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Home My WebLink About2008-04-15; City Council; 19404; Approval of CERT programCITY OF CARLSBAD - AGENDA BILL 10 AB# 19,404 MTG. 04/15/08 DEPT. FIRE/CM APPROVAL OF CARLSBAD COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE T^ A HA /^*CQTl nifl/^^Q A Rii Aikir\TEAM (CERT) PROGRAM AND PROVIDING WORKERS' COMPENSATION BENEFITS DEPT. HEAD V<^ CITY ATTY. &• CITY MGR. ^ RECOMMENDED ACTION: Council adopts Resolution No. 2008-112 Community Emergency Response Team Compensation benefits to CERT volunteers. ITEM EXPLANATION: authorizing the implementation of the Carlsbad (CERT) Program and extending Workers' Volunteers are important in Carlsbad service delivery, as demonstrated by the Special Volunteer Action Team (SVAT), Police Department's Senior Volunteer Patrol, and other City volunteer programs. In FY 2006-07, the value of volunteer services to the City exceeded $1 million dollars. With the persistent threat from wildfire; the potential risk presented by earthquake, pandemic flu, or other natural disasters, and increased demands by residents for community disaster preparedness services; the implementation of a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteer program will become increasingly valuable to the City. Volunteers with high skill levels have expressed interest in serving the Carlsbad community by participating in a Community Emergency Response Team. With a membership of properly selected and trained volunteers, CERT will help the City better meet its emergency preparedness and response service mission. The skills and services offered by CERT-trained volunteers are not found in any other City volunteer program. Carlsbad CERT volunteers will be trained to assist others in basic emergency response until arrival of professional First Responders. Although in recent years, some CERT organizations have utilized CERT members in incident response support positions in command posts and operations centers, Carlsbad's CERT will focus on community assistance, information sharing, evacuation sites and shelters. Carlsbad's special needs populations will be a priority to receive CERT assistance. CERT can assist with non-emergency projects that improve the safety of the community. However, CERT members will be specifically precluded from the following: (1) performing the duties or taking the place of professional Firefighters and First Responders; (2) serving as a reserve or volunteer fire fighting force; (3) entering heavily damaged or dangerous structures; (4) performing hazardous material cleanup; or (5) deploying without specific authorization. To date, CERT teams have been successfully implemented and utilized in 16 San Diego County jurisdictions. DEPARTMENT CONTACT: David Harrison 760-931-2137 dharr@ci.carlsbad.ca.us FOR CITY CLERKS USE ONLY. COUNCIL ACTION: APPROVED DENIED CONTINUED WITHDRAWN AMENDED $~~~ D D D CONTINUED TO DATE SPECIFIC CONTINUED TO DATE UNKNOWN RETURNED TO STAFF OTHER -SEE MINUTES D D D D Page 2 Standard disaster preparedness guidelines warn every citizen to be prepared to be self- sufficient for the first 72 hours of a disaster. Firestorm 2007 reaffirmed this warning. Currently in Carlsbad, no program exists to assist residents in the preparation for and response to disasters. CERT will help to close this community service gap. The Carlsbad Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, the Carlsbad Fire Department, and the City's Volunteer Coordinator are committed to the recruitment, training, implementation and sustainment of a Carlsbad CERT Program, which is based upon the above-noted foundational guidelines. The Police Department's successful Senior Volunteer Patrol Program can serve as a model for CERT's implementation, administration and management, while Carlsbad's Volunteer Program's pre- established procedures and tools will be utilized for CERT Program advertisement, registration and administration. Upon City Council approval, City staff could begin CERT Program volunteer recruitment, with CERT training beginning as early as June 2008, with initial Team certification by August 2008. Two annual CERT Academies will be held for approximately 20 students per Academy. CERT Academy training will be provided by Carlsbad Public Safety staff primarily at the Safety Center. CERT Programs do involve manageable risks, which can be mitigated through effective team leadership, training and team membership quality control. Registered CERT members shall be deemed to be employees of the City of Carlsbad for the sole purpose of extending Workers' Compensation benefits for injuries incurred while performing volunteer services for the City and such benefits will be the sole and exclusive remedy in the event of injuries while performing volunteer CERT activities. Further, registered CERT member volunteers are covered under the Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 which provides immunity when acting in the scope and course of his/her volunteer duties. FISCAL IMPACT: CERT Program implementation and sustainment costs are approximately $10,000 to $12,000 per year. Federal Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Reimbursement Grant funding is available to fund the FY 2008-09 CERT implementation and start up costs. However, grant funds are not currently available to fund additional years of the CERT Program. As such, the CERT Program costs will be absorbed within the existing Fire Department Emergency Preparedness Program budget beginning in FY 2009-10. There is no way to predict the fiscal impact of this resolution related to Workers' Compensation claims; however, it is anticipated to be very small. