Public Safety Reports

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The EOP and the guiding structure of California law through its Standardized Emergency
Management System (SEMS), delegates to local government the authority and responsibility to
manage and coordinate the overall response and recovery activities within its jurisdiction. This
includes the restoration of services and the safety of people and properties impacted by the
event. County government is responsible for the broader duties of the operational area in
supporting local government by providing resources, and providing linkages to regional and
state agencies.
CAL FIRE is recognized and operates as a key agency and member of the Disaster Council
within the city’s EOP. The CAL FIRE EOC, located at the Monterey Street compound, is
designated as the city’s alternate EOC. The City is well positioned and appears well trained in it
emergency management duties.
The City of Morgan Hill has developed a Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) and a Continuity
of Government (COG) plan for the city as a whole. The purpose of continuity of operations
planning is to ensure that essential city services are provided in the wake of catastrophic or
disruptive events.
Continuity of operations planning is the process in which government formally reviews and
makes contingency plans in the event that government can no longer operate under normal
conditions. COOP looks at the potential inability of a local government to utilize key public
buildings, including fire stations or police stations, city hall, or other key structures. The planning
process identifies alternative sites that could be utilized if these facilities are no longer functional.
COOP also looks at contingencies if current service levels must be curtailed due to wide-scale
employee absences. Agencies are asked to formulate plans if their workforce is reduced by
various increments (15 percent, 25 percent, 50 percent, etc.). This exercise requires each
department to define its plan for which of its services will continue and which other services
could be modified or discontinued. There are numerous guides that provide insights or models
for COOP. FEMA provides a template that is often utilized to assist local government and federal
agencies in this process; it can be found at
Hazard mitigation is the effort to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of
disasters. Federal, state, and local governments engage in hazard mitigation planning to identify
natural hazards that impact them, identify strategies and activities to reduce any losses from
those hazards, and establish a coordinated approach to implementing the plan, taking
advantage of a wide range of resources. Mitigation plans are key to federal, state, and local
governments’ efforts to break the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated
damage.
Developing hazard mitigation plans enables federal, state, and local governments to:
■ Increase education and awareness around threats, hazards, and vulnerabilities.
■ Build partnerships for risk reduction involving government, organizations, businesses, and the
public.
■ Identify long-term strategies for risk reduction that are agreed upon by stakeholders and the
public.
■ Identify cost effective mitigation actions, focusing resources on the greatest risks and
vulnerabilities.
■ Align risk reduction with other community objectives.
■ Communicate priorities to potential sources of funding.