An Office of Emergency Services is hereby established to coordinate all emergency preparedness, response and recovery functions and responsibilities to carry out the intent of this Chapter. The Office of Emergency Services shall be headed by the Chief of Emergency Services, which position is designated as the Deputy Director of Emergency Services. The Deputy Director shall develop emergency plans and manage the emergency programs of the County and shall have such other powers and duties as may be assigned by the Director of Emergency Services. In the absence of the Director, the Deputy Director shall act as the Director.
Responsibilities and duties of the Deputy Director shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(a) Coordinate the activities of all emergency services both in pre-emergency planning, during an emergency, and in post emergency recovery activities;
(b) Represent the County in all dealings with public or private agencies pertaining to emergency planning;
(c) Organize and develop the County emergency program and operational area emergency programs, working with County departments, other political subdivisions, supporting agencies, volunteer groups and individuals;
(d) Administer the Office of Emergency Services;
(e) Develop and maintain the emergency operations plan for the County and supporting emergency plans;
(f) Assist County departments and other political subdivisions in the preparation of emergency plans and operating procedures, reviews, modifications as necessary, and approve agency/department emergency plans and operating procedures;
(g) Develop and coordinate such training programs and exercises as may be necessary to ensure readiness of the emergency organization;
(h) Develop and coordinate programs designed to inform the public of measures for self-protection and emergency services activities;
(i) Submit the County emergency operations reports as necessary to the Board of Supervisors and the Disaster Council;
(j) Provide an annual report to the Board of Supervisors either verbally or in writing;
(k) Prepare and submit all reports required of the Office of Emergency Services by the emergency agencies of the Federal government and the State of California;
(l) Serve as Secretary to the Disaster Council;
(m) Administer the loyalty oath to disaster service workers or delegate the authority to administer the loyalty oath to such service chiefs as deemed necessary to meet the purposes of this chapter and maintain a disaster service worker registration program in the County;
(n) Maintain twenty-four (24) hour-a-day availability of on-call emergency management personnel for immediate response if called upon by the County;
(o) Designate and maintain an Emergency Operations Center in an acceptable state of readiness;
(p) Develop and maintain such programs as may be necessary to ensure adequate staffing for the emergency operations center and other emergency response or recovery activities;
(q) Serve as the Emergency Operations Center Coordinator when the emergency operations center is activated;
(r) Provide advice and support to the Director of Emergency Services during an emergency.
(§ 9, Ord. 226, as amended by § 7, Ord. 671, eff. August 16, 1972, and § 7, Ord. 673, eff. September 20, 1972; as amended by § 1, Ord. 1359, eff. May 31, 2007, as amended by § 2, Ord. 1561, eff. April 6, 2023, as amended by § 2, Ord. 1568, eff. July 25, 2024)