County outlines emergency-preparedness upgrades after 2023 snowstorm; board receives grand jury response

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to receive the county’s formal response to the San Bernardino County Grand Jury’s 2024 final report on the February 2023 snowstorm, adopting a record of actions and planned changes to emergency operations.

The response, presented to the board by Chryssante Gonzalez, director of the county Office of Emergency Services, lists equipment purchases, organizational changes and training updates intended to address gaps identified by the grand jury.

Gonzalez told the board that the storm “tested San Bernardino County’s preparedness, revealing critical challenges in public communication, agency coordination, and the Emergency Operations Center’s ability to sustain a cohesive operating plan.” She said the county has converted those lessons into concrete steps including securing specialized snow‑management equipment for Public Works, launching a “Preparedness Starts Here” public information campaign, hiring emergency services officers focused on planning and training, and issuing a request for proposals to evaluate and update the county Emergency Operations Plan with a new snowstorm annex.

Why this matters: the February 2023 storm left mountain communities isolated and strained emergency services. County leaders said the changes aim to improve response times, interagency coordination and resident notifications during sudden, high‑impact weather events.

Details presented to the board and recorded in the county response include: - Enhanced snow‑removal capability: public works obtained additional specialized equipment intended to manage depths greater than 8 feet. - Organizational and staffing changes: approval of budget increases, hiring 10 ongoing positions and two emergency‑services officers focused on planning/training, and embedding a San Bernardino County Fire division chief within OES to streamline decisionmaking. - Planning and training: an RFP to independently evaluate the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) and perform a gap analysis, creation of a snowstorm annex, reimplementation of department emergency operations plans, and expanded training exercises with county departments and state partners. - Public outreach and tools: a county preparedness campaign, increased subscriptions to the telephone emergency notification system, cameras to monitor vulnerable channels, and pre‑positioned barricades and equipment for rapid road closures and cleanups.

Vice Chair Baca praised the grand jury and county leaders’ follow‑up and emphasized continued investment. “We do have to make more investments in the Office of Emergency Services,” Baca said, urging sustained funding and growth for preparedness across the county’s diverse geography.

Supervisor Hagman moved to receive the county response; Vice Chair Baca seconded. The motion passed unanimously with Supervisor Cook absent.

The board’s receipt of the response does not itself adopt new regulations or budgets beyond previously authorized steps; it formally records the county’s reply to the grand jury and the near‑term work plan OES laid out. Gonzalez said the county will use after‑action reports from 2024 incidents to exercise the updated EOP, coordinate with state partners, and refine roles and responsibilities.

Board members thanked the grand jury for its review and framed the report as a constructive step toward faster, more coordinated emergency response.