In 1736 Benjamin Franklin was a cofounder of the first formally organized all-volunteer fire company in the colonies. The Union Fire Company, also known as the Bucket Brigade, was created in the wake of a devastating fire in 1730. That fire began on a ship then jumped to a nearby wharf, where it destroyed all the warehouses there as well as three houses.

Historically, the development of emergency management and preparedness has come in response to disasters that have significantly affected the lives and livelihoods of residents and businesses in a particular area. But that reactive response to hazards and potential disasters has changed over the years. "Preparedness is best thought of as a process - a continuing sequence of analyses, plan development, and the acquisition of individual and team performance skills achieved through training, drills, exercises, and critiques," according to Fundamentals of Emergency Management, a book available through Emergency Management Institute of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Two Updated Emergency Plans Approved

One of the benefits of being located at Hacienda, in the City of Pleasanton, is that public officials are working with regional, county, and state bodies to prepare for emergencies in advance. Rather than waiting to react during or after an emergency, officials have improved and revised emergency planning efforts on behalf of residents and businesses. In March 2018, for example, the City of Pleasanton approved an updated Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), which was formerly known as the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and first adopted in 2005.

This updated EOP is critically important in the city's efforts to continue the process of preparing for emergencies. The EOP "helps us coordinate and respond more effectively," says Tracy Hein, who works with the City of Pleasanton as Emergency Preparedness Manager at the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department. "It spells out specific things that will help us respond more effectively and get the city back up and running more quickly as we respond to the disaster. Recovery is what it is called but in essence, getting things back to normal as quickly as possible."

Updating the EOP does not mean that the city has finished its work on preparing for emergencies, notes Hein. "The general plan that was adopted talks about the coordination between all those involved, what the city's different departments responsibilities and then it sets policy and guidance on what the city will do. Now we are working on development of the annexes to the plan, which will address specific things like mass care and shelter, debris management, volunteer management, and the specific operation of the Emergency Operation Center."

As part of its ongoing process for emergency preparedness, the City of Pleasanton, along with the Cities of Dublin and Livermore and number of partner agencies, adopted the Tri-Valley Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) in August 2018. "As we've seen in the recent California wildfires, a large scale incident can devastate an entire community, with long-lasting and widespread social and economic effects," says Ellen Clark, Planning Manager, Community Development Department, for the City of Pleasanton. "Pleasanton was proud to partner with our neighboring communities to proactively plan and build resilience against natural disaster through the LHMP process."

The LHMP program is administered by FEMA with a focus on advanced planning and other strategies to reduce or mitigate the effects of known natural hazards so that they do not become natural disasters. This hazard mitigation approach is proactive, notes Clark, and recognizes that addressing risks up front not only reduces the potential for loss of life and property damage, but also is much more cost-efficient than responding to large scale disasters after the fact. In Pleasanton and the Tri-Valley, the LHMP identifies the various natural hazard risks, with wildfire and earthquakes considered to pose the greatest risks to loss of life and property. It also notes severe weather and landslides as being of significant local concern.

"We worked in the plan process to identify and evaluate local strategies for minimizing exposure to those risks," says Clark. The work included, for example, "identifying areas prone to wildland fire and limiting development in those areas and enforcing building code requirements to make buildings more fire-resistant and seismically safe."

Organizations Should Also Prepare

"Being informed and planning as much as you can is critical," says Hein. "No disaster is the same, ever. But you can take steps in advance to facilitate a better response. So we are trying to be proactive as much as we can." Hein recommends that company executives, small business owners, and other organizations follow that principle and plan today for the emergency that may come tomorrow.

Take the time to prepare, be aware of what the hazards are, and consider what can be done from a business and individual perspective, she suggests. Just as local and regional government officials have created a government-continuity plan by preparing for emergencies, organizations should do the same. "The city will do what it has to do, that is the continuity of government," she says. "Each business has to decide what their focus is going to be as far as business continuity."

According to Hein, Hacienda is one of the places that will be surveyed as soon as possible in the case of an earthquake, for example. "Obviously, if there was a large issue there, that would be a priority," she says.

The steps Hacienda has taken for emergency preparedness include coordinating with building owners and tenants to make sure they are aware of the provisions of California Code of Regulations 3.09, which covers Emergency Planning and Information. Hacienda also encourages building owners and tenants to go beyond 3.09 in making emergency plans. In the case of an emergency, Hacienda Security Officers, who patrol 24/7, will act as a coordination point between City of Pleasanton emergency responders and Hacienda owners and tenants.

Hacienda also encourages building owners, tenants, and residents to consider participating in local emergency response programs such as the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program. The CERT program trains and supports members of the community to be effective emergency response volunteers in the event of a disaster. Volunteers are taught skills such as disaster medical care, light search and rescue, team organization, and coordination with the Fire Department. The Fire Department hosts CERT classes several times per year. Those interested in participating in the program should contact the department at 925-454-2361 or cert@lpfire.org.

For more information about local emergency preparedness, please visit www.cityoflivermore.net/citygov/fire/about/disaster_preparedness/default.htm.

For more information about preparing for disaster, please visit www.ready.gov.

For more information about the Tri-Valley Hazard Mitigation Plan, please visit www.cityofpleasantonca.gov/gov/depts/cd/planning/plans_n_programs/tri_valley_hazard_mitigation_plan.asp.