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DisasterMan
Emergency Managers Mutual Aid in California
EMERGENCY MANAGERS MUTUAL AID IN CALIFORNIA
Russell C. Coile, Ph.D, CEM
Pacifi c Grove Fire Department Pacifi c Grove, California
Introduction
The Fire Departments and Police Departments of many cities in California
have agreements for mutual aid in case of events which might overwhelm
the local capabilities to cope with the event. Public Works departments
are also taking action to sign similar mutual aid agreements. Prior to the
Northridge earthquake in January 1994, there was no statewide system for
formal mutual aid for emergency managers. The State of California now has
a mutual aid system for emergency managers.
The Governor of California has an Offi ce of Emergency Services. The
Governor's Offi ce of Emergency Services in Sacramento has three regional
offi ces - Southern, Coastal and Inland. The emergency managers of the
Coastal Region were attending a quarterly meeting in San Francisco on Friday,
January 21, when Richard Eisner, Coastal Region Administrator received a
telephone call from Dr. Richard Andrews, Director of the Governor's Offi ce
of Emergency Services. Dr. Andrews was the State Coordinating Offi cer and
was at the OES/FEMA Disaster Field Offi ce in Pasadena with the Federal
Coordinating Offi cer and James Lee Witt, FEMA Director. Dr. Andrews asked
if Rich Eisner could send some Coastal Region emergency managers to
Los Angeles as soon as possible to help provide mutual aid to Southern
Region managers.
Henry Renteria, City of Oakland's emergency manager, and Raelene
Wong, Sunnyvale's emergency manager were asked to go to Los Angeles
and establish an Emergency Managers Mutual Aid (EMMA) offi ce. Henry,
Raelene and some of the others of the advance party went to Pasadena
the next day, Saturday, January 22 and set up a temporary staging offi ce
in a suite at the Pasadena Hilton Hotel, across the street from the Disaster
Field Offi ce.
I drove the 350 miles from Pacifi c Grove to Los Angeles on Saturday,
arriving in the evening. I and the others of the initial group of nine reported