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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 Luis Obispo County Grand Jury
• 2018-2019
Emergency Medical Services – ARE WE Covered?
⚠️ 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 5 findings
F1
Page 64
All urban areas (city jurisdictions) have weed abatement ordinances that are comparable.
F2
Page 64
San Luis Obispo County has no weed abatement ordinance, which was also a finding in a report written by Cal Fire and presented to the Board of Supervisors (BoS) in April of 2017. We were unable to find any response to this report by the BoS.
F3
Page 64
Information about evacuation plans is not readily available to the general public. This could present confusion and difficulty for residents, many of whom have limited evacuation routes.
F4
Page 64
The reverse 911 system is under-utilized by county residents. Registering for this system can be accomplished via the county Office of Emergency Services (OES) or Sheriff’s department websites. There is no telephone number available to accomplish this registration. Public Service Announcements alone are not reaching enough people.
F5
Page 64
The Diablo Canyon early warning siren system is currently funded by PG&E and is now used solely for Diablo Canyon incidents. If the County plans to maintain this system, there could be a funding problem when Diablo Canyon closes.
Recommendations 8
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R1Page 64A study should be done to determine the adequacy of state regulations throughout county jurisdictions and determine ways to properly supplement them. This should be accomplished by the end of the 2019-2020 fiscal year.
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R2Page 64As recommended in the previously cited 2017 Cal Fire report, the BoS should implement a county-wide weed abatement ordinance, which should also include agricultural properties. This should be accomplished by the end of the 2020-2021 fiscal year.
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R3Page 64The County should develop a weed abatement ordinance that is consistent with the cities’ regulations.
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R4Page 64The 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. 2018-2019 San Luis Obispo County Grand Jury Final Report FIRE RISK MANAGEMENT: CITIES DO IT – WHY NOT THE COUNTY? 55
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R5Page 65The County should work with the cities in a concerted effort to educate the public on detailed and coordinated evacuation plans. Various ways to disseminate this information may include all types of county or city mail communications. Public Service Announcements, websites, and other forms of communication are also informative.
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R6Page 65Plans should be implemented to incorporate the PG&E siren warning system to be used as an evacuation warning system for any and all emergencies where evacuation is warranted.
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R7Page 65Cities 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.
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R8Page 65The Sheriff’s Office should provide Reverse 911 registration information to county and city agencies for dissemination via bills or other routine mail communication. This information should include a procedure for registering by phone.