City presents revisions to Suffolk Emergency Operations Plan; adoption placed on consent agenda

Richard Stevens, the city's deputy emergency manager coordinator, presented the 2024 updates to the City of Suffolk Emergency Operations Plan and told council the plan is scheduled for adoption consideration as part of the regular-session consent agenda.

Stevens said the plan establishes the framework through which the city prepares for, responds to, recovers from, and mitigates the impact of natural or manmade disasters that affect public health and safety. He described the document as having three elements: the basic plan, emergency support functions (17 ESFs), and hazard-specific annexes (seven annexes addressing incidents such as hurricanes and radiological events). "The City of Suffolk Emergency Operation Plan establishes a framework through which the city prepares for, responds to, recovers from, and mitigates the impact of natural or manmade disasters," Stevens said.

Stevens said the code of Virginia requires the city to keep the plan current and that a comprehensive review occurs every four years. He described updates made after internal and partner review (city departments, Suffolk Public Schools, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Western Tidewater Community Services Board, Western Tidewater Health District, the American Red Cross, and the Salvation Army) and noted several operational edits: internal department procedures were updated (for example, how the Department of Social Services tracks shelter individuals), the citizen information call center responsibilities were moved to librarian communications, and the plan now refers to positions rather than employee names to ease future updates.

Stevens recommended adoption of the 2024 edition and answered council questions. The City Manager noted that a resolution to adopt the plan is on the consent agenda as item 7 for the regular session; no formal adoption vote occurred during the work session.