Title
Adopt a Resolution to:
a. Receive a presentation on the Disaster Service Worker Program updates and requirements.
b. Provide staff direction on updates of the Disaster Service Worker Program.
c. Authorize the County Administrative Office to take all steps necessary to implement the Disaster Service Worker Program
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
Adopt a Resolution to:
a. Receive a presentation on the Disaster Service Worker Program updates and requirements.
b. Provide staff direction on updates of the Disaster Service Worker Program.
c. Authorize the County Administrative Office to take all steps necessary to implement the Disaster Service Worker Program.
SUMMARY:
One of the greatest responsibilities for all public employees is to assist in preserving the life and property of the residents of our County. As public employees, County of Monterey employees are Disaster Service Workers (DSW) and may be called upon in the event of a disaster. (Gov. Code, § 3101.) Employees may be released from their usual duties and reassigned as a DSW to assist any agency or organization carrying out emergency response duties. The recent winter storms and the COVID-19 Pandemic have demonstrated the critical importance of a developed DSW Program. The greatest asset of the County is our workforce and having a capable and accessible DSW workforce allows the County to act as a good steward of local taxpayer dollars while increasing the quality and speed of emergency response.
To this end, the County Administrative Officer, the Human Resources Department, and the Department of Emergency Management have developed a directive outlining the expectations of DSWs, including new training and registration requirements.
DISCUSSION:
Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, wildfires, and winter storms the County has called upon County staff to serve as DSWs to serve in critical responses to emergencies and disasters. A capable, prepared, trained, and accessible DSW workforce allows the County to act as a good steward of local taxpayer dollars while increasing the speed and quality of emergency response. With ample support, training, and engagement for the DSW program, the County of Monterey can muster appropriate personnel to quickly respond to disasters as they arise and minimize costs of bringing in resources from other areas.
During the recent storms, an average of 150 staff were deployed to the County’s Emergency Operations Center, with hundreds more supporting countywide efforts in different response areas. Lack of training and clear inventory of DSW skillset made it difficult to identify and deploy trained staff to serve as DSWs. The County has historically relied on a smaller pool of trained staff to support, thus creating a burden on specific employees and workloads of other departments.
The DSW directive provides for the policy and procedures pertaining to the registration and inventorying of DSWs, tracking of deployments, new employee onboarding, and implements a new training requirement for all full-time permanent County staff.
The Department of Emergency Management and the Human Resources Department will jointly implement the directive.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Administrative Office, County Counsel, Human Resources Department, Information Technology Department.
FINANCING:
The Disaster Service Worker Program directive will require staff time from the Department of Emergency Management’s FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25 budgets to develop and conduct training, and ensure compliance with the new requirements, each County department will bear the cost associated with staff time to participate in the DSW training.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
__ Economic Development
X Administration
X Health & Human Services
__ Infrastructure
X Public Safety
Prepared by: Mindy Esqueda, Emergency Services Planner, x1924
Approved by: Kelsey Scanlon, Director of Department of Emergency Management, x1902
Approved by: Nick Chiulos, Chief Assistant County Administrative Officer, x5145
Attachments:
Attachment A: Disaster Service Worker Program Directive Memo
Attachment B: Presentation
Attachment C: Resolution