Lake County Grand Jury
• 2015-2016
Grand Jury Art Contest First Place Winner Megan Peterson, Age 16
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 17 findings
F1
Instability in the OES is evident in the turnover in management and rotation between departments since 1995.
No recommendations for this finding
F2
Confusion existed about the identity, staffing and operations of an EOC.
No recommendations for this finding
F3
Confusion existed about the use of the EOP.
No recommendations for this finding
F4
Confusion existed among responders about the role of the OES.
No recommendations for this finding
F5
The local community and County employees had not received adequate training in how to proceed in an emergency.
No recommendations for this finding
F6
A Strategic Plan for the OES was submitted in 2014 but not fully implemented.
No recommendations for this finding
F7
Disaster workers who reported to the EOC at the time of the Valley Fire were uncertain of their responsibilities.
No recommendations for this finding
F8
The County EOP contained outdated information and was removed from the County’s OES webpage during a critical emergency.
No recommendations for this finding
F9
The OES manager position appeared to be formerly underpaid as evidenced by a 20% salary increase with no additional duties or responsibilities for the next OES Manager.
No recommendations for this finding
F10
Supervision of the OES manager was inconsistent.
No recommendations for this finding
F11
Duties and responsibilities of the OES, the OAW, the Disaster Council and the Sheriff’s Department were unclear in terms of the separation of their roles before and during emergencies.
No recommendations for this finding
F12
The Disaster Council was in violation of its bylaws by not holding quarterly meetings announced to the public, or submitting an annual report and strategic plan to the BOS.
No recommendations for this finding
F13
A full-time manager of the OES with adequate support staff was needed to handle the responsibilities of that office.
No recommendations for this finding
F14
One of the job duties of an OES Manager is to obtain grant monies for disaster preparedness and as such has a legitimate need to have a voice in deciding how those monies are spent.
No recommendations for this finding
F15
Advantages of having the OES under the Sheriff’s office are that the Sheriff’s Department is routinely involved in emergencies. In addition, several of the employees of the office have completed certification in disaster preparedness. A potential disadvantage is that the Sheriff’s Office has a great number of responsibilities of its own. Additionally, as an elected official, the position of Sheriff is subject to change every four years.
No recommendations for this finding
F16
An advantage of having the OES report to the County Administrative Officer (CAO) is that this office is policy-driven versus operations-driven, thus facilitating the coordination functions that the office must perform. A potential disadvantage is that the job description of the CAO does not currently require the incumbent to have any expertise in OES functions. Additionally, as an at-will hire, the CAO can be terminated or leave that position at any time without notice.
No recommendations for this finding
F17
Advantages of having the OES exist as an independent agency with adequate support staff, are that federal preparedness grants exist to support such an agency; County coordination of disaster response duties represents a full-time activity; and an independent agency would allow full-time focus on those critical activities.
No recommendations for this finding
No Responses Found 1
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.
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