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San Jose proclaims Emergency Management Awareness Month and highlights wildfire preparedness steps
Summary
Mayor proclaimed August as Emergency Management Awareness Month, spotlighting wildfire preparedness, expanded evacuation software, fuel-load reduction, and staffing and station investments; Ray Reardon, director of emergency management, described the city's cross-department response and past activations during COVID and other emergencies.
San Jose's mayor proclaimed Aug. 19 as Emergency Management Awareness Month and urged residents to prepare for disasters as the City Council recognized the work of the Office of Emergency Management.
"That's why today, I'm proud to proclaim August as emergency management awareness month," the mayor said, highlighting wildfire preparedness as a budget priority and describing efforts to reduce fuel loads in the wildland-urban interface, roll out zone-based evacuation software and strengthen fire staffing and stations.
Ray Reardon, director of the Office of Emergency Management, described the department's role supporting first responders and coordinating across 24 departments. "The goal of the emergency manager is to work to build a support team for our first responders," Reardon said, noting the office's responsibilities to plan, train and exercise as a team. He recounted the office's multiple activations since COVID and praised Measure T (02/2018) for funding the city's new Emergency Operations Center.
The council discussion emphasized personal preparedness as well as municipal steps: clearing brush, developing family evacuation plans, and community CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) participation. The mayor and Reardon framed these actions as part of ongoing, cross-departmental work rather than a single new program.
