After the Big One, Will Critical County Services Survive?

Findings and Recommendations 3 findings

F2

86 Department Safety Representatives have other duties and responsibilities and no formal safety training. Conflicts of interest may arise when employees inspect their own departments, and any such inspection lacks organizational independence.

Related Recommendations (1)

R2

Transfer the safety inspection and enforcement responsibilities from Department Safety Representatives to the centralized County Safety Office.

F3

There is a lack of adequate nonstructural earthquake hazard mitigation standards consistently applied across all County buildings, including those owned and occupied by the Orange County Fire Authority.

Related Recommendations (1)

R3

Adopt uniform and consistent standards on nonstructural earthquake hazard mitigation based on guidelines similar to the ones in FEMA 74. These standards should be applied to all critical County buildings including the Sheriff-Coroner Department, Orange County Fire Authority, among others, and all County data centers.

F4

Some County data centers housing critical computer and telecommunication equipment are using water in their fire suppression system rather than inert gas. Responses to Findings F-1a, F-1b, F-2, F-3 and F-4 are requested from the County Executive Officer. Responses to Findings F-1b and F-4 are required from the Orange County Sheriff- Coroner. Response to Finding F-3 is required from the Orange County Fire Authority. RECOMMENDATIONS In accordance with California Penal Code sections 933 and 933.05, each recommendation will be responded to by the government entity to which it is addressed. The responses are to be submitted to the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court. Based on the findings of this report, the 2007-2008 Orange County Grand Jury makes the following recommendations:

Related Recommendations (1)

R4

Require all data centers in Orange County, including the Loma Ridge EOC and others, to replace water-based fire suppression systems with those using inert gas, based upon the Standard on Clean Agent Fire Extinguishing Systems, 2004 Edition published by the National Fire Protection Association. Responses to Recommendations R-1a, R-1b, R-2, R-3 and R-4 are requested from the County Executive Officer. Responses to Recommendations R-1b and R4 are required from the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner. Response to Recommendation R-3 is required from the Orange County Fire Authority. REQUIRED RESPONSES: The California Penal Code specifies the required permissible responses to the findings and recommendations contained in this report. The specific sections are quoted below: §933.05 (a) For purposes of subdivision (b) of Section 933, as to each grand jury finding, the responding person or entity shall indicate one of the following: 9 (1) The respondent agrees with the finding. (2) The respondent disagrees wholly or partially with the finding, in which case the response shall specify the portion of the finding that is disputed and shall include an explanation of the reasons therefore. (b) For purposes of subdivision (b) of Section 933, as to each grand jury recommendation, the responding person or entity shall report one of the following actions: (1) The recommendation has been implemented, with a summary regarding the implemented action. (2) The recommendation has not yet been implemented, but will be implemented in the future, with a timeframe for implementation. (3) The recommendation requires further analysis, with an explanation and the scope and parameters of an analysis or study, and a timeframe for the matter to be prepared for discussion by the officer or head of the agency or department being investigated or reviewed, including the governing body of the public agency when applicable. This timeframe shall not exceed six months from the date of publication of the grand jury report. (4) The recommendation will not be implemented because it is not warranted or is not reasonable, with an explanation therefore. REFERENCES “Reducing the Risks of Nonstructural Earthquake Damage: A Practical Guide”, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 74, September 1994 “Earthquake Hazard Mitigation for Nonstructural Elements”, Field Manual, FEMA 74-FM, September 2005 Nonstructural Earthquake Mitigation Guidance Manual, FEMA/URS May 28, 2004 Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, Section 404 Uptime Institute, Inc. (www.uptimeinstitute.org) Environment, Safety and Health Manual: Document 22.4 Earthquakes, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, 2007 Victor Avelar, “Mitigating Fire Risks in Mission Critical Facilities”, White Paper #83, American Power Conversion (APC) ”Standard for the Protection of Information Technology Equipment” Nation Fire Protection Association, 2003 10

Conclusions 1

CL1

Orange County government is not prepared for an earthquake of similar magnitude to the 1994 Northridge or the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquakes. The 2007-2008 Orange County Grand Jury concluded that damage to the nonstructural components of County buildings may result in injuries to personnel and the disabling of critical components such as computers and telecommunications. County data processing centers, the Sheriff-Coroner Department’s Loma Ridge Emergency Operations Center and the Orange County Fire Authority’s Emergency Operations Center are facilities with essential functions that must remain operational during and after an earthquake. Damage to their nonstructural elements, which include building utilities such as water pipes, chilled water, fire sprinkler lines, HVAC ducts, etc., can cause a loss of functionality. Newly established guidelines, similar to the ones in FEMA 74, need to be developed and applied in inspecting these critical County buildings. 7

Agency Responses 1

Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.

County Executive Officer

December 12, 2008 • 2 responses • Score: 0 (+0, 1, 0) View Details ▾

PDF

2 responses to findings and recommendations

R1

The nursing and executive staffs of Correctional Medical Services continue to provide professional, competent and dedicated quality medical service to the inmates housed in Orange County Jail Facilities.

Response: Unknown

Score: 0

r 1s t of that year. The inspection reports were sent via interoffice mail to CEORisk ManagementJSafety & Loss Prevention Program for review. As a result of the information obtained during the Program Evaluations (review of inspection reports), County Safety Office staff found that departments were not correctly identifying hazardous conditions as evidenced by visual observations during random on-site visits. In view of the information gathered from the Program Evaluations, it was determined that a change in the inspection process was necessary. In January 2008, a memo to all department heads ...

R4

The Orange County Sheriff-Coroner’s Department replace the existing four Liebert UPS units with four other units of 60 to 80 Kva each. Responses to Recommendations R-1a, R-2a, R-3a, and R-4 are required from the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner. Responses to Recommendations R-1b, R-2b and R-3b are required from the Orange County Board of Supervisors. REQUIRED RESPONSES: The California Penal Code specifies the required permissible responses to the findings and recommendations contained in this repor...

Response: Requires Analysis

Score: 0

R 4 Data Centers: Require all data centers in Orange County, including the Loma Ridge EOC and others, to replace water-based fire suppression systems with those using inert gas, based upon the Standard on Clean Agent Fire Extinwishing Svstems, 2004 Edition published by the National Fire Protection Association. Exhibit 2 Thef ollowing chart provides individual responses to this recommendation for each County data center. The Orange County Sheriff-Coroner will provide a response separately for its data centers. warranted or is not reasonable. warranted or is not reasonable. ng to complete this p...