

SBA and USDA
When SBA and/or USDA has implemented its disaster program(s) independent of a Presidential declaration, individuals, businesses, private non-profit agencies, and/or the agricultural community, will be instructed to file an application directly with their local SBA and/or USDA office. If a DRC is not activated, the SBA or USDA will normally administer their programs through an existing local office or, particularly for SBA, in locally leased space.

April 2025 Page I 12
432
City of Los Banos EOP Annex E: Recovery and Mitigation

HAZARD MITIGATION - IMPROVING CONDITIONS TO PREVENT LOSS Introduction
Hazard Mitigation (HM) is any cost-effective activity that seeks to eliminate or reduce human suffering and property damage from natural and manmade hazards. Hazard Mitigation includes both pre-disaster and post-disaster activities.

Hazard Mitigation Planning
Hazard Mitigation Planning includes analyses of ways to eliminate or reduce the impact of future disasters. The federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 required the state to develop and maintain a State Hazard Mitigation Plan. California's hazard mitigation planning process is continuous and involves a multitude of federal, state, and local agencies, academia, private non-profit organizations, and community-based organizations.

The Hazard Mitigation Plan is approved by FEMA and is also required for the City or a special district to receive grant funds for mitigation projects from the federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and the federal Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program . At the time of the development of this annex, Merced County was in the process of securing funding for the development of a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan to include all of the cities and special districts.

Funding for Pre-Disaster Mitigation
The federal Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program (PDM) provides funds for hazard identification, mitigation strategies, and public partnerships. More specifically, PDM:
• Supports development of the hazard mitigation planning process at the state and local levels and funds high priority projects from these plans. • Provides a continuous flow of funding to states for hazard mitigation, whether the state has experienced a recent disaster or not.
• Supports local communities in becoming disaster resistant by providing technical and financial assistance to state and local governments in implementing cost effective predisaster hazard mitigation measures. • Helps to reduce injuries, loss of life, and damage and destruction of property, including damage to critical services and facilities under the jurisdiction of state or local governments.

Communities that wish to participate in the PDM program must demonstrate commitment to the implementation of hazard mitigation activities within their jurisdiction. Assistance includes both planning grants and project grants. Planning grants assist the state and its communities in developing a multi-hazard mitigation plan. Planning grants may also be used for technical assistance including risk assessments, project development, community outreach and education. (Funds applied to planning grants cannot exceed 1 0 percent of the state's allocation). Project grants are awarded in accordance with the priorities cited in the State Hazard Mitigation Plan.

Project grants may be used to reimburse costs for acquisitions or relocations of vulnerable properties, structural retrofits, vegetation management (e.g., shaded fuel breaks, defensible space), public information and educational programs.

Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) provides funding for measures to reduce or eliminate the longterm risk of flood damage to repetitive loss of buildings, manufactured homes, and other structures insurable under the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Communities requesting FMA planning and project grants must be participating in the NFIP. FMA planning April 2025 Page I 13
433
City of Los Banos EOP Annex E: Recovery and Mitigation
grants are available for the flood portion of any mitigation plan. FMA project grants are available to NFIP-participating communities to implement measures to reduce flood losses. Example FMA projects are elevating structures, acquisitions, watershed management (e.g., detention basins, increased culvert size.) FEMA contributes up to 75 percent of total eligible costs for each grant. At least 25 percent of the total eligible cost must be provided from a non-Federal source. The state will evaluate and approve applications for FMA planning grants.

Funding for Post-Disaster Mitigation
The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) provides grants following a disaster to state and local governments, Indian tribes, and certain non-profit organizations to develop plans and implement long term hazard mitigation measures.

Federal funding for the HMGP becomes available only after the President signs a major disaster declaration. The amount of funding available is based on a percentage of the federal share of the aggregate disaster costs for public and individual assistance. As manager of the HMGP, CalOES is responsible for soliciting program interest, helping potential applicants develop applications, establishing deadlines for applications, providing technical assistance, establishing funding priorities and forwarding selected projects to FEMA for approval based on those priorities.

