Item 26 - Adoption of the City of Santa Ana Emergency Operations Plan

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City of Santa Ana Emergency Operations Plan Part I Basic Plan Route Alerting or Door -to -Door Canvassing Route Alerting is a form of notification used frequently in emergencies limited to a small area or during rapidly changing situations. In route alerting, emergency officials or affiliated volunteers drive or walk through an affected or potentially impacted area alerting residents of the emergency and actions they need to take. Route Alerting can be conducted door to door or via a public address system on a police car, fire engine, helicopter or other vehicle. Although route alerting is effective when other systems are unavailable, it is dependent on resource availability and can be a slow process. Route Alerting is traditionally utilized only in areas that are ordered to take protective action. News Media and Social Media The City may utilize local television and radio broadcast media, including the City's local cable TV channel, to make emergency notifications. City, Police Department and Orange County Fire Authority social media platforms and internet websites would also be utilized to publicize emergency information. Response Personnel Notifications City staff, officials and affiliated volunteers may be provided information or activated to respond in a number of ways. During working hours this can be via normal channels, including phone calls, email or dispatch radios. After hours, personnel can be notified through individual telephone call -outs or the AlertOC system. Critical departments (including Police, Public Works, Planning and Building, and Parks and Recreation) have their own callback systems for response personnel. 3.7 Public Information and Joint Information Systems 3.7.1 Public Information Public information during an emergency is critical. If residents, businesses and employees lack relevant and reliable information, they may be unable to care for themselves and may feel distrust or anger at City and government authorities. The goals of emergency public information are to keep the public informed of the general progress of events and where and how they can access needed resources and information. The public also must be informed of what they can expect from the City or other responding agencies and what is expected of them to be self-reliant or to assist and advance their own safety and recovery from the event. Public information must be provided in a timely and regularly updated manner, through multiple information outlets and mechanisms, in languages and formats that meet the needs of the whole community. This includes those with limited or no English -language proficiency and persons with vision, hearing or cognitive disabilities. Emergency public information will be disseminated using all available media and technology methods, including television and radio broadcast media, print media, phone and email notifications, websites and social media, direct outreach, and community organizations and networks. The City, individually and in cooperation with the Orange County Operational Area, has a multitude of tools available to assist in the dissemination of public information and it is the responsibility of Public Information Officer(s) to initiate the use of all applicable communication platforms to reach the required audience during response and recovery efforts. The tools listed below are intended to complement each other in distributing emergency public information and the information must be coordinated simultaneously across all possible channels to minimize conflicts or confusion. Media Outlets A list of media outlets for Orange County and the surrounding region is maintained by the Santa Ana Police Department Public Information Officer (PIO) and also available through the Orange County Sheriff's Department, Emergency Management Division. PIOs should attempt to contact as many media outlets as possible when disseminating information, including non-English speaking outlets, to ensure the greatest number of affected people is informed. Additionally, media outlets should be requested to provide a television crawl and sign language interpreters during press conferences, as well as media releases, so people with disabilities or those with access and functional needs have every opportunity to receive the message being broadcast. 130