9/6/2024
TO: PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE
AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT
COMMITTEE
FROM: Raymond Riordan
SUBJECT: City Manager’s Office of
Emergency Management
Work Plan Priorities Annual
Report
DATE: September 4, 2024
Approved Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Accept the annual report on the City Manager’s Office of Emergency Management Work Plan priorities for Fiscal Year 2023-2024, including an update on efforts to improve resiliency in responding to disasters.
BACKGROUND
The City of San José responded to atmospheric river events for two consecutive winters, beginning in 2023, a phenomenon that has not occurred in recent history. This required the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to enhance its emergency management plans, processes, and procedures to better align with future events likely related to climate change. To keep pace with change, the City of San José’s Emergency Management Organization will also need to grow and adapt its resources and capabilities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from all emergencies and disasters.
In Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-2024, OEM included 12 full-time positions. These positions were comprised of ten permanent positions funded by the General Fund (all were filled through June 30, 2024) and two limit-dated positions funded by the Urban Area Security Initiative Grant through June 30, 2024 (both were filled).
In FY 2024-2025, OEM includes 12 full-time positions. These positions include ten permanent positions funded by the General Fund and two limit-dated positions funded by the Urban Areas Security Initiative grant. All positions are currently filled. One of the two limit-dated positions is grant-funded through June 30, 2025. The other limit-dated position is grant-funded through December 31, 2024. Subsequently, the position will be sustained through June 30, 2025, utilizing departmental vacancy savings identified in FY 2023-2024 and reallocated for the latter half of 2024-2025.
COMMITTEE AGENDA: 9/19/24
ITEM: (d)3.
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
September 4, 2024
Subject: City Manager’s Office of Emergency Management Work Plan Priorities Annual Report
The City will continue to assess the feasibility of converting recurring, one-time-funded positions into permanent roles within the OEM to enhance long-term staffing stability.
This report will review the Key Results associated with each of the four Objectives below from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024 and outline the OEM Work Plan for July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025.
1. The City has a plan to tackle any emergency;
2. Residents, businesses, and employees are ready to take action and able to answer a “call to action”;
3. The public trusts the City to provide vital information; and
4. Our response is optimized through technology.
ANALYSIS
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WORK PLAN KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS
(July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024)
This section outlines significant achievements that occurred during FY 2023-2024 in coordination and collaboration with other City departments. They are categorized by OEM’s Program Objectives.
Objective 1 - The City has a plan to tackle any emergency. Published the Multi-Year Training & Exercise Plan, which established an annual emergency management and preparedness activities workhour commitment for all employees and outlined integrated training and exercise calendars to build capabilities in accordance with City priorities. (November 2023) Conducted a Continuity of Operations Plan tabletop exercise with 53 participants from various City departments to initiate discussions on how the City will continue to provide essential services during disasters and emergencies. (January 2024) Assembled an Incident Management Team and activated the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to coordinate with the Office of Communications and the City Attorney’s Office the writing and proclaiming of a local emergency, including an emergency evacuation order; collaborated with the Office of Communications, San José Police Department, Housing Department, and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers to ensure communication to all San José residents; and worked with the Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services, Housing Department, and the American Red Cross to expand the hours and capacity of Roosevelt Community Center to operate as an Emergency Evacuation Center. (January - February 2024)
Activated the City’s Power Vulnerability Plan in response to a countywide power outage, where re-energization was focused on key City facilities such as fire stations, the Public Works South Yard, and Emergency Interim Housing sites;
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
September 4, 2024
Subject: City Manager’s Office of Emergency Management Work Plan Priorities Annual Report
and welfare checks were conducted for identified medically vulnerable individuals. (February 2024)
Reconvened the Emergency Services Council to approve updates to the Emergency Management Ordinance and recommend adoption by the City Council, approve updates to the Emergency Operations Plan – Base Plan, and approve modifications to the CERT Training Curriculum. (April 2024) Hosted two Supply Chain Tabletop Exercises that focused on restoring food and water supply chain scenarios after a catastrophic earthquake, including how to address supply chain vulnerabilities and leverage emergency policies to expedite response and recovery. (May, June 2024)
Finalized the Extreme Temperature Response Plan, which outlines considerations for how the City can respond to extreme heat or extreme cold temperature events. (June 2024)
Assembled an Incident Management Team to proactively prepare for and respond to anticipated heat events coming through the Santa Clara Valley; maintained communications for situational awareness; and operated Cooling Centers. (June 2024)
Objective 2 - Residents, businesses, and employees are ready to take action and able to answer a “call to action.”
