Ready San Diego Blog

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.

Emergency Preparedness for Theatergoers

The American Red Cross of San Diego-Imperial Counties, the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services and 2-1-1 San Diego, the region's primary sources for community, health and disaster information, have joined together for a special emergency preparedness information session at the theater. The session will begin at 6 p.m., an hour prior to the 7 p.m. Jan. 13 performance the San Diego Repertory Theatre's "boom" in the Lyceum Space in downtown Horton Plaza. In the comedy, the main character is certain that the earth is about to be destroyed by a comet. So, if a comet hit the Earth tomorrow would you be prepared enough to survive? Hear from the experts about disaster risks in San Diego County, how to develop an emergency plan, what to include in an emergency kit, and how to stay informed in a disaster.

San Diegans Respond to ShakeOut Drill Participation Challenge

Nearly 580,000 San Diego County residents took part in the Great California ShakeOut drill activities taking place around the region. Statewide, nearly 7 million people including individuals, families, schools, universities, businesses, museums, local governments and faith-based and community organizations, registered to join the earthquake drill at 10:15 a.m.

“We are extremely pleased that more people are getting involved and practicing the correct actions to take during an earthquake. Our ultimate goal is for people’s response to become automatic so that injuries and deaths can be minimized in a real earthquake,” said Ron Lane, director of the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services.

Hundreds of museums patrons and employees participated in a drop, cover and hold on drill – ducking under tables or moving to an interior wall and protecting their heads until the audio broadcast was over in Balboa Park. Five minutes later, all the facilities in the park were evacuated as they would be in a real emergency. After all museum staff reported that the facilities had been cleared, all were allowed to return. ShakeOut earthquake preparedness fliers and information was made available to patrons at the San Diego Natural History Museum.

Last year, 5.4 million people including 470,000 San Diego County residents, participated in the Great Southern California ShakeOut.  The drill is now statewide, giving all Californians the opportunity to learn about preparedness and safety during an earthquake, whether you are at home, work or school. Next year’s drill will take place at 10:21 a.m. on 10/21.

Individuals, families, schools, businesses, government agencies and organizations are encouraged to share drill experiences and photographs at www.shakeout.org.  For disaster preparedness information, please visit www.ReadySanDiego.org.

Statewide ShakeOut Drill to Shake Up County

 
All Residents are Urged to Participate in Massive Drill at 10:15 on 10/15

Residents still have time to join the nearly seven million Californians, including more than 480,000 people in San Diego County, who have already signed up for the Great California ShakeOut earthquake drill, which will take place at 10:15 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15.

 

“We want people to practice how to drop, cover and hold on during the drill by quickly getting under a heavy table or desk to avoid falling objects. It is important for people to participate in the drill because, in an emergency, people react according to what they have practiced,” said Ron Lane, director of the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services. “The Great California ShakeOut also gets people thinking about what they can do now to prepare for a disaster.” 

 

Last year, 5.4 million people participated in the Great Southern California ShakeOut.  The drill is now statewide, giving all Californians the opportunity to learn about preparedness and safety during an earthquake, whether you are at home, work or school.

 

Individuals, families, schools, businesses, government agencies and organizations can register for the Great California ShakeOut at www.shakeout.org.  The ShakeOut Web site also has “ShakeOut Drill Broadcast” recordings to play during the drill; manuals for schools, businesses, non-profits and other organizations; checklists; and educational materials.

 

You can also get information about disaster preparedness from the County of San Diego Office of Emergency Services by visiting www.ReadySanDiego.org.

Local Radio Podcast - Nearly 7 Million Registered to ShakeOut

Are you ready for a 7.8 earthquake? To get ready, register on www.ShakeOut.org to take part in the largest earthquake drill in the state of California at 10:15 a.m. on Thursday, October 15.

To learn more about the Great California ShakeOut drill in San Diego County and the risk to residents, listen to the first hour of KPBS's "These Days" audio podcast. Ron Lane, geologist Pat Abbott, and Dave Dalton, ShakeOut Chair and San Diego Natural History security director, were guests on the program.

Visit the County of San Diego Office of Emergency Services at www.ReadySanDiego.org to learn more about emergency preparedness.

Newspaper Articles Focus on Regional Preparedness Improvements

The North County Times published two articles on regional preparedness over the weekend.

The first: "Region: Officials say region much better prepared to stop wildfires" focused on how the region has more resources in place to help fight a fire.

"We have more firemen, more equipment and better training," said Ralph Steinhoff, fire services coordinator for San Diego County, which provided money to rural fire districts to buy 30 new fire engines. "We have better coordination, and we've adddressed almost everything that was identified as presenting an opportunity for improvement."

A second article, "Region: County is better prepared for evacuations, officials say" looks to improvements in the regional emergency evacuation procedures.

As the region rides out another wildfire season, officials say San Diego County is better prepared to evacuate people from harm's way than it was during the devastating fire storms in 2003 and 2007 ---- a good thing because a survey shows that one out of five backcountry residents ignored evacuation orders in 2007. 

Since those two wildfires, the county developed a regional evacuation plan outlining evacuation routes and potential shelters, improved coordination among law enforcement and transportation agencies, and installed systems that call residents at home and on their cell phones to warn of an emergency.

