San Leandro council receives emergency-management briefing on EOC roles, communications and neighborhood preparedness

San Leandro elected officials received a briefing on emergency management during a Feb. 11 city council work session focused on the roles of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), incident command systems and communication during incidents.

Emergency Services Specialist Libby Basman led the presentation, telling council members the training was aimed specifically at elected officials and that “the way we train is the way we perform.” She reviewed the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS), described the EOC’s purpose, and outlined what she said elected officials should do before, during and after an incident.

Basman said local officials and staff must follow established processes to secure federal reimbursement: “If we don't follow process, we will not be reimbursed,” she said. She told council members the primary role of elected officials during an incident is to support first responders and the EOC director, and urged them to “stay home. Stay safe.”

Why it matters

Basman framed the training around San Leandro’s capacity: she noted about 90,000 residents and “a couple of hundred” city staff, and said neighborhood-level self‑sufficiency and block-level planning are essential because the city cannot immediately reach everyone during an incident.

What the briefing covered

- Systems and authorities: Basman reviewed NIMS and ICS as standard, scalable systems that enable multi‑jurisdictional response…