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Extracted from Consolidated Report
This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.
San Mateo County Grand Jury
• 2005-2006
Introduction | Residents | Special District | SFO | Public Schools | Radio Networks | SamTrans When the Big One Comes
⚠️ 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 56 findings
F1
Emergency Preparedness, Earthquake Preparedness
F2
Basic First Aid, Triage
F3
Light Search and Rescue
F4
Incident Command System
F5
A Hands-On Exercise A survey of the cities and municipalities in San Mateo County (County) found the following: Number of City CERT Program Individuals Trained Atherton Yes 30 Belmont Yes 38 Brisbane Yes 65 Broadmoor No 0 Burlingame Inactive 0 Colma No 0 Daly City Yes 40 East Palo Alto Yes 50 Foster City Yes 214 Half Moon Bay No 0 Hillsborough Yes 50 Menlo Park Yes 300 Millbrae Inactive 0 Pacifica No 0 Redwood City Yes (New In2006) 0 San Bruno Inactive 0 San Carlos Yes 36 San Mateo Yes (New In 2006) 0 South San Francisco Yes (New In2006) 0 Woodside Fire District (Woodside, Yes 300+ Portola Valley, and nearby County) Total 1123 7 The total trained is approximately 0.1% (or 1 in 1,000) of the population of San Mateo County. Expressed another way, only 0.4% of all households in the County have trained residents, ranging from more than 5% in the Woodside Fire District to 0% in many cities. CERT programs often turn to Neighborhood Watch programs (Watch programs) to recruit residents to train in emergency preparedness. Watch programs are coordinated by police departments and are primarily used for crime prevention. These programs have existed for several years and are widespread throughout the County. They take several forms and vary in physical boundaries, membership, organization, goals, and scope. Some Watch Programs have begun limited disaster preparedness training, covering such topics as:
F6
Where to meet in an emergency
F7
Where non-ambulatory residents live
F8
Communications basics Conclusions Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) programs provide excellent training for local residents and instructs them how to prepare for and respond to local disasters. Very little of this training, however, is actually carried out. Only 1,123 individuals in the County have been trained and, of these, 800 reside in only three communities. Indeed, 10 out of the 21 cities and municipalities in the County have not trained a single individual. The more common Neighborhood Watch programs could provide a greater cadre of people interested in CERT training.
F9
San Mateo County and the San Francisco Airport are currently mutual aid partners in a number of arenas: o SFO relies on county hospitals for surge capacity in the event of an incident at the airport. o SFO has a joint agreement with the San Mateo Department of Public Health regarding the protection against and treatment of communicable diseases. o SFO conducts an annual air crash exercise involving County resources. 18 o The fire departments of both SFO and those within the County are available to help one another in case of need. For example, SFO assistance was used in responding to a fuel truck fire on highway 101.
F10
SFO has a positive and informal relationship with the Office of Emergency Services (OES).
F11
The County Sheriff is responsible for investigation of all criminal activity at SFO and maintains an office at the airport.
F12
The Federal Aviation Agency requires that SFO be prepared to meet nine types of emergencies. The airport exceeds this and prepares for 13 different types of emergencies, including a major earthquake.
F13
SFO operates a state-of-the-art emergency operations center located at the airport.
F14
SFO and the County are currently discussing the hazards associated with opening a fuel depot in South San Francisco.
F15
According to County officials the airport represents a major risk to the County, but it also has considerable resources that could be used to assist in an emergency.
F16
Overall emergency planning in the County is the primary responsibility of the Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) which is funded through a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) between the 20 incorporated cities and the County. The governing body of the JPA is the Emergency Services Council.
F17
SFO is not a member of the JPA. Conclusions The location of the airport within the County dictates that the two entities coordinate their response to certain emergencies. The airport represents many risks to the county but it also possesses many resources that can benefit the County in a crisis. The need for comprehensive mutual aid agreements and disaster preparedness plans will increase if an airport fuel depot is located in South San Francisco. The foregoing Findings point to the need to include SFO in the emergency planning of San Mateo County.
F18
All districts have a plan for caring for children in the event of an emergency. Several districts are in the process of revising and standardizing the plan for all schools they administer.
