Mono County staff briefed the Board of Supervisors on emergency management activities including public-safety power shutoff (PSPS) outreach, an emergency planning schedule and progress on the state California Radio Interoperability System (CRIS) radio project.

The county's emergency management presenter said many residents remain frustrated by ongoing PSPS events and that county staff are coordinating messaging, tests of Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and public preparedness campaigns. The county has scheduled a WEA test and noted the Great ShakeOut earthquake drill that will take place in October. Staff described work on the county's Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) and a multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan that will go to public comment before submission to FEMA.

The county's IT and radio staff reported technical progress on the CRIS project. Kirk Hardstrom, IT, said a test dispatch console is connected and able to key up on the CRIS radio system and that the county is coordinating an EMS link between transport crews and Mammoth Hospital as part of a transition from an analog VHF channel to the CRIS network. A radio ordered for Mammoth Hospital is expected within 30 days, Hardstrom said.

Multiple mountain-top radio sites are in various stages of construction or activation. Hardstrom said work at June/ Rainbow Ridge and Lincoln Mountain has advanced and that Cal OES engineers are scheduled to visit and turn up a site. Sweetwater site repairs to protect county equipment from snow were completed by Public Works. The Antelope Mountain site that would provide coverage for Benton/Antelope Valley remains delayed amid lease negotiations with AT&T; Hardstrom and supervisors said negotiations and leasing turnover have slowed activation there.

Board members pressed for a timeframe and for escalation to state and federal contacts if necessary. Supervisors asked the CAO and IT to escalate the Antelope Mountain lease negotiations and to pursue alternative options so that Benton-area coverage is not left out indefinitely. Hardstrom said he expected Lincoln and June sites to be online before heavy snow and hoped the Antelope Mountain site would be resolved early next year, but he declined to set a firm county-level "go-live" date for the full coverage ring until key sites are activated.

Emergency management staff also described training and exercise work: an updated EOP draft, scheduled tabletop exercises and a plan to audit NIMS/ICS training records. Staff mentioned challenges rescheduling instructor-led classes that were postponed by deployments and said some classes would be offered virtually.

Ending: Board members directed staff to continue active escalation with partners on the Antelope Mountain/AT&T issues, to keep the board informed of go-live plans for CRIS sites, and to continue community outreach on PSPS and preparedness.