NEIGHBORHOOD DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

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NEIGHBORHOODDISASTERPREPAREDNESS
January 9, 2008
Presenters Annette Ashton Al Dorsky Ken Dueker
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AGENDA
Changing the role of citizens from victim to
partner during disasters

• Setting the Stage
• Palo Alto Neighborhoods
• Neighborhood Preparation
• City Perspective
• Q A

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SETTING THE STAGECITY OF PALO ALTO OVERVIEW

• During an emergency, City staff will respond to
  events in the following order of priority
• Life safety
• Property protection

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The Palo Alto Problem

• The daytime population in Palo Alto is well over
  100,000. And add another 35,000 for normal
  Stanford campus population can be up to an
  additional 100,000 during Stanford Football.
• 61,200 PA residents in 27,000 single and
  multi-family dwellings in 30 neighborhoods over
  26 sq. mi.
• There are roughly 6,000 business with 100,000
  employees. Some are (should be) disaster
  resources.

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RESPONSE CAPABILITIES

• There are only 32 firefighters on duty on any
  given day. (It takes appx. 15 -20 firefighters
  to respond safely to one full-structure
  incident.)
• There are only 8-10 police officers on duty on
  any given day.
• There are 40 Utilities operational personnel for
  Electrical Operations and 30 in Water, Gas, and
  Wastewater.
• There are 40 Public Works operational personnel

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CORE GOALS

• The City wants residents and businesses (etc.) to
  be resources, not victims.
• PEOPLE, not plans in a binder, are the key to
  response and recovery. Must have COMMUNICATIONS
  to achieve.
• Community can provide information to City

• Initial Damage Estimate
• Transportation Status
• Incident Reporting
• Resource Sharing

Eyes and Ears Function
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FULLY-IMPAIRED SCENARIO

• Absence of (reliable) infrastructure phone
  Internet out
• Emergency Public Information (Community Alerting
  and Notification System-CANS)
• Neighborhood Communication
• Link to government must follow span of control

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• Communications Links

Palo Alto City Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
Incident Command Post (ICP) at Fire Station
Neighborhood Preparedness Coordinator
Block Preparedness Coordinator
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PAN (Palo Alto Neighborhoods) DISASTER EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS OBJECTIVES

• Prepare neighbor-to-neighbor, block-to-block,
• Community-to-community
• Develop standards (best practices) across the
  city
• Decide how to communicate up the line as well as
  receive information down the line

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PAN ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Survey Residents on the need for timely
  communications
• Pandemic Influenza briefing 2/1/07
• PAN web site on Disaster/Emergency Preparedness
  Information http//www.PANeighborhoods.org/ep
• Develop roles of Block Neighborhood
  Preparedness Coordinator
• Emergency Preparedness Faire at July 4 Chili
  Cook-off
• Discussion of neighborhood issues with the City
  of Palo Alto

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WHY SHOULD RESIDENTS ORGANIZE/PREPARE?

• Risk is ever-present.
• Natural disaster earthquake, flood
• Terrorism/Criminal Acts bombing, shooting, etc.
• Fires
• Accidents, chemical spill, technological failures
• Disease - pandemic influenza

Changing the role of citizens from victim to
partner during emergencies
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STEPS FOR BEING PREPARED
Make a Family Disaster Plan
Build a Kit Water, food, shelter, medications
KZSU 90.1 FM
Get Trained First Aid, CPR
Volunteer Block Preparedness Coordinator, CERT,
Red Cross, HAM etc.

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BLOCK PREPAREDNESS COORDINATOR
Emergency/Disaster Crime
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BPCKEY ACTIVITIES

• Meet your neighbors
• Create a neighborhood list for use in activity
  planning and emergencies. Provide each neighbor
  with the list.
• Distribute information from the Neighborhood
  the City communicate needs, issues upwards to
  Neighborhoods to City/Council
• Coordinate with Neighborhood Preparedness
  Coordinator
• Communication node for emergency/disaster
• Plan an event once a year
• Build a kit
• Use your own ideas and creativity

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NEIGHBORHOOD PREPAREDNESS COORDINATORKEY
ACTIVITIES

• Coordinate emergency/disaster preparation for the
  neighborhood.
• Serve as a communication node for your
  Neighborhood
• Point of contact during a disaster
• Coordinate BPCs Disaster Communications

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ROLES BPC NPC vs. PANDA
PANDA BPC NPC Coordinator
Number 600 trained 1000-2500 needed
Disaster Service Worker Yes Future ?
Administered by PA Fire Department Neighborhood
In an emergency Reports to PANDA trailer first (but can assist neighbors on way in) Stays in block/neighborhood
Training 20-hour Course BPC 3 hours (4 for NPC)
Training by Fire OES PAN with help of PAPD
Communication role RACES Ham from PANDA Trailers to EOC FRS channel 5 in field FRS runners connect BPCs to NPCs Ham runners connect NPCs to PANDA Trailers
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BPC NPC TrainingCore Modules

• NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATION
• COMMUNICATIONS
• COMM I
• COMM II (NPC only)
• Damage Assessment
• Total 3 hours for BPC training (4 hours for NPC)

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BPC NPC TrainingOPTIONAL MODULES

• OPTIONAL
• Neighborhood Watch
• FUTURE
• Red Cross (CPR, First Aid)
• Animal Care
• Sensitivity Training
• ICS (Incident Command System)
• FEMA (Dealing with government agencies)

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MAPS

• A detailed map of the City of Palo Alto is
  available
• Each neighborhood can prepare a detailed map of
  its own neighborhood and each block in its
  neighborhood from a disc that will be provided.
• Help will be available if needed

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NEIGHBORHOOD
Fire hydrant
swimming pool
BLOCK
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PROOF OF CONCEPTWhy Have BPCs NPCs?

• A good example of what NPCs and BPCs can
  accomplish was the neighborhood participation in
  the Golden Guardian exercise of Nov. 14, 2007
• Neighborhood participation was designed to simply
  test the capabilities of internal communications

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GOLDEN GUARDIAN DRILLNOVEMBER 14, 2007

• Overall neighborhood participation exceeded
  expectations
• Variety of communications used FRS, phone (cell
  and landline) and runners
• Neighborhoods able to report people attending
  concert and people with symptoms within 40
  minutes of CANS alert

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NEXT STEPS

• Commit your neighborhood to participate
• Identify, recruit, and train NPCs and BPCs
• Encourage CANS sign-up
• Appoint a representative to PAN EP Committee
• Participate with PAN in city wide drills

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NEIGHBORHOODCOMMITMENT

• Sign the attendance sheet
• Information, news
• Training
• Events
• Contact adorsky_at_yahoo.com
• epvolunteers_at_paneighborhoods.org
• Key Neighborhood Contact
• DONT BE ON YOUR OWN - JOIN US

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City of Palo Alto Perspective

• Kelly Morariu
• Assistant to the City Manager
• Sheryl ContoisDirector, Police Technical
  Services

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Changing the role of citizens from victim to
partner during disasters
DONT BE ON YOUR OWN JOIN US.