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: This activity is not a project and is therefore not subject to State CEQA pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c)(2). EXHIBITS: 1. Resolution No. 2008-112 approving Carlsbad CERT Program RESOLUTION NO. 2008-112 2 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA, ESTABLISHING THE 3 CARLSBAD COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE 4 - TEAM (CERT) PROGRAM AND EXTENDING THE CITY'S WORKERS' COMPENSATION COVERAGE TO CERT 5 VOLUNTEERS WHEREAS, the City of Carlsbad is eligible to establish and implement a 7 Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program; and o WHEREAS, a CERT Program will help the City better meet is emergency preparedness and response service mission; and WHEREAS, the City Council supports providing Workers' Compensation 12 coverage for CERT volunteers of the City under its previous grant of Workers' Compensation benefits to City volunteers; 14 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of 15 Carlsbad, California, as follows: 16 1. That the above recitations are true and correct. 17 2. The Carlsbad Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program 8 is approved and City staff is directed to create, implement and administer the Program 2Q in accordance with Carlsbad Volunteer Program guidelines. 21 3. City staff is authorized to act in CERT Program leadership, management 22 and instruction. 23 4. All CERT volunteers will be required to execute, submit and maintain throughout CERT-related Program participation all Carlsbad-required Waiver of Liability 25 forms. CERT volunteers shall be deemed to be employees of the City of Carlsbad for 26 the sole purpose of extending Workers' Compensation benefits for injuries incurred 27 " 28 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 while performing volunteer services for the City and such benefits will be the sole and exclusive remedy in the event of injuries while performing volunteer CERT activities. PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED at a Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of Carlsbad on the 15tb day of Apri 1 , 2008, by the following vote to wit: AYES: Council Members Lewis, Kulcbin, Hall, Packard and Nygaard. NOES: None- ABSENT: None. /Mayor ATTEST: BenefitsBenefitsRoles and Roles and ResponsibilitiesResponsibilitiesTrainingTrainingAdministrationAdministration BenefitsBenefits::––Assist City with public Assist City with public safety and emergency safety and emergency preparedness missionspreparedness missions––Assist residents during Assist residents during incident responseincident response––Broaden CityBroaden City--city resident city resident interaction and dialogueinteraction and dialogue Roles and Roles and Responsibilities:Responsibilities:––Help neighborsHelp neighbors––Community assistanceCommunity assistance––Information sharingInformation sharing––Communications supportCommunications support––Shelter and logistics Shelter and logistics supportsupport––Special needs supportSpecial needs support––Events and nonEvents and non--incident incident related projectsrelated projects Securing utilitiesRoles and Roles and Responsibilities:Responsibilities:––Help neighborsHelp neighbors––Community assistanceCommunity assistance––Information sharingInformation sharing––Communications supportCommunications support––Shelter and logistics Shelter and logistics supportsupport––Special needs supportSpecial needs support––Events and nonEvents and non--incident incident related projectsrelated projects SandbaggingRoles and Roles and Responsibilities:Responsibilities:––Help neighborsHelp neighbors––Community assistanceCommunity assistance––Information sharingInformation sharing––Communications supportCommunications support––Shelter and logistics Shelter and logistics supportsupport––Special needs supportSpecial needs support––Events and nonEvents and non--incident incident related projectsrelated projects Public Outreach and EducationRoles and Roles and Responsibilities:Responsibilities:––Help neighborsHelp neighbors––Community assistanceCommunity assistance––Information sharingInformation sharing––Communications supportCommunications support––Shelter and logistics Shelter and logistics supportsupport––Special needs supportSpecial needs support––Events and nonEvents and non--incident incident related projectsrelated projects Amateur radio civil emergency servicesRoles and Roles and Responsibilities:Responsibilities:––Help neighborsHelp neighbors––Community assistanceCommunity assistance––Information sharingInformation sharing––Communications supportCommunications support––Shelter and logistics Shelter and logistics supportsupport––Special needs supportSpecial needs support––Events and nonEvents and non--incident incident related projectsrelated projects CHS, Firestorm 2007Roles and Roles and Responsibilities:Responsibilities:––Help neighborsHelp neighbors––Community assistanceCommunity assistance––Information sharingInformation sharing––Communications supportCommunications support––Shelter and logistics Shelter and logistics supportsupport––Special needs supportSpecial needs support––Events and nonEvents and non--incident incident related projectsrelated projects Roles and Roles and Responsibilities:Responsibilities:––Help neighborsHelp neighbors––Community assistanceCommunity assistance––Information sharingInformation sharing––Communications supportCommunications support––Shelter and logistics Shelter and logistics supportsupport––Special needs supportSpecial needs support––Events and nonEvents and non--incident incident related projectsrelated projects Carlsbad Village Street FaireRoles and Roles and Responsibilities:Responsibilities:––Help neighborsHelp neighbors––Community assistanceCommunity assistance––Information sharingInformation sharing––Communications supportCommunications support––Shelter and logistics Shelter and logistics supportsupport––Special needs supportSpecial needs support––Events and nonEvents and non--incident incident related projectsrelated projects TrainingTraining––Safety CenterSafety Center––Carlsbad Public Safety Carlsbad Public Safety InstructorsInstructors––24 hours of instruction24 hours of instruction––FEMA materials tailored to FEMA materials tailored to CarlsbadCarlsbad––ExerciseExercise––2 Academies per year, 202 Academies per year, 20--25 volunteers per Academy25 volunteers per AcademyBasic Fire SafetyBasic Disaster Medical OperationsLight Search and Rescue CERT AdministrationCERT Administration––RecruitingRecruiting––Program ManagementProgram Management CERT SuccessCERT Success––LeadershipLeadership––TrainingTraining––Meaningful workMeaningful workCity of San Diego CERT