Ready San Diego Blog

Pendleton Fire Blackens 700 Acres

700-acre fire at Camp Pendleton. No threat to structures, power lines. Good reminder to prepare for fire season: www.ReadySanDiego.org

5.4 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes San Diego County

The US Geological Service has reported a 5.4 magnitude earthquake centered 13 miles northwest of Borrego Springs. Our office checked with local agencies and there are no preliminary reports of injuries or damage. We will update the site with information as needed. The quake is a good reminder to look through our site for preparedness information to make sure you’re ready for the next disaster. Go to www.readysandiego.org for preparedness information. To see more information about the earthquake, visit the USGS site at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqscanv/FaultMaps/116-33.html.

COUNTY ONE OF FIRST IN STATE TO PARTICIPATE IN DISASTER CORPS

New Program Will Provide Highly-Trained

Volunteers During Disasters

The County Office of Emergency Services has been selected by the state to participate in Disaster Corps, a program to standardize and coordinate highly-trained volunteers that will be able to respond to disasters across the state.

“The concept behind this program started after the 2007 wildfires that impacted our county and the rest of Southern California. The state recognized the invaluable role that volunteers played and created a formal program to incorporate volunteers into the state emergency plan,” said Ron Lane, Director of the County Office of Emergency Services.

The County of San Diego is among five founding members of Disaster Corps that will receive $1.15 million in federal homeland security funding through CaliforniaVolunteers, the state office that coordinates volunteer activities related to disaster response and recovery. The other recipients are Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Francisco counties.

Disaster Corps volunteers will be registered by their local government organization and will meet Disaster Corps training, typing, certification and security screening guidelines, allowing the volunteers to respond to any disaster in the state.

The funds will be used for the initial implementation of the program, which will support training and credentialing for 1,000 members as well as a volunteer coordinator in each of the five counties.

For more information about disaster preparedness in San Diego County, visit www.ReadySanDiego.org.

REGISTER FOR EMERGENCY ALERTS AND CHANCE TO WIN PIZZA

Be One of First 500 To Sign Up for AlertSanDiego in June

and Win Free Papa John’s Pizza

Registering your cell phone and your family member’s cell phones with AlertSanDiego is a quick and simple way to ensure that you’re informed in the event of an emergency. During June, Papa John’s Pizza is once again teaming up with the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services to provide a tasty incentive for new registrants who sign up for emergency alerts. 

In February and April, Papa John’s Pizza gave away free medium, one-topping pizzas to the first 500 San Diego County residents to sign up for AlertSanDiego, the County’s free emergency notification service. They also offered discount coupons to everyone else who registered.

“As we approach peak fire season, everyone can prepare. Sign up for alerts about emergencies impacting your community, even if you are away from home when the call comes to you,” said Ron Lane, director of the County Office of Emergency Services.

“Papa John’s wants to help raise awareness for preparedness in the communities where we live and serve. We want to encourage our employees, customers and everyone to take steps to be ready in the event of an emergency. Registering for the AlertSanDiego service could save lives,” said Mike Arnold, director of store operations for Papa John’s Pizza of San Diego.

In February and April, more than 5,800 people signed up for AlertSanDiego to receive emergency notifications on their cell phones, Voice over IP (VoIP) or e-mail.  AlertSanDiego sends telephone alerts directly to residents’ cell phones during an emergency, utilizing the Reverse 911 system. All listed and unlisted home and business telephone numbers in affected areas are automatically called, but cell phone registration is crucial for the growing number of families in the county who rely solely on cell phones for primary phone service.

Register for AlertSanDiego at www.ReadySanDiego.com.

 

TERRORISM DRILL TESTS REGION’S EMERGENCY RESPONSE

 
Local Agencies Respond to Mock Dirty Bomb Explosion for Golden Guardian 2010

The County of San Diego and various city and local agencies responded to simulated acts of terrorism across the County May 18 as part of the Golden Guardian 2010 statewide disaster preparedness exercise. 

“Since 9/11, our region has developed and refined terrorism response plans, conducted training, and purchased equipment to better prepare us in the event of an attack. Today’s exercise is the culmination of those efforts and validates the preparedness of every agency involved in the exercise. The exercise also provided agencies in our region with the opportunity to work together in coordination for a disaster. We will incorporate the lessons learned from this exercise into our future planning and training,” said Ron Lane, Director of the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services on Tuesday.

In the events on May 18, first responders and emergency managers coordinated a vast multi-agency response to a scenario in which terrorists detonated a dirty bomb in the city of San Marcos.  As part of the disaster exercise, hazardous material teams, law enforcement, fire services, and the region’s Metropolitan Medical Strike Team assisted with decontamination of a radiological incident and medical treatment of mock patients in the field. Area hospitals and clinics were also involved to test their ability to respond to a mass casualty incident involving trauma, burn and radiation exposure and detection.

County agencies including the Sheriff’s Department, the Department of Environmental Health, Health and Human Services, and the Office of Emergency Services participated in the exercise.  The exercise also included participation from all 18 cities, six state agencies, six federal agencies, 27 hospitals and clinics, and several non-government and private sector organizations such as the American Red Cross, San Diego Gas & Electric, California State University San Marcos and 2-1-1.

For video of the events at Cal State San Marcos, see County Television New's coverage here http://bit.ly/awdxDQ.