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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - January 27, 2014 - CC, Special MeetingCITY OF AZUSA MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING ' MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 — 7:39 P.M. The City Council of the City of Azusa met in special session at the above date and time in the Azusa Light and Water Conference Room located at 729 N. Azusa Avenue, Azusa, California. Mayor Rocha called the meeting to order Call to Order ROLL CALL: Roll call was taken by City Clerk Comejo. Roll Call PRESENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: GONZALES, CARRILLO, ALVAREZ, ROCHA ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: MACIAS G STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT Also Present Elected Officials: City Clerk Cornejo. Staff Members: City Manager Makshanoff, City Attorney Ferre, Director of Public Works/Assistant City Manager Haes, Police Chief Gonzalez, Human Resources Director Neiuber, Police Captain Momot, Information Officer Quiroz, Police Officer Bites, Assistant/Deputy City Clerk Hernandez. Pub Part . PUBLIC COMMENT None Given The City Council recessed for break at 7:40 P.M. and reconvened at 7:50 P.M. Recess AGENDA ITEMS Agenda Item Resolution Ratifying a Proclamation of Local Emergency During the Colby Fire Incident. Resolution Ratifying a City Manager Makshanoff addressed the item stating that the resolution ratifies the proclamation of the Proclamation of existence of local emergency, regarding the January 16, 2014, Colby Fire; this will help with efforts to Local recover the costs associated with the fire, and to provide public service employees, who responded to the Emergency emergency, with additional immunity from liability under California law. ' Councilmember Carrillo offered a Resolution entitled A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AZUSA, CALIFORNIA PROCLAIMING THE EXISTENCE OF A LOCAL EMERGENCY. Moved by`Councilmember Carrillo, seconded by Councilmember Gonzales, to waive further reading and adopt Resolution No. 14-05, by the following vote of the Council: AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: GONZALES, CARRILLO, ALVAREZ, ROCHA 'NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: NONE ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: MACIAS Colby Fire After Action Report by Azusa Police Chief Sam Gonzalez and Los Angeles County Fire 'Colby Fire Chief Steve Martin and staff. Report Police Chief Gonzalez provided the Council with a detailed written report of the Colby Fire After Chief Gonzalez, Action Report (report attached herewith); he then gave a summary of the events by stating that in Azusa P.D., October 2013, he gave Council a presentation on the operations of the City's Emergency Operations Report Center (EOC), as there were concerns on the readiness of the department should there be an emergency; he felt confident that his staff would be able to manage any incident and fully operate the EOC, even though the department no longer has a full-time Emergency Services Coordinator; in November 2013, staff introduced a proposed police web site and social media that was launched on January 1, 2014, and 16 days later the EOC and the new website were put to the test. The Colby Fire started on Thursday, January 16, 2014, at 6:00 A.M., in the City of Glendora, where the Police and the Los Angeles (L.A.) County Fire Departments responded; the fire moved west bound at a rapid pace; the City Manager/Director of Emergency Services Makshanoff, Assistant City Manager Haes, and Captain Momot responded to the emergency, and by 8:30 A.M. the EOC emergency was activated including the emergency siren in the upper canyon; Police Officer Biers activated the recently launched social media, he established communications with fire fighters, community members in and around Azusa, and the news media, to give updated information of the events as they unfolded; the Amateur Radio Emergency Operators ACES group was brought into the EOC, they provided an invaluable assistance to Police Department as well as to staff at the Memorial Park Shelter, before sunrise, Captain Chavez closed the Garcia Trail to public access as a precautionary measure; evacuation alerts were sent out by Nextel and Twitter messages; people who were evacuated and needed to get emergency items from their homes, were escorted by police personnel to retrieve those items; 13 people 'took advantage of the evacuation center sight at Memorial Park, the L.A. County Humane provided an air conditioned trailer, with stalls for various animals, 3 dogs and 2 cats where sheltered, horses were sheltered at the Pomona Fairplex. The initial command post was at Goddard Middle School in Glendora, eventually it was moved to Santa Fe Dam to accommodate 1,300 Fire Department personnel and to have room to coordinate the 100 police officers, including those from other agencies who offered their assistance, for which a record of all involved is required in order to request reimbursement for personnel time and for the resources that were used; as the fire grew, the command post was moved to the Azusa Armory, and eventually to the soccer field at Azusa Pacific University (APU); through the social media, Officer Bites was able to assist with information to schools and concerned parents who called for updates, he also posted information received from the Air Quality Management District (AQMD) regarding air quality and the precautions taken by the schools, as some closed and others restricted outside activities; Lieutenant Dennis was assigned to the T.V. news media to give information on evacuated areas and how they were guarded by police to avoid people taking advantage of those empty homes; as the fire moved to the north of the mountains, it was no longer visible from Sierra Madre; however, pictures and videos were posted to keep the public updated of how the fire was being handled at the back side of the mountains; for this reason Mountain cove remained evacuated longer than other areas. Police officers were scheduled to work 12 hour shifts to assist with the fire; the first day there were 24 officers, 35 the first night, 26 the next day, 24 the next night, and the last day with less, for a total of 138; the Fire Department