Solano County Is Not Prepared For Future Emergencies

R1

– Consolidate all existing Solano County emergency management, planning, and prevention services into one Department of Emergency Management, providing an umbrella to coordinate existing county and city functions related to emergency and disaster events.

R2a

– Develop compatible evacuation zones and routes throughout the county.

R2b

– Create public awareness of evacuation zones and routes. COMMENT 1 - With the economy badly damaged by the COVID pandemic, those searching for solutions to address the emergency needs of our community need to look beyond new taxes, which could exacerbate the already fragile personal financial health of many Solano County residents. There are state and national financial sources for emergency prevention and preparedness which the County must thoroughly explore and implement first. Solano County must seriously consider hiring dedicated grant writers to provide the necessary funding to address emergency needs. Our neighbor, Sonoma County, faced similar issues and has hired grant writers whose work has since been instrumental in funding most of the changes and improvements to its emergency safety measures. COMMENT 2 - More wildfires will occur locally in areas that cross district and city boundary lines. In interviews with fire chiefs, the Solano County Civil Grand Jury heard “Predictable is preventable” and “Someone has to be the parent.” As local rural fire districts struggle to maintain equipment and keep training current for volunteers and professional firefighters, their situations impact all areas of the county. With every new city annexation, the rural fire district losing the annexed area also loses property tax revenues. Although each affected fire district receives mitigation payments at the time of annexation, it will face a loss of regular income once those have ceased. A Solano County Department of Emergency Management, including dedicated grant writers, would take the lead in clarifying responsibilities between agencies and look for a long-term solution, using grant funds as appropriate to support the process. COMMENT 3 - During an evacuation or a significant highway disruption, residents rely on the ability to move out of a dangerous area. Well-designed, safe roadways are essential to the process. In Solano County, several roads serve as alternate routes between cities when Interstate 80 is not available or has limited access, including Jepson Parkway and Columbus Parkway. As cities approve new developments along sections of those roads, the developers and cities reach agreements about the deadlines for completion of needed roadway improvements. Cities vary in their expectations. While some areas of these roads are improved early in the construction phase, other sections are not scheduled for improvement until a significant number of housing units are 8 completed. The Solano County Civil Grand Jury heard specific concerns in 2022 about traffic safety on Vanden Road near Canon Road, in Fairfield, and Columbus Parkway between Regents Park Drive and Benicia Road, in Vallejo. As the region moves to improve evacuation plans, jurisdictions should pay increased attention to deadlines for completion of these impacted roadways so the routes can handle traffic during an emergency.