Go Jump In The Lake

The County of Lake OES has drafted a thorough and exemplary body of work in planning how governmental agencies in the County should prepare for handling emergencies. This planning is evident in the EOP, which was approved by the Board of Supervisors in May 2018. The incorporated cities, Clearlake and Lakeport, have their own Emergency Operations Plans. These civic plans are not included in the county EOP.

OES did not actively involve residents and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community groups in the development of the EOP and apparently had no plans to involve them in the execution of the EOP.

Although the EOP addresses Unified Command in case of an emergency, not all county governmental agencies report through a unified command structure. In an actual wildfire emergency, particularly one spanning multiple jurisdictions, lack of a pre-established unified command structure could result in confusion, miscommunication, and inaction, thus jeopardizing lives.

Issues with Unified Command, operation of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and establishment of the Incident Command System (ICS) could arise within implementation of the EOP. Although the Plan clearly states the purposes and characteristics of these entities, it does not spell out how these entities will be established and coordinated in an actual emergency. The various agencies that respond to fires have already established command protocols that have proved effective and that 124 offer an Incident Command System in addressing fire emergencies. Absent such clear direction for many agencies that normally operate independently and report through disparate management authority, confusion and even disagreement as to who is in command in an emergency and what should be done is likely.

Assignment of authority and responsibility over implementation of the OES to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office is problematic. As noted in the Discussion above, there are three reasons why this assignment may not work: a. The primary focus of the Sheriff’s Office is law enforcement. Emergency response is not purely a law enforcement function and includes many disparate agencies working in concert. General organizational principles would suggest that overall command should be given to the agency with the broadest responsibility. In this case, that would be the Board of Supervisors and the two city Councils. b. Currently, the OES reports to the County Sheriff, who does not report to the BOS. Thus, the line of management authority from BOS to OES is broken and may not function well. The Sheriff does command necessary functions in an emergency, but does not exert either wide authority within County government or any authority within cities and outside agencies. c. The Sheriff’s Office has clearly expressed that it does not have the administrative manpower to adequately manage and supervise both law enforcement functions and emergency planning and operations. In an emergency, this lack of trained and seasoned manpower to manage an emergency could significantly impair necessary actions.

Agencies responsible for emergency services acknowledge that planning and execution related to emergencies can only be effective if it includes both governmental and non-governmental community groups. However, the OES has done little work in helping residents and community groups to prepare for and handle emergencies. In fact, the OES has, in some cases, discouraged active participation by residents and groups, such as homeowner’s associations and amateur radio (ham) operators.

County governmental agency plans and programs for educating and training residents and community groups in how to operate in an emergency are inadequate or non-existent. CalFire does publish and distribute detailed guides on how to plan for and respond to wildfire emergencies. No such informational program exists in the County or city governments. 125

The plans, programs, and systems for warning residents and community organizations of impending or ongoing emergencies have often proved inadequate. In recent wildfire disasters in 2017, technology-based warning systems were ineffective in alerting the majority of residents.

More traditional warning systems, namely sirens, have proved effective in alerting residents to impending or actual emergencies. Such systems are particularly effective when they are protected against electric outages with battery backup. Though such systems do not indicate the nature of the emergency, they are effective in alerting people to actively seek information. Coupled with systems to promulgate emergency information, such warning systems have proved very effective. Hidden Valley Lake community already has an effective siren system in place and operating. The Middletown and Cobb areas have recently installed siren-warning systems.

Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) has already proved its efficacy in educating residents and neighborhoods in preparing for and responding to emergencies. A community action group in Spring Valley, during several recent wildfires, employed CERT training that included self-directed wildfire response. This successful reaction proves the effectiveness of educating and training neighborhoods in emergency preparedness. The Cobb area residents are currently exploring emergency response training. Efforts by other neighborhood groups to obtain CERT training in other locations over the years have been met with apathy by responsible County officials. Some individuals/groups had to obtain training in other counties, such as Mendocino, Napa, Yolo and Marin.

OES has no plans to promote or assist neighborhoods in preparations for obtaining information in emergencies. Of critical importance, in safeguarding residents and community organizations in an anticipated or ongoing emergency, is the ability to deliver accurate and timely information. This is particularly critical in following up a general warning signal, such as a siren or electronic warning. Programs for communicating with residents and community groups in the EOP are inadequate. Effective plans for follow-up of an emergency alert can be implemented through pre- organized non-governmental entities, such as, for example, homeowner’s associations, CERT teams, and Block Captain/Neighborhood Watch programs.

OES plans, programs, guides, and training for evacuation in case of an emergency are inadequate or non-existent. In fact, the Sheriff’s Department has made it clear that it cannot advise residents in establishing evacuation routes or evacuation protocols in case of an impending or ongoing emergency. Such lack of pre-planning could prove fatal in an emergency. 126

Although the EOP includes recognition of the need for plans and programs to evacuate AFN persons in case of an impending or ongoing emergency, actual plans are inadequate or non-existent.

Amateur Radio (Ham) represents a non-governmental communication resource that has been instrumental in the past in providing critical support in emergencies. Hams are specially trained in radio operations and use equipment that is less subject to inoperability due to electrical failures. Hams are committed and highly motivated to provide communication services to Lake County during emergencies. OES has in its plans to include a manned Ham station in the EOC that is being remodeled.

OES personnel indicate that the current location of the OEC is in a radio transmission “blind spot” that would preclude effective transmission of radio signals.