Conducted two four-day Essentials of Emergency Management courses for 40 EOC personnel, providing foundational training in EOC management, including a 1-day immersive functional exercise. (November 2023, March 2024) Graduated 274 new CERT members with participants from every City Council district. Trainings were conducted in English, Vietnamese, and Spanish. (June 2024)
Completed 21 Personal Emergency Preparedness presentations, reaching 1,020 residents, and OEM staff and CERT volunteers attended several outreach events, connecting with over 10,272 community members. (June 2024) Objective 3 - The public trusts the City to provide vital information. Coordinated with the San José Police Department to conduct evacuation announcements along waterways utilizing Long Range Acoustic Devices and collaborated with the Office of Communications to publish six Flash Reports during Atmospheric River events. (February 2024)
Completed 36 Disaster District Office site visits at various City facilities to plan for potential councilmember satellite offices during a disaster or emergency. (June 2024)
Coordinated with Valley Water to review and provide input to the Joint Emergency Action Plan and specific Emergency Action plans for Anderson, Almaden, Calero, Coyote, Guadalupe, and Austrian Dams. (June 2024) Objective 4 - Our response is optimized through technology. Collaborated with the Office of Employee Relations and the Information Technology Department to formalize the Disaster Service Worker training program to meet state and federal guidelines. At the end of FY 2023-2024,
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
September 4, 2024
Subject: City Manager’s Office of Emergency Management Work Plan Priorities Annual Report
90.2% of all eligible City staff completed Disaster Service Worker training (5,613 out of 6,224 eligible employees); and 95.6% of all eligible City staff are compliant with Disaster Service Worker training. (August 2023)
Partnered with the San José State University School of Information Systems and Technology to host six Management Information Systems students, who created an interactive CERT dashboard based on a concurrent update to the CERT database. (September 2023)
Partnered with the San José State University Department of Radio, Television, and Film to host a student intern who produced numerous training and promotional videos for OEM. (October 2023)
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WORK PLAN KEY PRIORITIES
(July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025)
The Citywide Emergency Management Work Plan Priorities for FY 2024-2025 will be measured by the following Key Results.
Objective 1 - City has a plan to tackle any emergency.
Develop trainings and exercises on the base Emergency Operations Plan and all six support annexes.
Conduct training and exercises on the Continuity of Government and Continuity of Operations Plan.
Implement the Multi-Year Training & Exercise Plan to build EOC position competency, “EOC 101” introductory course, and Sport & Special Event training in preparation for the Super Bowl and World Cup in 2026.
Objective 2 - Residents, businesses, and employees are ready to take action and able to answer a “call to action.”
Maintain an over 90% completion rate for City staff Disaster Service Worker training requirements.
Continue partnering with the Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Project Hope team to expand the CERT program to additional Project Hope sites.
Pilot the self-paced, online version of the CERT training to provide an additional training option to the in-person and hybrid versions with a goal of increasing the number of CERT graduates in the City.
Objective 3 - The public trusts the City to provide vital information. Continue to reach over 1,000 residents a year through communications, outreach, and education events and build relationships within vulnerable populations and in vulnerable areas in San José.
Deliver accurate and timely public information in multiple languages and with a focus on access and functional needs, both as part of preparedness efforts and in the case of an emergency.
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
September 4, 2024
Subject: City Manager’s Office of Emergency Management Work Plan Priorities Annual Report
In coordination with the Housing and Planning, Building and Code Enforcement Departments, continue planning for the implementation of a mandatory soft-story ordinance pending City Council approval, including a grant pilot project and options for property owners to finance retrofits.
Objective 4 - Our response is optimized through technology. Ensure full operationalization of the new Emergency Operations Center. Finalize the installation of key technology equipment and conduct routine testing. Explore how the implementation of digital platforms, including artificial intelligence, might improve the efficiency and effectiveness of processes and procedures that prepare for, respond to, and facilitate recovery from disasters and emergencies.
CONCLUSION
The City Manager’s Office of Emergency Management continues to engage and guide the Emergency Management Organization through all phases of emergency response – prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. Through updating of the City’s emergency plans and the continued implementation of trainings and exercises, OEM ensures that the City is ready to respond to any hazard, incident, or emergency.
While floods, fires, and earthquakes remain potential threats, there is a renewed focus on preparedness for other potential disasters, such as extreme temperatures, with a focus on communities that may be more vulnerable to the impacts of such disasters.
The City will continue to prioritize the four Objectives described in this memorandum.
COORDINATION
This memo has been coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office and City Manager’s Budget Office.
Raymond Riordan
Director, City Manager’s Office of
Emergency Management
For questions, please contact Alvin Galang, Assistant to the City Manager, City Manager’s Office of Emergency Management, at [email protected] or (408) 794-7055.