Posted on October 17, 2015 at 7:08 am by Nicole Acker
In California, Oct. 15, 2015, was set aside for the Great California ShakeOut. Families, businesses, organizations, schools and government agencies participated in a statewide earthquake drill that started at 10:15 a.m., with the main goal being to raise awareness and get Californians prepared for major earthquakes. City staff used this opportunity to practice and train on what to do before, during and after an earthquake. Essential City employees participated in the earthquake exercise, which simulated the City’s response and strategies utilizing resources, personnel and communication when the emergency operations center (EOC) is activated for a citywide emergency.
The EOC is a command and control center where representatives from the City, fire district, and other vital agencies and organizations continue to run the City and direct resources for responses and recovery operations during an emergency or disaster. The emergency operations center has several key staff members who are involved in mitigating a given incident. An EOC is used to gather, consolidate and manage the large amounts of information that accumulate during the course of a major incident.
The City has an upgraded EOC, which is outfitted with all the modern communication devices and technology, and also employs an emergency management software application called WebEOC. The exercise proved to be a valuable experience and is part of the City's ongoing training and preparedness efforts.
