Supervisors Take Tighter Control of Disaster Preparedness

Prompted by television images of crumbled buildings, tent cities and long lines of people seeking assistance in Los Angeles County after the Northridge quake, the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to increase its control over the county’s disaster preparedness agency.

The Emergency Management Division, the disaster agency currently under the Fire Department, will be placed in the County Administrative Office. The plan would centralize emergency planning and place decision making on such issues closer to the board.

The Fire Department is in favor of the switch.

The decision to move the agency stemmed primarily from the recent temblor’s devastating aftermath, said Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez.

“The Northridge earthquake really heightened our need to place a higher priority on emergency preparedness,” he said.

Vasquez emphasized that the Fire Department has done an “outstanding job” in managing EMD and in no way does the move indicate any problems with current leadership.

“I believe we have an opportunity to further enhance the EMD’s efforts by elevating their role in the county family and heightening board involvement,” Vasquez said.

“It is a move we recommended over a year ago,” said Hugh Wood, assistant director of the Fire Department. “The move gives a centralized focus of emergency management issues.”

Wood said the Fire Department prefers the role of team player on the EMD rather than the lead organizing agency.

“It’s better if the EMD is controlled by the central point of the county because they will have better access to the board for policy direction,” Wood said.

The EMD is the planning and response team composed of 10 full-time employees who plan for both natural and other disasters.

The agency, which has an annual budget of $690,000, works with the Sheriff’s Department, social services, county health officials and other agencies to devise strategies for dealing with crisis situations.

“It’s not just about how you respond to the event when a disaster strikes, but also how your agencies and departments are organized to help people get their lives back in order afterward,” Vasquez said.