When this edition comes out, it will be almost the anniversary of the Almeda Fire, a fire that transformed the face of the Rogue Valley and scarred all of us. If we had previously believed that catastrophic fires happened elsewhere or that we were somehow immune, that all changed last September. Concerns about fire and safety have dominated our thoughts, as well as the work of your City Council. As most of you know this year, the Jacksonville City Council prioritized community safety and education, particularly in terms of preparing our community for the possibility of a major wildland fire. An Ad Hoc Committee consisting of Councilors Selbe, McClain and myself have been hard at work on several fronts. Our efforts are bolstered by the participation of Mayor Bowen, City Administration, Police Chief Towe, and Fire Chief Painter. What follows is a short update on our work.
The Ad Hoc Committee completed its review of the City Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). The Committee’s questions, recommendations and general comments have been submitted to our City Administrator, Jeff Alvis. Jeff is now working with staff to incorporate these ideas and update the document. Concurrently, Councilor McClain and I sat down with Donna Briggs, Britt’s President and CEO, to review Britt’s Emergency and Evacuation Plan. We were joined by Jeff Alvis, Mayor Bowen, and Chief Towe. This year, Britt has added several protocols to strengthen their safety measures including a total smoking ban on the premises, more security on site, funds to cover an additional police officer on concert nights, etc. Moreover, the State Fire Marshall recently completed a comprehensive investigation of the Britt Festival grounds and deemed it compliant with all state regulations. Britt management has also met with neighbors to address concerns to enhance the safety of both guests and residents.
Because the City’s Emergency Operations Plan is largely an internal document, the Ad Hoc Committee completed a draft Citizens Emergency Guide, a single page sheet which contains important information about alert notifications, emergency evacuation plans, and identifies New City Hall as the City’s Emergency Operations Center until the Fire House renovation is complete. At the Council’s Work Session on July 20, we were joined by Nikki Hart-Brinkley, Technology Services Coordinator with Rogue Valley Council of Governments. Nikki previewed our Jacksonville Emergency Evacuation map as well as a draft “Zone Look-Up” tool. Like other local municipalities, Jacksonville will be divided into several zones which will be coordinated with the County’s emergency alert system. In that way residents will receive the most up to date information for their specific localities in an emergency. At an upcoming City Council meeting, the Council will vote whether to adopt the Evacuation maps as well as the Citizen’s Safety Guide. Once approved, these documents will be placed on the City’s website and displayed and distributed widely throughout the community. Our website will also feature a link for residents to enroll in the County’s emergency alert program. Please note if you wish to enroll immediately, visit the Jackson County website’s home page for enrollment information or visit www.JacksonCounty.org/Emergency.
Meanwhile, the Fire Department continues to support Linda Davis and the Firewise community volunteers. In the last months we have added several Firewise communities including Hill Street, Wagon Trail Road, and most recently Royal Mobile Estates. More on this can be found in the article on Jacksonville’s Firewise communities in this issue. Fire Chief Painter is continuously seeking grants, and he has several in the works for funding fuel reduction. A recent grant has supplied interns to the Fire Department which allows our regular firefighters more flexibility to be out and about the community doing inspections and identifying potentially hazardous areas.
In the months ahead, the City Council will continue its work to better prepare our community for an emergency. Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas with us as we are all in this together. You may reach the Ad Hoc Committee through my City email: CouncilorThompson@Jacksonvilleor.us.