This is a document that could provide a useful point of comparison for the
Palo Alto BPC Program.

This document is tagged "Not for Distribution" yet it is up on the
www.sfcard.org website.  It describes a "Community Disaster Plan" that is an
adjunct the the SF NERT/CERT program.

"The purpose of this Community Disaster Plan is to help districts,
neighborhoods, and/or residential communities in San Francisco to prepare
for a disaster. The plan suggests steps that will help local entities to
fill any gaps that may occur between government response and local needs
during the first 72 hours or more of a major disaster event. The plan also
strongly encourages local residents to become actively involved in the San
Francisco Fire Department?s
NERT Program (Neighborhood Emergency Response Team). NERT is a cornerstone
to
becoming a prepared neighborhood. However, this Community Disaster Plan goes
beyond the NERT program and outlines strategies for how communities can
devise a local response to disaster that complements the City and County of
San Francisco?s larger Emergency Operations Plan."


I frankly think the Plan is way, way too wordy and involved.  That is b/c it
was written by the gov't -- I'd prefer much of our plan to come from PAN et
al.  The important thing is the delineation of roles and how neighborhoods
plug in to the City EOC.

San Francisco is using County Supervisorial Districts, where we would use
Fire Districts -- but the lingo matches, more or less.

The Plan has clear objectives for the Neighborhood:
"The Five Levels of Community or Neighborhood Preparedness:
  Level 1 - Encourage Neighbors to Help Neighbors
  Level 2 - Designate Neighborhood Block Captains
  Level 3 - Establish a Help Center [this is similar to our PANDA Trailers]
  Level 4 - Create an Emergency Management Organization
  Level 5 - Plan to Provide Basic Emergency Relief Services"


This document lays out some Job Descriptions:

Emergency Preparedness Committee (District/Neighborhood) who appoints
Emergency Preparedness Coordinator(s):
"  To provide the necessary leadership and direction for development of the
Community Disaster Plan.

  To facilitate and support community/neighborhood preparedness.

  To promote and support the local NERT program.

  To establish liaison with other community organizations for the purpose of
coordinating local disaster relief efforts for residents.

  To identify residents with disaster skills/interests and then facilitate
the development of those residents into teams that will work together to
meet community disaster needs.

  To recruit residents who wish to assume disaster leadership positions
(i.e., serve as neighborhood block captains).

  To identify facilities, equipment and other material resources that can be
shared within that community in times of disaster.

  To provide a specific point of contact for that community with local
government and emergency responders before and during a disaster."


Neighborhood Block Captain Roles and Responsibilities:
"  Sponsors a block or neighborhood meeting once a year to help neighbors
meet each other (or to get reacquainted) and plan together. The meeting will
also serve to provide residents with individual and family disaster
preparedness information and will encourage them to prepare or to renew
their commitment to stay prepared ...

  Ensures that critical response information gets communicated among
residents on the block during a disaster (and prior to a disaster, ensures
that preparedness information gets distributed).

  Works with the community?s Emergency Preparedness Committee and/or
Coordinator to survey and organize block residents for disasters (see
previous Section

  Contacts new neighbors who move onto the block and informs them of the
?Block
Preparedness Program.?"



It seems that the CERT Program (volunteers) provides the training to the
Neighborhood Emergency Preparedness Committee Block Captains.

I also like the explicit, clear discussion of who does what in Shelters (Red
Cross, City & others).  Ditto on Feeding, Emergenct Volunteers, etc.

Perhaps e-mails like this should start to circulate to the RRTF.  I suppose
someday an e-mail list will be established.  Perhaps PAN could send this on
(removing my contact info) at the appropriate time.

Who will take this on?