City of Sonoma’s deep dive into emergency preparedness

The large room toward the back of the City Council Chambers/police station at 177 First St. W. is familiar to many Sonoma residents as a convenient downtown meeting room – a place for monthly Chamber of Commerce meetings or City Council brainstorming sessions. But in October 2017 it became better known for another roll: That of the city’s Emergency Operations Center.

It’s the command center for when disaster strikes, like it did five years ago Oct. 8.

When the North Bay fires raged throughout Sonoma County in October of 2017, the EOC in Sonoma became the local hub for a litany of efforts: emergency communications, response coordination and, perhaps most importantly, updates as to precisely where the fires were at any given time.

“The walls are covered with ever-changing maps,” the Index-Tribune reported from the EOC on Day Three of the fires.

At its core, the EOC was a communications center, where staff directed up to 46 field officers from various regional agencies, as they went door to door in the Springs advising residents of the voluntary evacuation order, recording addresses and logging outcomes.

While the flames never reached the town of Sonoma, city emergency staff are well aware of the reliance surrounding neighborhoods place on the city for information and updates in the event of an emergency.

“The City of Sonoma deals with the City of Sonoma,” said city Development Services Director Wayne Wirick. “So in an emergency we don’t have authority outside of our city.”

But, added Wirick, “the whole Valley area is impacted (during a disaster) and we need have the ability to communicate with those folks (outside the city limits).”

And, he pointed out, emergency response isn’t limited to fires or earthquakes; it’s been utilized in Sonoma for recent events like the pandemic and the Public Safety Power Shutoffs PG&E instituted in 2019.

While the county’s emergency response to the 2017 fires was lauded in many respects, the general postmortem highlighted communication failures as an area most in need of improvement before the next disaster strikes. And while the Sonoma EOC efforts were roundly praised throughout the community, city staff didn’t wait to be tested again before embarking on efforts to bolster its own emergency response procedures.

Wirick can cite nearly 20 disaster preparedness and response improvements the city has implemented over the past five years, but he highlights most of all the active communications taking place during non-emergency times that could be the most effective in mitigating future disasters.

As an example, Wirick cites weekly communication meetings local jurisdictions have with the county Department of Emergency Management, where they discuss everything from new emergency management initiatives, address city preparedness challenges and even share weather forecast updates.

“Those calls have us light years ahead from where we were prior to the fires,” Wirick said. The benefits aren’t merely informational, as it allows city and county officials to “know each other,” he said, and if resources are needed “we know who to contact” at the county or state level. “It’s just a good routine.”

Along a similar vein, Wirick said the City has also established monthly calls with various community partners – the nonprofits or other organizations that might need emergency services in the event of a fire. Such groups as the Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Boys & Girls Clubs and Vintage House senior center are the types of partners that take part, said Wirick.

Representatives from about 25 groups take part in the calls, at which time preparedness activities, trainings and general communications about disaster awareness takes place.

He said one couldn’t “put a price tag” on the value received from those meetings, as they help stakeholders remain current on the people and operations at such organizations that could be vulnerable in the event of an emergency.

“It’s been tremendous,” Wirick said. “If we had an emergency tomorrow, we would immediately start our daily calls again and easily be able to provide and gather information so they can pass it on to their groups.”

What one can put a price tag on, however, is the costs incurred in the event of a disaster. According to Interim City Manager Sue Casey, disaster expenditures are paid for through the city’s general fund; the city also has an Emergency Reserve of $1.5 million to provide operating and/or repair funds in the event of a local disaster. “If the loss to the City is substantial – usually more than $100k, the City would apply for reimbursement from any Federal (FEMA) or State Emergency grants that have been declared for the particular emergency,” said Casey.

The bottom line is, mitigating the damage from disasters can not only save lives and property, but dollars as well.

Open and regular communications aren’t the only areas of emergency response improvements the city has implemented in the last five years. According to city staff, the City of Sonoma has:

• Entered into an agreement with Dave Jeffries Public Safety Consulting to help with disaster preparedness activities and emergency training

• Contracted with the North Bay Incident Management Team to provide supplemental emergency management staffing if needed during a disaster

• Stockpiled cots and other supplies to help support evacuation and shelter operations

As to evacuation preparedness, Wirick noted one “lesson learned” in 2017 is that the American Red Cross’s resources are too stretched to adequately support a major shelter operation during an evacuation. The City is now working with the county Department of Emergency Management, the Sonoma Valley Unified School District and nonprofits such as the Sonoma Community Center to develop a plan to operate shelters in the event of another disaster. In the meantime, local fire and Sheriff’s Office officials have prepared evacuation routes for Sonoma Valley and are in the process of preparing and establishing Temporary Evacuation Points – safe locations for evacuees to go when evacuating, while other resources, such as shelters, are being organized.

Wirick also stressed the City’s improved public information capabilities, highlighting the work of Sarah Tracy, the city’s public information officer, a role at City Hall that didn’t exist prior the fires.

“She is able to get information out using social media platforms and website,” said Wirick, allowing the city and other area PIOs to “provide coordinated messaging during a disaster.”

In the end, Wirick said the most valuable lesson learned from the 2017 fires was the crucial role the communication of reliable and accurate information is during an emergency.

“To have the ability to communicate with the folks and understand what their issues are,” said Wirick. “It’s all about lines of communication.”

Email Jason at Jason.walsh@sonomanews.com.