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Council approves $79,900 contract for citywide disaster preparedness exercises
Summary
The council unanimously approved a not-to-exceed $79,900 contract with KJ Consultants to run preparedness exercises, expand public "at-home" participation, and focus outreach on high fire-hazard zones; staff plans training for staff and a wider public exercise next spring.
Piedmont will expand its disaster-preparedness exercises after the council on Sept. 16 approved a contract (not to exceed $79,900) with KJ Consultants. Fire Chief Dave Brannigan described the work as an extension of the city's 2022 evacuation and preparedness exercises, but with a broader scope: instead of a neighborhood-scale exercise used in 2022, the proposed work targets Piedmont's high fire-hazard zone for full public engagement and will offer improved at-home participation tools for residents who do not attend in person.
Staff said prior work included a full-scale community exercise focused on the Maxwellton neighborhood and associated at-home activities; the 2022 campaign produced roughly 500 downloads of the activity guide. The new contract calls for tabletop and field exercises for staff and an expanded public exercise (likely in spring), incorporation of after-action recommendations into the Emergency Operations Plan, and outreach to schools and partners (including East Bay Municipal Utility District for water-planning coordination). Council also discussed involving young people and schools and exploring creative ways to increase alert-system signups and exercise participation.
The motion to approve the KJ Consultants contract passed unanimously; staff said the contract will fund planning, community outreach, and exercises that will inform future preparedness investments and operations.
