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Transportation accidents (including hazardous material incidents).
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Public health emergency.
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Terrorism
Morgan Hill and the adjacent areas of South Santa Clara County are vulnerable to a variety of
human-caused hazards, including chemical releases, spills, or explosions associated with both
fixed storage and mobile transports containing hazardous materials. In addition, the Santa Clara
County Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, which encompasses the City of Morgan Hill, is designed to
reduce or eliminate long-term risks associated with natural and manmade hazards. These plans
include a series of response guides that identify the associated tasks and to whom they are
assigned, depending on the type of incident and its magnitude.
Linking a fire department’s operational functionality to the community risk and its vulnerability
assessment is intended to assist fire personnel in refining its preparedness efforts. Because of CAL
FIRE’s stature as a state agency and regional service provider, CPSM has observed a level of
preparedness and organizational management that would be unmatched if the City or District
were operating independently. CPSM believes that this is an added benefit in the contractual
arrangement with CAL FIRE. We will discuss this issue and our recommendations further in the
Emergency Management section of this report.
FIRE PREPLANNING/COMPANY INSPECTIONS
CAL FIRE has developed a number of fire preplans for major target hazards within the response
areas of both the City and District. These documents address routes of travel, occupancies and
construction type, water supplies, sprinkler and standpipe connections, and hazards associated
with the various occupancies. Each piece of apparatus has a book with running routes and
building layout for target hazards.
Risk assessment and vulnerability analysis are not new to the fire service; NFPA 1620,
Recommended Practice for Pre-Incident Planning
, identifies the need to utilize both written
narrative and diagrams to depict the physical features of a building, its contents, and any built-
in fire protection systems. The occupancies that are typically specified for pre-incident plans, or
“preplans,” are as follows:
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Large assembly.
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Educational.
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Health care.
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Detention and correction.
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High-rise residential.
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Residential board and care (assisted living).
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Mercantile.
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Business.
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Industrial.
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Warehouse and storage.