News: Say goodbye to OES? Hello CALEMA

Governor Schwarzenegger has signed Ten legislative bills to to strengthen California's emergency response and firefighting capabilities.

As part of the Governor's efforts to streamline the state's emergency response capabilities, he recently signed AB 38 by Assemblymember Pedro Nava (D-Santa Barbara), which will combine OES and the Governor's Office of Homeland Security (OHS) into a new cabinet-level California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA).
The bill gives the merged agency the responsibility of overseeing and coordinating emergency preparedness, response, recovery and homeland security activities in the state.

Additionally, the Governor signed the following legislation this year to strengthen California's emergency response and firefighting capabilities:

1. AB 2327 - by Assemblymember Anna Caballero (D-Salinas) requires entities that provide assistance during an emergency or disaster to strive to ensure that all victims receive the assistance they need and for which they are eligible, which requires those entities that provide support during a disaster to provide assistance without asking for information or documents that are not strictly necessary to determine eligibility under state or federal laws
2. AB 2796 - by Assemblymember Nava authorizes OES to establish a statewide registry of private businesses and nonprofit organizations that are interested in donating services, goods, labor, equipment, resources or other facilities in times of emergency. These efforts will be a valuable complement to OES' ongoing partnerships with the private sector.
3. SB 1595 - by Senator Kehoe (D-San Diego) updates existing fuel management laws by amending defensible space requirements that separate structures from surrounding vegetation and other potential wildfire fuels. This bill would delete certain terrain qualifications thereby applying these provisions to any land within a very high fire severity zone as designated by a local agency without regard to the type of terrain.” The bill also changes the current brush clearance requirements and now would require the owner of the property to manage fuel materials within 100 feet of the dwelling or building. “The bill would require that fuel found in vegetation, in man-made objects and in connection with improvements attached to the structure be managed by collecting and disposing of combustible matter and irrigating living plants as required to sustain the species during exposure to a wildfire. Local agencies would be authorized to place alternative requirements in effect in areas where water shortages exist.
4. AB 2859 - by Assemblymember Ted Gaines (R-Roseville) expands the authority for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) to thin green trees and other vegetation to promote healthy forests in areas with disease or insect infestation.
5. AB 2742 - (1)Expands the existing law definition of "firefighter equipment" to include leased or rented equipment for purposes of restricted licensure. (2) Provides an exemption for
   firefighters to use firefighter equipment, if they are participating in a substance abuse program. Specifically a firefighter who is authorized to operate firefighting equipment from certain federal regulations concerning controlled substance and alcohol use, if they are participating in a substance abuse detection program within the scope of his or her employment.
6. AB 3075 - Which gives first priority for the sale of firefighting equipment to a local agency that serves rural areas.
   
7. SB 1668, - That will require the State Fire Marshall to compose and adopt regulations that establish minimum protection requirements for laboratories and research facilities that handle hazardous materials.
8. SB 1227 - Which reinstates the Disaster Response Emergency Operations Account (DREOA) that was set to expire at the end of 2008 until 2014.
9. SB 1213, - Which will allow a mobile health care unit to move to a new location and notify the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) 24 hours prior to operation (unless in time of emergency) instead of the 15-day notification requirement.

Governor Schwarzenegger sign's MOUs with private sector:
Efforts to Boost State’s Emergency Response Capabilities

"This year California has already faced a destructive fire season with more than 2,000 fires burning about 1.2 million acres, underscoring the importance of legislation signed today that will help us do even more to prevent these fires from starting in the first place," Governor Schwarzenegger said.

Private sector partners will be on call 24-7 for the people of California next time an emergency strikes.
Acknowledging the important role that the private sector plays in helping California respond and recover from emergencies, the Governor in 2006 issued Executive Order S-04-06, which called on the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES) to make the private sector part of the state's disaster response system.

As part of its implementation, OES has been actively forming partnerships with private industry.

OES has signed MOUs with the following private sector partners: Business Executives for National Security, the California Grocer's Association, the California Utilities Emergency Association and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

These MOUs will allow for more targeted and efficient delivery of goods and services by formalizing 24-hour contacts with the private sector. Just like we have 24-hour access to our governmental partners, the state now has well-established personal relationships with emergency management professionals in the private sector that we can call on 365 days per year. These partners will also be allowed into the State Operations Center during a disaster to staff a "Business Operations Center," which is currently being established by OES. Having the private sector side-by-side with state and federal emergency management personnel will expedite response activities and maximize resources.

Examples of how these MOUs will benefit Californians include:

• Restoring power - the California Utilities Emergency Association coordinates the repair of power, water and other utilities via its affiliate businesses, which is critical during an emergency to restoring a community back to normal.
• Providing food and water - the California Grocer's Association can access their network of members to provide food, water and other provisions to emergency responders and evacuation centers.
• Access to supplies - Wal-Mart has access to goods and supplies throughout the country and has a sophisticated logistics system to ensure that necessary supplies get to where they are needed in the shortest time-frame possible.
• Access to emergency professionals - the Business Executives for National Security have a host of professional emergency managers that can aid in immediate response activities and long-term recovery efforts.