Belvedere approves updated emergency plan, with reservations
The Belvedere City Council has approved updates to the peninsula’s emergency plan, but noted the need for extensive edits.
The council unanimously approved the revised blueprint on Sept. 9. An up-to-date plan is necessary to receive federal relief funding after a disaster.
Tiburon and Belvedere have a joint emergency operations plan that details the protocols for disasters, either human-caused or natural. The joint plan details ways to prevent or reduce hazards; ensure communities are prepared; design a system on how to organize and execute an immediate response after a disaster has occurred; and strategies to recover.
“I’ll start by pointing out that the plan is intended to be a framework for coordination between agencies and was primarily written to be a tool for staff rather than a community-facing guide,” said Robert Zadnik, the city manager.
The plan for the peninsula’s emergency response is guided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The agency has recommended local jurisdictions account for various demographics and ensure inclusiveness of all residents in emergency planning. FEMA also suggests updating the plan every five to seven years; the city’s plan was last updated in 2007.
Zadnik said the plan update focuses on community preparedness, such as education around programs like Ready Marin, the block captain program, Alert Marin and Nixle. It also outlines what training staff and community members should take.
The update mandates that newly elected City Council members take an emergency training as part of their orientation process. The training will go over their expected roles and responsibilities in case of emergency.
Tiburon approved the joint plan around two years ago. Belvedere Councilmember Sally Wilkinson asked why the city was only now considering it.
Zadnik said that at the time, the city was looking into a more comprehensive evacuation plan and wanted to see if the two documents could be “married.”
“We’re pretty far out of compliance,” said Zadnik. “It’s timely that we adopt something right now and then use this as a springboard for more comprehensive plans that are more community facing.”
Zadnik said there is still some work to be done, including evacuation plans for individual agencies and creating internal checklists and operating procedures. He also said the plan can be changed and updated as needed.
Councilmember Nancy Kemnitzer said she would prefer to wait to approve a plan until it’s more refined. She said some sentences don’t end, paragraphs are duplicated and outdated reports are referenced.
She added there are some updates to emergency planning — like a San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission report — that would be beneficial to reference in the plan.
“I think there’s a danger in thinking you have an emergency operations plan if it’s not actually up to date,” said Kemnitzer. “I really think if we’re going to adopt this, we need to take a close look at it.”
Vice Mayor Jane Cooper agreed, adding that the document is overwhelming and missing key information. She also pointed out that the document seems to focus more on Tiburon.
“I actually don’t think it’s going to be that easy to update this,” said Cooper. “I do think we should have a subcommittee or task force to work on it.”
The approval required that staff present a revision to the City Council by June 2025. A subcommittee will be appointed in December.