If maniacal terrorists bombard the highways with explosives, a storm unleashes a furious flood, or a thunderous earthquake leaves helpless children trapped in crumbling buildings, the town of Danville will be ready.
Last week, the Town Council approved an updated plan that prepares Danville to handle disasters and emergencies while working together with neighboring communities, Mayor Karen Stepper said.
“Let’s learn from the problems around the country so we are ready,” she said.
With Hurricane Katrina drowning New Orleans, jets pummeling into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, and the possibility of a disastrous earthquake in the Bay Area, officials said it was necessary that Danville develop a clear plan.
“It’s an initiative to cover broadly all other cities,” said Stepper. “We share the geography with other cities. We are sharing ideas instead of competing with each other for the same resources.”
“It’s a real benefit,” she added.
The town of Danville, the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District, the San Ramon Valley Unified School District and the city of San Ramon have worked together in developing the safety initiatives.
Stepper said the town would also work with communities in the Tri-Valley – Pleasanton, Dublin and Livermore.
New additions to the plan included making the Fire Protection District headquarters on Bollinger Canyon Road the center where Danville and San Ramon can work together. Also local officials hired former Danville police Officer Bruce Olsen as the town’s coordinator, and San Ramon administrators hired former Police Chief Brian Lindblom as their emergency facilitator, Stepper said.
Other improvements in the plan involve making sure people have enough care and health resources, and tracking town expenditures to receive state or national reimbursement. The plan also has a checklist for town departments to follow when they encounter a disastrous situation, Stepper said.
Members of the community said the town’s new initiatives could save lives.
“It’s important to consolidate our resources,” said Kathy Chiverton, executive director of the San Ramon Valley/Diablo Valley YMCA and former chief of staff to county Supervisor Millie Greenberg. “You can deploy people as you need them, and it’s a more efficient way of using resources.”
“It’s very exciting,” said Terry Koehne, spokesman for the school district. “We’ve got all the public agencies working together in coordinating a response plan. When an earthquake does hit, we’ll be right there in the hub.”
The development of the plan started late last year and continued to grow
during the town’s Community Emergency Response Team workshops in late
February and early March.
“Everybody was put on notice after the Loma Prieta earthquake,” said Stepper. “We are teaching our staff to take leadership roles so they can provide that help. We have a lot of things we haven’t looked at. We’re continuing to improve.”
She said communication was key in letting all the agencies work together.
And she added that by working with other communities, Danville receives a larger pool of resources. The town may receive military assistance from Camp Parks in Dublin and help from the business community at Bishop Ranch in San Ramon.
Still, residents need to be self-sufficient, have enough supplies, create a point for family members to each check in, and keep a list of emergency numbers.
Stepper said the plan is a loose leaf document, and residents can view it at the town offices, 510 La Gonda Way.
Nevertheless, people can only do so much to prepare for disasters, officials said.
“You wouldn’t live in California if you worried about that stuff, but we do have a huge responsibility for citizens so we are prepared to help them,” Stepper said.
