On June 17th, RioVision sponsored a ZOOM Town Hall gathering with Fire Chief Jeff Armstrong focused on our city’s “behind-the-scenes” response to and planning for the current COVID-19 pandemic in which we all find ourselves. A ZOOM recording of Chief Armstrong’s presentation is now available at https://www.facebook.com/riovistavision/.
Our city is fortunate to have an experienced planner and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Director as our Fire Chief. Planning for a pandemic with its invisible behavior and unknown impact is something quite different from hurricane preparedness. As the chief reminded us, no one on the force or in city government now has had that specific experience. Chief Armstrong is forward-thinking, committed to readiness preparedness and getting ahead of evolving developments early. In February, he had already been working on updates to the City’s Emergency Operation Plan and management structure including documented roles, responsibilities and processes.
In March, when news of the pandemic broke, he recognized that our small town was both a high risk community and potentially agile given our size, so he approached City Manager Hickey with a recommendation to frugally mobilize an EOC for Rio Vista. On March 12, the EOC was staffed and put into action at its lowest level 3. EOC staffers primarily work part time between the EOC and their regular positions in the city or emergency services. Currently one person is assigned to the EOC 9am-1pm every day.
Emergency Support Function plans were quickly developed in 3 primary areas. (1) Public information regarding COVID-19 and the city’s response: validation/accuracy, resolution of conflicting directives, and method of delivery. (2) Contingency Planning: preservation of continuity of services to protect, serve, and govern the community under various possible scenarios. (3) Logistics: resource management and preparation such as operating supplies, sanitation and personal protection equipment for emergency personnel. This included kick-starting food delivery to “shut-in” members of our community, while Lira’s and restaurants worked on boosting their capabilities.
Funding was found and supplies obtained in early March before the “run” depleted the sources. Our city was actually able to help support our neighbors. Chief Armstrong praised the collaborative, cooperative efforts of our responder teams and the City in putting together and executing these plans. He also spoke to weekly update calls with public health officials, and County, State, and City EOC representatives. At this point the County is in step with the State, and the City with the County.
Once the initial response was in place, Chief Armstrong turned his planning toward the long haul including how we come out of the lockdown, how we respond to any resurgence in infections, and how we sustain our level of preparedness and continuity of services over time without burn out or depletion. Based on Best Practices and Risk Management Models, Rio Vista submitted a re-opening plan to Solano County a week before the County had their plans in place. State, County, and City plans have since lined up. Fire department personnel reviewed and got to know State guidelines for the phased re-openings, and went out in person to Rio Vista businesses to ensure they understood and would be prepared when they were allowed to re-open. He spoke of challenges of having less than a week “heads up” from the State before a new phase is cleared for re-opening.
With the exception of Vallejo, Solano County is one of the healthiest in the state, and Rio Vista one of the healthiest cities in the County. Testing sites are now open to all including asymptomatic residents. Chief Armstrong mentioned that physical distancing, along with hand washing, is the most effective preventative measure for spread. Face masks when within 6 feet of another person are protective for both people. (NOTE as of 6/18: California Public Health is now requiring face masks in higher-risk settings outside the home, especially indoor/enclosed public space).
With the strong leadership described here and working all together, we have a good chance of preserving our health for the long term. We thank Chief Armstrong for his transparency and foresight on our behalf, and for his time with the Town Hall.
Reminder: the Rio Vision Gallery is open and Dorie Solomon is showcased as our June Artist of the Month. Please drop by (with face mask).