Councilors and staff agreed to schedule a joint review of state disaster/Incident Command System (ICS) training and to clarify roles and messaging for elected officials during emergencies.

Council members said experience in other municipalities showed elected officials who spoke without a common communications plan sometimes spread inconsistent or incorrect information during incidents. At the meeting, staff proposed viewing a 60-minute state training video (provided by the Oregon Emergency Management or a similar state resource) in a single session so all elected officials understand the appropriate chain of command and how a joint communications center functions.

Why it matters: Councilors noted that during a local fire event, residents called elected officials seeking information instead of the emergency joint-communications center or incident command. They requested practical guidance on what council members should say publicly and how to direct inquiries during a disaster.

Next steps and logistics: Staff proposed a morning or lunchtime session to watch the training together; several councilors preferred a lunch workshop. Staff said the training would include an overview of roles (who speaks, who coordinates with public information officers), practical steps if cellular service is down, and how to avoid social-media misinformation. Staff also proposed to include the City Manager and emergency-management staff in the workshop to clarify who leads communications when the mayor or key staff are unavailable.

No policy change or binding directive was adopted at the meeting. Staff will schedule the training session and prepare a brief written protocol describing how elected officials should receive and route public inquiries during emergencies.