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San Francisco OES outlines reforms after audit; city builds animal‑preparedness coalition
Summary
The Board examined a Budget Analyst audit and Civil Grand Jury report on emergency preparedness. OES executives described organizational changes, improved interagency coordination and contingency plans to spend grant funds; the Department of Animal Care & Control outlined a city coalition and annex shelter plans for pets.
The Government Audit & Oversight Committee reviewed the Budget Analyst’s audit and the Civil Grand Jury’s report on disaster planning and emergency medical preparedness on Sept. 11.
Laura Phillips, executive director for Emergency Communications and interim executive over the Office of Emergency Services (OES), summarized steps to implement recommendations: a new reporting structure that places emergency communications and OES under her supervision, tracking tools for audit and grand jury recommendations, a contingency plan to expend federal/state grant funds and a planned strategic‑planning engagement to set performance measures. Phillips said the office will increase interagency coordination with police, fire, the Municipal Transportation Agency and regional transit (BART), and planned to participate in the statewide Golden Guardian earthquake exercise as a test of interoperability.
Adam Vander Water of the Office of the Legislative Analyst explained SB 1953 seismic deadlines and said St. Luke’s had submitted compliance plans and could seek extensions to 2013; he described medically underserved designations that make the Southeast portion of San Francisco a priority for services.
Carl Friedman, director of the Department of Animal Care & Control, described a multi‑agency San Francisco Disaster Preparedness Coalition for Animals that has produced a pet disaster pamphlet, identified annex sheltering approaches, trained volunteers and is working with the Red Cross so human shelters can have adjacent animal annexes. Friedman said the department is securing storage for sheltering equipment and coordinating volunteer training and regional resource sharing.
Supervisors asked OES for a written implementation update and requested the Budget Analyst be given full administrative access to numbers and documents needed to verify progress. Chair Ammiano moved that OES and the Budget Analyst present a detailed written implementation update in January. The committee also urged timely after‑action reporting, improved siren coverage and increased community outreach in multiple languages.
