City of Morro Bay Fire Department*

Recommendations 2

• R4

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  R4- The County and all city fire jurisdictions should offer a chipping program similar to Atascadero. Funds may be available through the Fire Safe Program. A plan for this should be accomplished by the end of the 2019-2020 fiscal year. This recommendation will not be implemented because it is not warranted. The City of Morro Bay has a total of 10.3 square miles which includes its waterfront and bay. Most lots in Morro Bay are smaller with building footprints covering a good portion of their lots. Typical vegetation fuel load in Morro Bay is lighter (1 to 10-hour fuels) which has not required large chipping operations for the business and residential areas in our community. As in all communities in San Luis Obispo County, Morro Bay's weed abatement program and the green waste program through Morro Bay Garbage has proven to be sufficient for the lighter vegetation fuel load removal in Morro Bay. The community of Morro Bay has been successful with hazardous fuel management in the Black Hill forest with the partnership with California State Parks, San Luis County Fire Department, San Luis Obispo Fire Safe Council, and California Conservation Corps. Within Morro Bay's city limits, Morro Bay State Park fills our southern border surrounding by residential neighborhoods and tourist destinations. Since 2013, the Black Hill Forest Hazard Fuel Management Project and Prescribed Fire Program for vegetation management has led to significant fuel load reduction and increased the safety to many residences in south Morro Bay. This program has greatly reduced dead, downed and diseased fuels in the wildland-urban interface, decreased potential for wildfires, enhanced the health of the native plant communities, encouraged increased species composition, restored essential nutrients to the soil, aided in the control of pine pitch canker, and improved our defensible space on areas Reviewed AND 8/13/19 adjacent to neighborhoods and park facilities. www.morro-bay.ca.us | (805) 772-6242 | www.facebook.com/CityofMorroBay MO CITY OF MORRO BAY FIRE DEPARTMENT 715 Harbor Street Morro Bay, CA 93442 Response to
• R7

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  R7- Cities should investigate installing additional warning systems where there are no existing sirens. A draft plan should be finalized by the end of fiscal year 2019-2020. This recommendation will not be implemented because it is not warranted. The City of Morro Bay is currently in Protection Action Zone − 9 and is covered by the PG&E siren system which is described in our Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant annex in both Morro Bay's and San Luis Obispo County's Emergency Management Plan. In your Grand Jury Report, it states, "There is an existing siren system within the county that was built and is maintained by PG&E. This system is currently limited to warnings concerning the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant and is not being used in connection to wildfires or any other purpose, though such use is permitted." This statement is in error as each emergency siren in and surrounding the Morro Bay community can be isolated and used through our Operational Area Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to alert residents and visitors to other emergencies such as tsunamis, wildland fires, and flooding. Through coordination with our Operational Area EOC, the Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages are broadcast immediately following the ending of the sounding sirens. The local EAS stations will continue to broadcast EAS messages advising residents and visitors the appropriate protective actions to be taken. Other public notifications will simultaneously occur through: Reverse 911 • Social Media such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, My Backyard, and PulsePoint • City Website • Press Releases and announcements at our carless collection points If all should fail, a backup public alerting procedure designed by the San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services (OES) and through our Estero Bay Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) will be utilized. Respectfully in a safe community, Steven C. Knuckles Fire Chief Morro Bay Fire Department www.morro-bav.ca.us | (805) 772-6242 | www.facebook.com/CityofMorroBay