"Certainly, since 2003, we've done tremendous improvements," said Ron Lane, director of the county's Office of Emergency Services, which coordinates evacuations during emergencies when multiple jurisdictions are involved.

To read the entire articles, click on the article names to be directed to the North County Times web site.

Two Weeks to the 2009 ShakeOut!

 

The Samoan earthquake and tsunami on 9/29 and the Indonesian earthquake on 9/30 remind us that earthquakes happen without warning, and can cause widespread destruction. Our goal in California is to develop a culture of earthquake and tsunami readiness, so that losses will be minimized and we can recover quickly. What each of us does in our homes, schools, and offices, and what we do together as communities and as a state, will determine whether California's next major earthquake will be a natural disaster (from which we can recover quickly), or a major catastrophe that will affect our way of life for many years.

 The Great California ShakeOut is about more than just practicing "drop, cover, hold on." It's about getting us all to talk about earthquakes, think about preparedness, and to act now. Have you told your neighbors, family, colleagues, or others that you are part of the ShakeOut, and asked them to join you by registering? This, more than anything ShakeOut organizers can do, will lead to people participating, getting prepared, and one day possibly surviving a major earthquake. 

Great news! As of today more than 5.6 million Californians are registered to participate in the ShakeOut drill at 10:15 a.m. on October 15. Use the interactive map on the ShakeOut home page to see how many are in your area- and review lists of who is participating. The 2009 ShakeOut is now officially larger than the 2008 ShakeOut, and there are still 15 days left! Please forward this message to colleagues, friends, family, and others to make sure they are aware of the ShakeOut and know about these resources. With two weeks still to go, many more can still register! 

REMINDER... Free ShakeOut Web Conferences this week! Ready for your ShakeOut drill? Learn how your business, organization, or government agency can plan an effective earthquake drill by participating in one of these FREE web conferences:

Government Agencies – October 1, 9 a.m.

Businesses & Organizations – October 2, 9 a.m.

City of Coronado Fire Department Open House

On Sunday, October 4th, 2009 the City of Coronado Fire Department will be holding its Seventeenth Annual Open House at the Fire Department Headquarters located at 1001 Sixth Street between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. 

During the Open House, apparatus from the Coronado Fire Department, the Federal Fire Department, numerous San Diego County Fire Departments, Coronado Police Department and the San Diego County Sheriffs Department will be on display.

Fire Prevention classes including "Stop, Drop, and Roll" and "Learn Not to Burn" will also be

offered. Live music and entertainment for kids will be there as in years past.

This is an excellent opportunity for local citizens to tour the fire station, meet the firefighters and rescue personnel that serve them, and learn more about the people and organizations within their community and the entire county. Approximately 4000 - 5000 individuals attend throughout the day every year.

For more information please visit the City of Coronado Fire Department website. 

Earthquakes in San Diego: How You Can Prepare

 

 

 

 

 

 

Get Ready to

ShakeOut

Are you ready San Diego for an earthquake? Learn about San Diego's fault lines and this year's Great California ShakeOut drill which will take place at 10:15 a.m. on Oct. 15, 2009.

San Diegans are invited to attend a free lecture to get informed about the different set of problems that near and distant faults present in earthquake country, including a brief introduction to our area's tsunami threat. Residents will receive emergency preparedness information to help them safeguard their families and address potential hazards.

 

Admission is free but you must obtain a ticket in advance. Seats are limited. Starting Monday, go to the San Diego Natural History Museum website at www.sdnhm.org and click under education and lectures.

 

To learn more about earthquake and emergency preparedness, visit www.ReadySanDiego.org or www.ShakeOut.org to register yourself as an individual or as an organization to participate in the statewide drill.

 

WHEN:     7:00 p.m.  on Wednesday, September 23, 2009

 

WHERE:     San Diego Natural History Museum

                     1788 El Prado, Balboa Park in the 1st Floor Atrium/Kaplan Theater

 

Featuring:

Dr. Patrick Abbott, Geologist

 

Dave Dalton, Great California ShakeOut Chair

Pledge to Drill on 9/11

  The Safe America Foundation and ReadySanDiego are inviting you and your family or business to "Pledge to Drill" on 9/11.

Pledge to drill by doing one of the following:

    1.  Make a Plan

    2.  Assemble an emergency kit

    3.  Practice an emergency communication drill

Enter a brief description of your drill and what you learned to be eligible for drawing where you can win prizes.

Family Pledges -- Four (4) Southwest Airlines roundtrip domestic flight tickets

Company/Organization/School Pledges -- $500 gift certificate from Office Depot

Community Pledges -- $1,000 gift certificate from Office Depot

Photographs are encouraged and may be posted on the www.safeamericaprepared.org website.

Entries must be submitted before September 30, 2009, by emailing to pledge@safeamericas.org or mailing to the Safe America Foundation, 2480 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta, GA 30066.

If you have any questions, please contact Pat Wilder at pat.wilder@safeamerica.org.

Visit www.readysandiego.org for a planning lists or www.safeamerica.org for additional information.