F19
Among the potential disasters for which schools prepare are fire, earthquake, intruder-on-campus, bomb threat, hazardous materials incident, civil defense threat, windstorm, or flood.
F20
Most districts review their emergency plans annually and conduct periodic drills or simulations with students, ranging from monthly fire drills to annual or semi- annual earthquake or intruder drills. Reviews are conducted at various times of the year.
F21
The full-time employees of all districts are trained and understand their assigned responsibilities to care for children in the event of an emergency. Training is conducted annually.
F22
With respect to holding students for an extended period of time, there is wide variation among districts. The time periods range from a few hours to three days (72 hours). Several school districts have committed to holding students "until parents arrive to pick up children."
F23
Most schools expect to communicate with parents through cellular phones or land-line telephones. A variety of phone trees, automated calling systems, and radio station broadcasts were mentioned as alternate communication methods.
F24
Several schools can communicate with police or fire departments directly by radio and do not depend on telephones.
F25
Nearly all districts inform their students of what to expect in case of an emergency or disaster.
F26
High schools release older students (grades 9 - 12) on their own; elementary schools release students only to parents or other designated individuals.
F27
Among special preparations are the following: o Walkie-talkies to connect to emergency lines o Each classroom equipped with an emergency backpack containing basic first aid supplies and emergency contact and release information for each child in the class o Students bringing their own disaster kits with boxed drinks, granola bars, and other snacks to be stored at the school o Availability of a book of student photographs for emergency personnel to use 22 Conclusions The Grand Jury found that all school districts have emergency plans for the care of students should a disaster or other emergency occur during school hours. There is variation among the plans, and several areas that warrant attention are outlined in the following recommendations. The Grand Jury concluded that it was important that parents be aware of emergency plans.
F28
All law enforcement personnel interviewed stated that the county-wide digital radio network does not currently perform as well as expected. The initial trial of digital radios by the Redwood City Police Department was marred by coverage gaps and the poor performance of handheld radios inside buildings. The Redwood City Police Department has subsequently switched to the digital radio network and is working with ISD to optimize its performance in Redwood City.
F29
The proponents of the digital network in ISD believe the following. o The digital system offers capabilities not available with analog equipment, e.g., message encryption and data transmission. o Analog radio equipment will not perform as well as digital equipment with narrowband channels. o Their current efforts to improve system performance will correct both the real and perceived shortcomings.
F30
Most of the local police departments are reluctant to forsake their existing analog radio systems and migrate to the County’s digital system because the digital system does not perform as well as their existing systems.
F31
It is critically important that handheld radios function properly in all locations, including within buildings. Most local police departments have installed enough analog receivers to guarantee satisfactory performance of their current systems. 30
F32
Some local police departments have purchased analog radios that are capable of either wide or narrowband operation, and those agencies have stated that they plan to convert their radios to narrowband channels when necessary, i.e., before 2013.
F33
Local police departments have conducted some experiments with narrowband channels, and the results show that they can expect to successfully convert their existing analog networks to conform to the FCC mandate.
F34
There is a significant difference in the cost of the two types of radio: a mobile radio suitable for use on the county digital network costs roughly three times as much ($3500 vs. $1200) as an analog radio used by local police departments. A digital receiving/transmitting station costs more than an analog station. The station recently added atop the Hall of Justice cost approximately $500,000.
F35
When officers from different local police departments communicate by radio, their conversations must travel over the County digital network. The call originates from a handheld or mobile radio and is transmitted as an analog signal to a base station. There the signal is digitized and transmitted over the County digital network to a base station in the second jurisdiction. The signal is then converted back to analog and transmitted to an officer in the field.
F36
The typical life of base station radios is 12 to 15 years. Mobile radios typically last seven to ten years and handheld radios five to seven years. Analog radio technology is mature and will be less commonly used in 20 years. Digital radio technology is much newer and is still evolving. It is expected to become less expensive in the future and it may eventually replace analog technology. Conclusions
F37
It is essential that the acknowledged performance shortcomings of the County’s digital radio network be corrected so that the safety of officers in the field is not compromised.
