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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7.2 AlaCntyAirRaidSiren .. CITY CLERK File # DI3J[g][Q]-[Z][Q] . AGENDA STATEMENT CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: January 23,1996 SUBJECT: Status of the Alameda County Air Raid Siren: Dublin Blvd at Silvergate Dr. (Report Prepared by: Lou Ann Riera-Texeira, Assistant to the City Manager) RECOMMENDATIO~. ~ceive the report and direct City Staff to contact Alameda County and 1'\fIVI" request removal of the air raid siren. FINANCIAL STATEMENT: If Alameda County agrees to remove the siren, the City will incur no cost. However, if the County fails to remove the siren and the City chooses to remove it, the cost to the City would range between $100 and $600. DESCRIPTION: On November 14, 1995, a local resident raised the issue of reactivating the air raid siren located at the comer of Dublin Boulevard and Silvergate Drive. The City Council directed Staff to research the issue. City Staff has worked with Alameda County Office of Emergency Services (OES) and with the Dougherty Regional Fire Authority (DRF A) in studying the feasibility of resurrecting the air raid siren. A summary of the Staff findings follows. . Background The 25-foot air raid siren located in Dublin is one of 15 sirens installed throughout Alameda County some 30 years ago. The siren is capital equipment owned by Alameda County. At the time the siren system was operable, the system's control was located at the Alameda County Consolidated Dispatch Center in San Leandro. Late last year Alameda County relocated its Office of Emergency Services - Emergency Operations Center from San Leandro to a site in Dublin adjacent to the Santa Rita Jail. To date, three of the County sirens have been removed as a result of construction. In the City of Livermore two of the sirens were removed to accommodate street widening. One siren in Dublin was dismantled to allow for the expansion of the fire station on Donohue Drive. The sirens were originally installed at the height of the Cold War to signal civil defense of an attack. Until 1988, Alameda County coordinated a bi-monthly test of the siren system. The testing ceased in 1988 due to: 1) Civil defense alerting of an attack is no longer a credible threat; and 2) the Alameda County OES could no longer afford the costs associated with the monthly electrical and telephone service to the 15 poles. Consequently, the electrical and telephone service to the poles was disconnected. Following the deactivation of the siren system, Alameda obtained cost estimates to remove the poles. The cost to remove the poles was estimated at $600 each. The County, was unable to fund the removal costs, and they have left the poles in place, with the exception of those previously referenced. ------------------------------------------------------------------- . COPIES TO: Tom Ford, Resident Terry Gitlin, Alameda County OES ITEM No.1. '2~ GILA T IDISPRP\ccsiren.doc Use of Siren Systems in Other Communities Throughout the region the reliance on sirens as warning systems has been abandoned. In 1991, the" last two Bay Area counties maintaining regularly tested siren systems - San Mateo County and Santa Clara County - ceased the tests due to concern that the testing might cause panic during the Persian Gulf War. According to Alameda County Office of Emergency Services officials, most siren systems currently in.' use today are private sector, single-site systems required for compliance with hazardous materials regulations. Such siren systems can be found in Contra Costa County in the industrial areas where stationary hazardous materials sites exist. In addition, siren systems can be found at state prisons in Corcoran and Pelican Bay, to alert employees of escapes or other safety threats. According to Alameda County, a transportation accident that may precipitate an evacuation, such as the 1988 tanker accident which occurred in Dublin, is not conducive to a siren system. Typically, with a disaster response, the public safety officials must evaluate the conditions applicable to each incident. For example, a chemical spill on the highway can be affected by wind patterns. Depending on the type of chemical in some situations, an evacuation may not be desirable. Specific conditions at the time of an incident can affect where evacuees are directed from one incident to another. The multitude of scenarios which the City is responsible to respond to makes a single siren difficult to illicit the desired response from the public. Alameda County, along with various cities throughout the Bay Area, including Alameda, Berkeley, Oakland and San Leandro have recently reviewed the use of siren systems for wildland fires. For some, the cost of installing a single-site siren system has been prohibitive; other jurisdictions, including the cities of Alameda and San Leandro are currently pursuing single-site systems for wildland fire response. Feasibility of Reactivating Dublin's Siren e":; In discussing the issue of reactivating Dublin's air raid siren system with both Alameda County and the ". DRF A, it appears that direction of public resources to this end would'not be recommended. The reasons are as follows: 1. The application of air siren systems in post-Cold War emergencies is limited. The siren does not provide instructions on what steps to take in the event of an emergency; and the actions to be taken by residents may vary greatly depending upon the threat (earthquake, fire, hazardous spill, etc.). As indicated above, a siren system is more applicable to a single-site situation (i.e., chemical spill at a manufacturing plant, prison escape from an adjacent detention facility, etc.). 2. There are more effective mechanisms for communicating with residents during an emergency. For local emergency incidents, most public agencies rely on public address systems on emergency vehicles for alerting and warning residents. In addition, local television and radio broadcasts via the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS) and the Emergency Digital Information System (EDIS) are used to disseminate public information during a disaster. Both of these systems may be accessed by Dublin via the Alameda County Dispatch Center. 3. The costs of reactivating the siren system are prohibitive for the limited service it might provide. Reactivation of the air raid siren would involve the following: a) Refurbishing or replacing the existing siren device. The cost to refurbish the existing system is unknown at this time and may not even be feasible. The existing unit has not been operated for approximately 8 years and it has been subjected to the elements without any form of maintenance being performed. Alameda County indicates that ,the C,ost to replace the device and pole would be approximately $17,000. Also, in order to ensure e:,. . coverage of the entire City, additional sirens and poles would need to be installed ($17,000 each). b) There would be costs to reconnect and maintain telephone and electrical services. The cost to reconnect and maintain these services is unknown at this time. c) Replacing the telephone activation methods with updated radio controllers. According to the County, the estimated cost to replace the controllers is about $1,700. In addition, a contractual agreement would need to be made if the controller is to be activated by an outside agency, whether it be the DRF A or the Alameda County Dispatch Center; the cost for dispatch services is unknown at this time. d) Developing a response plan and a public education program. As indicated above, the siren does not provide instructions on what steps to take in the event of an emergency; and the actions to be taken by residents may vary greatly depending upon the threat (earthquake, a fire, a hazardous spill, etc.). Developing and communicating such a plan are critical components of any emergency response program. The cost to develop a response plan and community-wide public education program is unknown at this time. Recommendation Alameda County indicates that they cannot recommend reactivating the air raid siren in Dublin. The costs are limited for the service that the siren might provide. City Staff concurs. Further, City Staff would recommend the following: .1) . The City Council should direct Staff to contact Alameda County and request removal of the siren. City staff will also evaluate any potential encroachment by roadway changes at this location; it may be advantageous to include the demolition as part of the road construction project. 2) The City should continue to focus on the "high" priority disaster preparedness goals, as previously identified by the City Council. Briefly, these goals include the following: a) Complete basic emergency preparedness training for all departments. b) Complete operational plan for use of amateur radio equipment. c) Undertake tabletop disaster simulation exercise. d) Evaluate the effectiveness of the Neighborhood Preparedness program.