Chandra Corbin, the health department's emergency-response coordinator, briefed the board on the agency's emergency-preparedness work and upcoming exercises. Corbin said the department functions as ESF-8 (medical and public health) and relies on the Incident Command System. She asked board members to consider basic ICS training (ICS 100 and 200) so they understand their roles if the department requests authorization during an incident.

The presentation outlined recent exercises and an upcoming administrative-preparedness tabletop that will simulate decisions such as hiring surge staff and appropriating emergency funds. Corbin said quarterly ESF-8 partner meetings with county emergency management (EMA) feed plan updates back into local response documents and that dispensing-site forms in members' packets should be updated annually so frontline staff can identify household needs quickly during mass dispensing.

Board members noted the new fire chief, Bridal Wright, will take a lead role in citywide preparedness planning. Officials discussed coordinating exercises across departments and inviting board members to observe or attend some exercises. Corbin said the federal grant-funded preparedness plans are living documents and that the department's administrative tabletop will be scheduled soon; she invited one or more board members to participate.

The board did not take a formal vote on the briefing; next steps are participation in planned training and the scheduled tabletop exercise.