F38
Local police departments are correct to insist that any radio technology they employ must provide excellent performance with both mobile and handheld radios.
F39
The analog radio users that plan to convert their radios to narrowband operation need to know with certainty that narrowband analog equipment will perform satisfactorily and meet future requirements. 31
F40
The proponents of the digital radio network and the users of the many analog radio networks disagree on whether analog radios will perform satisfactorily with narrowband channels
F41
Given the interdependence of the radio users and the climate of changing radio technology, the parties involved need to manage the evolution of the public safety communication system with minimum disruption and maximum efficiency
F42
It is essential that the acknowledged performance shortcomings of the County’s digital radio network be corrected so that the safety of officers in the field is not compromised.
F43
Local police departments are correct to insist that any radio technology they employ must provide excellent performance with both mobile and handheld radios.
F44
The analog radio users that plan to convert their radios to narrowband operation need to know with certainty that narrowband analog equipment will perform satisfactorily and meet future requirements. 31
F45
The proponents of the digital radio network and the users of the many analog radio networks disagree on whether analog radios will perform satisfactorily with narrowband channels
F46
Given the interdependence of the radio users and the climate of changing radio technology, the parties involved need to manage the evolution of the public safety communication system with minimum disruption and maximum efficiency
F47
The plans submitted by SamTrans and Libraries and the draft of the new Public Works plan all address the majority of the critical elements needed to protect the County’s residents and property in case of a disaster.
F48
The Parks and Recreation and the Airport plans need to be improved or rewritten.
F49
The Library, Parks and Recreation, and Airport plans are not SEMS compliant.
F50
The Parks and Recreation plan, the Public Works draft, and the Airport plan need improvement in the areas of training and field exercises.
F51
It is vital that all department heads ensure that the highest quality emergency preparedness plans exist or are written for all agencies or groups under their supervision for which a plan is deemed appropriate. 39
F52
The plans submitted by SamTrans and Libraries and the draft of the new Public Works plan all address the majority of the critical elements needed to protect the County’s residents and property in case of a disaster.
F53
The Parks and Recreation and the Airport plans need to be improved or rewritten.
F54
The Library, Parks and Recreation, and Airport plans are not SEMS compliant.
F55
The Parks and Recreation plan, the Public Works draft, and the Airport plan need improvement in the areas of training and field exercises.
F56
It is vital that all department heads ensure that the highest quality emergency preparedness plans exist or are written for all agencies or groups under their supervision for which a plan is deemed appropriate. 39
Recommendations 9
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R1The San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury recommends that the city council of every city and town in San Mateo County establish and promote an active and ongoing CERT training program with the initial goal of training 5% of its households.
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R2Because leadership matters the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury recommends that: 2.1. All members of the Board of Supervisors become CERT trained as a demonstration of their commitment to this critical individual effort. 2.2. All members of the city council of every city and town in San Mateo County become CERT trained as a demonstration of their commitment to this critical individual effort. Issue | Background | Findings | Conclusions | Recommendations | Responses | Attachments Summary of Disaster Preparedness of Special Districts Issue To what extent are Special Districts in San Mateo County prepared to respond to a disaster? Summary Special districts are governmental agencies that deliver specific services within defined geographic boundaries. The most common special districts fall into the following categories: Police or Fire Protection; Water; Sanitation/Sewer; Healthcare/Hospitals; and Resource Conservation. The functions implemented by special districts for a geographic region are similar to those performed by departments in larger municipalities. The San Mateo Civil Grand Jury (Grand Jury) conducted interviews with staff and board members of 20 Special Districts to determine the level of emergency preparedness of each. In addition, the Grand Jury interviewed personnel from the San Francisco Airport, the California Water Service Company, and the County Office of Emergency Services (OES). (See
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R3The Sheriff should direct the County Office of Emergency Services to commission a study to determine the potential advantages of organizing local Emergency Operations Centers by region rather than by municipality. 15
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R4Are there assigned responsibilities for full time regular employees to care for children in the event there is a disaster during school hours when children are in attendance?
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R5Have the employees been trained and understand their responsibilities? ___ When?
