SANTA PAULA : City to Update Plan for Emergencies
The Santa Paula City Council has approved spending $6,500 to revise the city’s 21-year-old emergency preparedness plan and train city leaders.
The California Specialized Training Institute, a San Luis Obispo-based state agency, will help the city update its 1971 emergency plan, which the city has been working on for two years, said Fire Chief Paul Skeels.
Part of the money will be used to conduct a three-day training workshop, City Administrator Arnold Dowdy said.
The new plan, which will cover earthquakes, floods, large fires, dam failures and hazardous materials accidents, will be more comprehensive than the old one, officials said.
“We’re trying to devise a check list, who’s going to do what,” Skeels said. “We’re trying to get some detail, some meat on the thing.”
City department heads and mid- level managers will participate in the workshop Feb. 25-27.
“The exercise is designed to force us to think about these issues,” Skeels said. “The object is to make sure we’re in good shape.”
The council, which approved spending the money at a meeting earlier this week, is expected to adopt the revised plan by March or April, Assistant City Administrator Paul Eckert said.
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