City of Morgan Hill Public Safety Master Plan

Office of Emergency Services During an emergency, the city of Morgan Hill’s primary goal is to ensure public safety and minimize injury and property damage, while after an emergency the focus shifts to recovery and restoring services back to normal. This function falls to the city’s Office of Emergency Services (OES). OES is managed by the Office of Emergency Services coordinator assigned to the Morgan Hill Police Department under the direction of the Special Operations captain. The coordinator assists in the development of emergency response procedures, facilitates training for EOC staff and volunteers, and achieves compliance with state and federal emergency response and disaster mitigation programs. The coordinator manages the Morgan Hill Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and other volunteer groups involved in emergency response and disaster planning. OES provides educational services for city employees, residents, businesses, faith-based organizations and schools in prevention, preparation, response, and recovery from emergencies and disasters, both natural and man-made. OES represents the city as a member of the Santa Clara County Emergency Manager's Association (EMA) and the California Emergency Services Association (CESA). OES staff maintain the city's Emergency Operations Plan in accordance with the State of California's Standardized Emergency Management System. The Emergency Operations Center team trains and tests response capabilities routinely. The coordinator conducts training every other month in the MHPD Emergency Operations Center, which is located in the police building, and other training sites based on the subject matter. These training sessions include desktop exercise and equipment deployment designed to refresh and maintain skills of EOC and CERT team members. Currently, the CERT team consists of over 200 community members who volunteer to learn and maintain the skills necessary to assist their community in an emergency. These teams are augmented by HAM radio operators organized as the Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) team. The OES coordinator also coordinates the MHPD Volunteer in Policing (VIP) and reserve officer program. These programs assist the department both internally and externally, with participants volunteering for duties within the station and at special events throughout the community.

CPSM found this to be a well-coordinated program. No recommendations are offered.

Police Operations and Data Analysis Report, Morgan Hill, California

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