Of Yorba Lind*

Information sent out about evacuation during the Canyon 2 fire to be inconsistent, and confused residents. The City of Yorba Linda cannot agree or disagree with this finding. The City of Response: Yorba Linda was not directly impacted by the Canyon 2 Fire, therefore did not provide any Emergency Public Information to the public. The City maintained timely communication with representatives from the Orange County Fire Authority and the Orange County Sheriff's Department throughout the incident. Some emergency management personnel, tasked with creating and

disseminating Emergency Public Information, in a rapidly evolving, multijurisdictional emergency did not fully understand their roles and responsibilities. The City of Yorba Linda disagrees with this finding. The City of Yorba Linda did Response: not transmit any Emergency Public Information regarding the Canyon 2 Fire or the Holy Fire. Early into the Canyon 2 Fire incident, key City staff reviewed roles and responsibilities if any information would be disseminated by the City. If the City of Yorba Linda had to inform residents of any evacuation or preventive measures, all actions would have been at the direction of the Unified Commanders and support the overall safety of the public. BIRTHPLACE OF RICHARD M. NIXON - 37TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES CITY OF YORBA LINDA

No training standards for Public Information Officers exist and there are no formal written protocols for issuance of mass notification, including required training on the use of mass notification system. The City of Yorba Linda disagrees partially with this statement. Even though Response: there are no local training requirements for Public Information Officers, both FEMA and California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), provide courses and credentialing in the position of Public Information Officer. The City has identified several employees that are responsible for disseminating information during an incident. In September 2017, the City hired a full-time Communications Coordinator. This individual is responsible to monitor and provide pertinent timely information through numerous social platforms daily. If there was a need to provide safety information, the City can disseminate information not only through the mass notification system, but also through these social platforms. Also, these individuals routinely attend training not only on the use of the mass notification system, but also local seminars on the challenges of public information. The lack of a standard written protocol for Alert and Warnings decreased the

ability of the County and Operational Area jurisdiction to speak with one voice when it comes to alerting the public during emergencies. The City of Yorba Linda cannot agree or disagree with this finding. The City of Response: Yorba Linda was not directly impacted by the Canyon 2 Fire, therefore did not provide any Emergency Public Information to the public. The City has developed a draft Alert and Warning Guideline to provide guidance to City staff on the proper procedures and protocols in disseminating information to the public. The City will ensure this document will work in unison with Operational Area, State, and Federal guidelines. Once this document is finalized, key staff personnel will be briefed and trained on this document. The County and interviewed cities do not seek sufficient public feedback of

the perceptions of effective of the Emergency Public Information. The City of Yorba Linda disagrees with this finding. Because these two Response: incidents (Canyon 2 Fire and Holy Fire) did not directly impact the City, information was not disseminated by the City. If the City had been involved or impacted, several community meetings and web-based questionnaires would have been available to obtain information from the public.

The lack of standardized emergency management terminology among the various jurisdictions within Orange County causes delays and confusion in the dissemination of Emergency Public Information. The City of Yorba Linda agrees with this finding. The City will continue to Response: participate in any working groups established to mitigate and coordinate common terminology with public information. This item will also be addressed in the City's Alert and Warning Guideline under development.

Orange County jurisdictions and the California Highway Patrol lack a joint plan for evacuation routes; thus, evacuation can be chaotic, creating increased potential for a danger to residents. BIRTHPLACE OF RICHARD M. NIXON - 37" PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. CITY OF YORBA LINDA The City of Yorba Linda agrees with this finding. Even though there is not a joint Response: plan between the City and the California Highway Patrol, the City of Yorba Linda Police Services has communicated with adjoining cities to ensure each agencies evacuation plan do not conflict each other. Also, the City and our police service partners routinely attend meetings at the local, state, and federal level to ensure coordination of any plans on evacuation routes. RESPONSE TO RECOMMENTATIONS Per of the Grand Jury Report, the City of Yorba Linda is required to respond to Grand Jury Recommendations R2, R3, R4, R7, R8. Those responses are provided immediately below.