San Bernardino County Fire OES received funds from FY15 HSGP to contract with Dynamic Planning + Science to assist local jurisdictions with planning process documentation, plan content, risk assessment data and DMA 2000 compliance reviews for jurisdictions wishing to receive assistance. The consultants will provide participating local jurisdictions with content, tools, and QA/QC for individual plan updates. This planning effort represents the collective efforts of the county and participating jurisdictions, the general public, and other stakeholders.
The purpose of mitigation planning is to identify local policies and actions that can be implemented over the long term to reduce risk and future losses from hazards. These mitigation policies and actions are identified based on an assessment of hazards, vulnerabilities, and risks and the participation of a wide range of stakeholders and the public in the planning process. Benefits of mitigation planning include:
- Identifying actions for risk reduction that are agreed upon by stakeholders and the public,
- Focusing resources on the greatest risks and vulnerabilities,
- Building partnerships by involving citizens, organizations, and businesses,
- Increasing education and awareness of threats and hazards, as well as their risks,
- Communicating priorities to state and federal officials, and
- Aligning risk reduction with other community objectives.
There are nine recommended tasks for developing or updating a local hazard mitigation plan, which are included in the FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Handbook (March 2013). Each jurisdiction may decide to use a completely different organization in the plan, or complete the FEMA tasks in a different order, as long as the plan meets FEMA’s basic requirements. Some tasks can be completed concurrently, while others depend on completing preceding tasks first.
For purposes of this planning process the FEMA tasks are narrowed and presented in 7 Phases. A compilation of worksheets and tools will be developed to help communities complete each phase.
The phased planning process has developed to ensure strict compliance with the Code of Federal Regulations 44 CFR 201.6, and DMA 2000. With guidance from County Fire’s consultant website and tools, it will relatively easy for each jurisdiction to follow the required process outlined by a FEMA, Cal OES, American Planning Association, and other best practices.