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Fire chief outlines city's emergency "playbook," urges sign-ups for alert system
Summary
South Fulton Fire Chief Chad Jones presented the city's Local Emergency Operations Plan (LEOP) and Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP), described upcoming exercises and urged outreach to boost sign-ups for the Falcon alert/reverse-911 systems.
Chief Chad Jones presented a high-level overview of South Fulton's Local Emergency Operations Plan (LEOP) and the separate Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP), describing them as the city's playbooks for prevention, response and recovery.
Jones said the LEOP lays out prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery and called it a 'living document' that is updated when contacts or conditions change. He told the council the LEOP runs roughly 407 pages and the COOP about 45 pages and both outline roles from mayor and council to department heads, including succession steps if key people are unavailable.
Jones described recent work by emergency management and department heads, including a tabletop exercise held about a month earlier and a planned full-scale exercise in May with Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management (AFSIMA) to test the city's Emergency Operations Center and identify improvements. He said periodic drills and quarterly exercises will continue and that the COOP specifically addresses internal continuity so essential services (payroll, 911, sanitation, water and other core functions) can continue during disruptions.
In response to council questions, Jones said the city currently uses the county's Falcon alerting system to send push messages to mobile phones, home phones and email and that the city can also use reverse 911/geofencing through 911. He noted the limits of opt-in systems and said the city will intensify outreach (QR codes, social media and newsletters) to boost sign-ups and improve reach. On continuity of government, Jones said both plans include communication and succession elements so elected officials and staff can maintain operations if key personnel are unavailable.
The presentation concluded with council requests for an executive summary or index for easier review and an acknowledgement from Jones that portions of the plan are suitable for public posting on the city's website. No action was required; council members asked staff to continue outreach and to provide follow-up briefing materials.