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R6How long is each facility prepared to hold students? ________________________
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R7What are the provisions for communication with parents or guardians and subsequent release of students if an emergency occurs during school hours? (describe briefly)
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R8Do students understand the expectations of the plan, specifically those relating to being released from school? What differences are there for high school, middle school, or elementary schools? Are there any preparations unique to your district which you would like to have shared with other schools and districts? 24
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R9Unique Preparations NA Aircraft HS is No Walkie- Simultane Follow crash/Smo Red Talkies ous SEMS & all g/Wildland Cross within & to telephone of ICS fire/Tidal Evac. emergency to all w/ wave/Wind Facility line & emergenc storm for all administrati y # schools on 25
Conclusions 14
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CL1 Page 31It is essential that the acknowledged performance shortcomings of the County’s digital radio network be corrected so that the safety of officers in the field is not compromised.
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CL2 Page 31Local police departments are correct to insist that any radio technology they employ must provide excellent performance with both mobile and handheld radios.
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CL3 Page 31The analog radio users that plan to convert their radios to narrowband operation need to know with certainty that narrowband analog equipment will perform satisfactorily and meet future requirements. 31
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CL4 Page 32The proponents of the digital radio network and the users of the many analog radio networks disagree on whether analog radios will perform satisfactorily with narrowband channels
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CL5 Page 32Given the interdependence of the radio users and the climate of changing radio technology, the parties involved need to manage the evolution of the public safety communication system with minimum disruption and maximum efficiency
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CL6 Page 39The plans submitted by SamTrans and Libraries and the draft of the new Public Works plan all address the majority of the critical elements needed to protect the County’s residents and property in case of a disaster.
-
CL7 Page 39The Parks and Recreation and the Airport plans need to be improved or rewritten.
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CL8 Page 39The Library, Parks and Recreation, and Airport plans are not SEMS compliant.
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CL9 Page 39The Parks and Recreation plan, the Public Works draft, and the Airport plan need improvement in the areas of training and field exercises.
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CL10 Page 35It is vital that all department heads ensure that the highest quality emergency preparedness plans exist or are written for all agencies or groups under their supervision for which a plan is deemed appropriate. 39
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CL11 Page 8Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) programs provide excellent training for local residents and instructs them how to prepare for and respond to local disasters. Very little of this training, however, is actually carried out. Only 1,123 individuals in the County have been trained and, of these, 800 reside in only three communities. Indeed, 10 out of the 21 cities and municipalities in the County have not trained a single individual. The more common Neighborhood Watch programs could provide a greater cadre of people interested in CERT training.
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CL12 Page 9Interviews conducted with special districts revealed recurring issues and concerns related to three topics: 1) their degree of emergency-preparedness; 2) the coordination of emergency services with the municipalities they serve and with other districts; and 3) County-wide radio communication issues. Not all special districts have disaster preparedness plans or feel confident in their ability to respond adequately in an emergency. Not all special districts belong to associations (such as the Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network [WARN] for water and sanitary districts) whose mission is to support and promote emergency preparedness, disaster response and mutual assistance among their members Many special districts lack close coordination with the municipalities within their jurisdiction as well as with other emergency service providers such as fire departments and police departments. The current OES/JPA structure for disaster response calls only for coordination between each municipality and the County, making special districts tangential to that interaction. Because this structure effectively excludes special districts and because special districts often serve more than one municipality, this could result in a lack of coordination, inefficiency, and duplication of effort in an emergency situation. 14
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CL13 Page 19The location of the airport within the County dictates that the two entities coordinate their response to certain emergencies. The airport represents many risks to the county but it also possesses many resources that can benefit the County in a crisis. The need for comprehensive mutual aid agreements and disaster preparedness plans will increase if an airport fuel depot is located in South San Francisco. The foregoing Findings point to the need to include SFO in the emergency planning of San Mateo County.
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CL14 Page 20The Grand Jury found that all school districts have emergency plans for the care of students should a disaster or other emergency occur during school hours. There is variation among the plans, and several areas that warrant attention are outlined in the following recommendations. The Grand Jury concluded that it was important that parents be aware of emergency plans.
No Responses Found 2
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
Elected County Office
San Mateo County Sheriff
Elected County Office