CalOES posts grant applications instructions and deadlines on the website for a limited time following a federal declaration of a disaster. Successful applicants are notified by mail when FEMA has approved the grant for funding. This notification includes instructions to request payment of the funds.

Planning and project grants can be funded under HMGP. By regulation, HMGP projects must meet the minimum eligibility criteria, be consistent with the state and local hazard mitigation plans, and meet the guidelines and priorities established for a particular disaster. Projects must also demonstrate cost-effectiveness.

April 2025 Page I 14
434
City of Los Banos EOP Annex E: Recovery and Mitigation

DISASTER ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS AND THEIR REQUIREMENTS
The following tables are designed to provide a quick reference to disaster assistance programs administered or coordinated by CalOES. The tables are grouped by potential recipients and indicate general program implementation criteria, including key deadlines.

April 2025 Page 115
435
City of Los Banos EOP Annex E: Recovery and Mitigation
Public Assistance through CalOES
Public agencies include state agencies and departments, cities, counties, city and county, school districts, community college districts, special districts and certain private non-profit agencies. The following table describes implementation criteria for the five main public assistance disaster programs administered by CalOES: Director's Concurrence, Governor's Proclamation of a State of Emergency, Fire Management Assistance Program (FMAG), Presidential Declaration of an Emergency, and Presidential Declaration of a Major Disaster.

Funding to restore damaged
public infrastructure (e.g.
roads, buildings, utilities)
Reimbursement of local
emergency response costs,
debris removal, and funding
to restore damaged public
infrastructure.

Reimbursement for fire
suppression costs
Reimbursement of local
emergency response and
debris removal costs
Funding to restore public
infrastructure* and
reimbursement of
emergency response and
debris removal costs
Funding to provide crisis
counseling services
April 2025
State Public Assistance
CDAA - Director's Concurrent with 1
75% State
25% Local
local emergency
State Public Assistance
1 75% State CDAA- Governor's Proclamation of 25% Local
a State of Emergency
FMAG
I
75% Federal
Stafford Act 25% Local
I
Federal and State Public Assistance
1 ?So/o Federal
Stafford ('-ct and CDAA - Presidential ~~ ~;7~~~:~e Declaration of an Emergency Federal and State Public Assistance
Stafford Act and CDAA - Presidential
Declaration of a Major Disaster
FEMA Crisis Counseling Program
Stafford Act
75% Federal

18.75% State

6.25% Local
75% Federal
25% State
Local agency must proclaim an emergency and request a "Director's Concurrent" within 10 days of an event. A Governor's proclamation of a state of emergency is not required for the CalOES Director to provide CDAA funding to repair damaged JJ_ublic facilities.

Local agency must proclaim and emergency and request the Governor to proclaim a state of emergency within 10 days of an event. The request should include dates of the event, an IDE, areas affected, and appropriate type of assistance needed.

Responsible fire agency must request FMAG assistance while the fire is still burning out of control. Neither local nor state emergency proclamation are necessary for the implementation of this program.

Local agency must proclaim an emergency and request the Governor to proclaim a state of emergency within 10 days of an event. The Governor has 5 days to request federal assistance. Local government should provide detailed information including date of the event, an IDE, areas affected, and appropriate type of assistance needed.

Local agency must proclaim an emergency and request the Governor to proclaim a state of emergency within 10 days of an event. The Governor has 30 days to request federal assistance. Local government should provide detailed information including dates of the event, an IDE, areas affected, and appropriate type of assistance needed.
*Funding beyond what is necessary to restore a facility may also be approved for hazard mitigation measure to ensure that future similar damage will not occur.

These mitigation projects include cost-effective improvements to the current design and capacity of the existing facility.

This program is funded by FEMA and administered through the state Department of Mental Health. Benefits may be short term or long term (up to 9 months).