To: Board of Supervisors, County of Sonoma
Department or Agency Name(s): Emergency Management
Staff Name and Phone Number: Jeffrey DuVall / 707-565-1152
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Recommended Action:
Title
Adopt a Gold Resolution Proclaiming September 2025 as National Preparedness Month
End
Executive Summary:
National Preparedness Month is an annual campaign initiative by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in order to educate the public on how to prepare for emergencies. The campaign asks individuals and communities to place an emphasis on preparedness to take action to prepare, now and throughout the year, for the types of emergencies that affect us where we live, work, and learn.
Discussion:
The Department of Emergency Management encourages and educates community members to take proactive action toward preparing for emergencies and disasters during National Preparedness Month, with this year's theme "Preparedness Starts at Home" highlighting readiness efforts families and households can take and to continue the effort throughout the year.
The Department of Emergency Management emphasizes that individual actions and emergency preparedness will help you and your family stay safe and be ready for the next disaster by understanding disaster risks in your region and developing a plan to stay safe, participate in local preparedness activities, have an emergency kit, and receive information as events unfold.
Local campaigns and resources include:
1. Sign Up For Alerts
2. Know Your Zone
3. Make A Plan
4. Build A Kit
5. Access And Functional Needs
6. Prepare for Potential Threats and Hazards
7. Get Ready Businesses
8. Calendar of Upcoming Local Preparedness Events
FEMA resources include:
1. Ready.gov or Listo.gov (en Espa?ol)
Neighborhood Preparedness Programs
Sonoma County's diverse population, varied topography, and unique culture shows itself in the way residents organize to prepare their communities for disaster. The county has a number of different organization types and missions, all neighborhood based, run by neighbors, for neighbors. One lesson learned in the 2017 fires was the incredible value networks of people offer each other for life safety, resilience, and social support. Since the 2017 Nuns/Tubbs, 2019 Kincade, 2020 LNU Complex (Wallbridge & Myers), and 2020 Glass fires, more groups have formed and more connections have been made. The Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management recognizes this tremendous resource and benefit to the county and is working to foster and support this trend in a variety of ways.
Meet Your Street/Conoce A Tu Calle (Attachment 2) - Department of Emergency Management's current campaign is a countywide event running October 3rd through October 5th designed to help neighbors connect and build stronger communities. This a countywide opportunity to "Meet Your Street - Time to get to know your neighbors. There really is SAFETY in numbers!" This event encourages community members to pick a date and time to host a neighborhood event. Events can be simple or complex, limited only by participants' time, resources and imagination. Examples of events are informal meet and greets in your driveway, or a more complex event would be hosting a potluck in someone's backyard or at the neighborhood park.
Get Ready Together - This program is designed to support small neighborhood groups in their efforts to strengthen preparedness and resilience. The Department of Emergency Management is committed to fostering these initiatives and expanding participation in hyper-local networks. Neighbors helping neighbors is one of the most effective ways to ensure that everyone-especially those with limited resources or without digital access-receives critical information and assistance during a disaster.
Sonoma County's Preparedness Groups
Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT)
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.
CERT offers a consistent, nationwide approach to volunteer training and organization that professional responders can rely on during disaster situations, which allows them to focus on more complex tasks. Through CERT, the capabilities to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters is built and enhanced.
1. Sonoma County CERT -Training: Basic Training Calendar
2. Bodega Bay CERT
3. North Sonoma County CERT www.NoSoCoCERT.org, contact Geoff Peters at gpeters@showa-farm.com
COPE
The COPE program was originated by citizens of Santa Rosa, living in the Oakmont area, with support from the City of Santa Rosa Fire Department and the American Red Cross. Sue Hattendorf and Al Thomas worked with their neighbors to prepare for emergencies, and over time, enlisted participation from two thirds of the Oakmont residents. From this collaborative, grassroots design the COPE program has grown to include neighborhoods all over Sonoma County.
1. COPE Santa Rosa Fire Department
2. COPE Northern Sonoma County
3. Cope Windsor
Map Your Neighborhood (MYN) & Meet Your Neighbors
The Map Your Neighborhood/Meet Your Neighbors program guides neighbors through simple steps to help enhance preparedness for an emergency. These steps will help to quickly and safely take actions that can minimize damage and protect lives. It is designed to improve disaster readiness at the neighborhood level, 15-20 homes or a defined area that can be canvassed in 1 hour.
It teaches neighbors to rely on each other during the hours or days before fire, medical, police or utility responders arrive. A wonderful benefit of the Map Your Neighborhood program is that it's a great way to get to know or reconnect with your neighbors. Neighbors working together and learning how to protect your families, friends and property.
1. Sebastopol
2. The Springs MYN email- springsmyn@gmail.com
3. Oakmont MYN
4. Washington State, Emergency Management Division (informational YouTube videos)
Sonoma CART (Community Animal Response Team)
Sonoma Community Animal Response Team (Sonoma CART) was started after the 2017 Sonoma Complex Fires, and is a community-led non-profit organization that works in collaboration with local agencies to aid in animal evacuation, transport, sheltering and re-unification during and immediately after an emergency, accident or disaster.
1. sonomacart.org
Neighborhood Groups & Block Captains
Neighborhood Groups are similar to the groups discussed above. These groups are a collaboration of neighbors working together to help each other become more prepared, learn about each member in their community, and how they can assist one another through pooling of resources and skills. For example, one group, an offshoot of the West End Neighborhood Prep Team, finds its roots in the West End Neighborhood Association that was created in the 1980's to represent their Historic District.
Each Block Captain is a leader in their neighborhood and attends regular meetings with County Staff and guest speakers, and disseminates information to their neighbors. Individuals meet to share rebuilding questions, resources, and needs specific to their community. At these meetings, they learn from builders, surveyors, soils engineers, utilities and other community stakeholders. Some of these self-identify or are selected by neighbors to become block captains who can report out updates and information to their community.
For more information on how to prepare for all emergencies, individuals can visit socoemergency.org/get-ready/ or FEMA Ready websites at Ready.gov or Listo.gov. These activities, along with a vigilant public, contribute to an overall level of preparedness that is critical to the safety of our county, state, and country.
Prior Board Actions:
08/12/2025: Gold Resolution Proclaiming August 2025 as National Emergency Management Month
FISCAL SUMMARY
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
N/A
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
1. Gold Resolution
2. Meet Your Street/ Conoce A Tu Calle Flyers
Related Items "On File" with the Clerk of the Board:
None.