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OCDE details emergency operations, training and support after Southern California fires; plans full-scale EOC drill
Summary
OCDE staff described internal and external safety programs, their role helping LA-area districts after recent fires, ongoing counseling deployments and plans to update the department Emergency Operations Plan, inventory emergency equipment and conduct a full-scale emergency operations center drill.
Orange County Department of Education staff on Feb. 3 briefed the board on countywide school safety work, their response to recent Southern California fires and planned updates to the department’s emergency operations and training programs.
"When we talk about internal safety, Mr. Giordano and his team oversee that," Dennis Cole (presenting on behalf of OCDE) said, describing separate internal and external safety teams that coordinate with districts and county agencies.
Staff described two safety spheres: internal measures that protect OCDE buildings, staff and programs, and external supports that coordinate preparedness and emergency response across the county’s 28 school districts and charter schools. OCDE staff said they monitor weather, air quality and red-flag conditions, maintain contact lists and communications channels with districts and county emergency agencies, and deploy counseling teams when neighboring counties are affected. Officials said eight OCDE staff were deployed to Los Angeles-area schools to provide counseling following the fires.
OCDE’s internal activities include maintaining an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) last updated in July 2021, regular training for staff (CPR, first aid, FEMA recovery, active shooter, hazardous materials, satellite-phone use, Narcan/EpiPen and other courses), and a mobile command center for field response. Staff said the EOP and roles for EOC designees are being reviewed by an outside consultant; planned next steps include a full equipment inventory, identifying additional training needs, and conducting a full-scale EOC drill to test capabilities.
Trustees raised follow-up questions about vegetation management at sites, the feasibility and cost of assigning school-resource officers (SROs) to campuses, and the condition of the mobile command post. OCDE staff said facilities staff and landscaping contractors regularly manage site vegetation and that mobile-command equipment needs maintenance; staff said they will inventory and update equipment as part of the planned review. On SROs, staff said the district is researching options that could include shared SROs across multiple sites and noted the need for city or county partnership and contracts.
OCDE staff also described business-continuity measures, including redundant servers hosted out of state to ensure payroll and other district systems remain available in a major incident. The board asked staff to return with details on SRO options and related costs for future discussion.
No formal board action was taken at the Feb. 3 meeting; staff said they will proceed with the EOP review, equipment inventory and scheduling a full-scale drill.