After Action report shows the financial impact of $7,000,000.00 in resources; Azusa Police Department personnel's straight time will be calculated by the Finance Department, over- time alone over the 3 day period was $35,000.00; the Police Department After Action Report shows the 'potential future problems i.e. mud slides, debris flow and wild life; some of the mitigating strategies that will be employed are also listed and safety alerts were posted on wild life; Highway 39 continues to remain closed as it possesses danger of falling rocks from the hillside; CalTrans has been installing K - rails along Highway 39, to safeguard the roadway from mud and rockslides; the L.A. County Department of Public Works will be assessing the area to recommend strategies to help deter mud; there will be more information as it becomes available on what residents can do to take precautionary measures. The Police Department received mostly positive feedback from residents on the social media as well as concerns, which were handled on an individual basis; people stopped by the command post to give personnel water or food, the community support was of great importance; as a result of how this emergency was handled, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (LAPP) recognized the website nationally; he concluded by thanking all his staff for a job well done, the City Council and City Manager for their support, the 1,300 Fire Fighters and all Police Officers from outside agencies who assisted, and he was happy to know that this tragedy ended without losing lives and/or homes in the City of Azusa. Mayor Rocha and Councihnember Carrillo thanked the Police Department personnel for all the work Council that was put into this emergency, they were happy to see that the media web site was referenced in Comments numerous media reports as being the place to go for accurate information; they also thanked Information Officer Quiroz for his regular phone updates for those who do not have access to media sites. Los Angeles County Fire Chief Steve Martin addressed the meeting to provide a report to the Council Chief Martin, on the Colby Fire; on behalf of the L. A. Fire Department (Department), he commended Police Chief L.A. County Gonzalez for what he and his department did with the media program, as not many get to test a program Fire Dept., 2 weeks after it has been put into place, and for the invaluable assistance that they provided during this Report emergency; fires usually happen in the fall or when there is major wind events, all agencies are occupied and the Department does not always get the needed resources; typically, fires' start in Santa Barbara, move to Ventura County, to L.A. County, to Orange County, and eventually end up in San Diego County, so resources are limited; during the Colby Fire, there were no other fires in the western United States, the U.S. Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), moved aircraft into the area; the Department has been staffed since Christmas Day, 2013, due to the weather conditions, the current week will be the first to downsize staff; in previous fires there has been loss of lives, either fire fighters or civilians, and thousands of homes have been burnt; in this fire neither of those two happened, which was not by accident or luck; the Fire Department has been working on a plan for the past 30 years on the way fires are approached; since the fires in the late 60's, part of the working plan has been on how to help fire fighters push their way up into the mountains and not put them in harm's way; to do this, every neighborhood, every residence, every water source, and 01/27/2014 PAGE TWO 1 everything that is of importance, is mapped; there was not a single home lost in Glendora that was on our maps; the 1968 fire out of Azusa Canyon, jumped onto highway 39, then into Duarte burning 70-80 homes; another strategy, was the concerted work with Azusa Police Department, to cooperatively work together with all other agencies and inform each other what they were all doing, which made this a successful operation; by the time the fire reached Glendora Ave., the Fire Department was already behind it; residents unaware of the fire were notific& of mandatory evacuations by the Police Department, the first step was to get people out to safety, then fires behind homes were put out and roofs watered, this is called front fire following; the bulk of the cost of the,fire was the type of aircraft that was used; it was a phenomenal effort made by the Air Craft Department, known as super scooper droppers, that pounded the mountain to keep the fire from going over residential areas or the water treatment plant; the Azusa Police Chief informed the Department of what was most important, and the plan was carried out based on that information; the safest approach was to keep the fire out of the neighborhood and to move it west to the forest; the burning of the forest has its implications, such as wild life and the watershed; this was a 2,000 acre fire, which was stopped at the hill top side, it was a onetime event that has not been seen before; as a result of all the brush that was burnt off the hillside, there are potential mud slides during rainy season; the Forest Station will evaluate the hillside, identify potential problem areas, and make recommendations of how to reforest and keep this under control away from residential areas, more specifically, on the backside of Highway 39 where rocks need to be kept off of the highway; he then commended the Council for having the confidence in Police Chief Gonzalez and his staff, as they did an excellent job in handling this fire, and he recognized Ms. Alicia Mejia, of his department, for her work in'assisting with communications. Battalion Chief Jay Lopez, L.A. County Fire Department Forestry Division, addressed the Council to Chief Lopez, inform them that his staff was working with scientists to analyze the affected hillside for soil conditions, Forestry the damage to the vegetation and to consider the steepness of the hillside that can cause heavy mud Division, slides, and to come up with solutions; he invited Council and staff to a meeting of the Forestry Service, Reports on February 3, 2014, 1:30 P.M., at San Dimas Technological Center, 444 Bonita Ave., San Dimas, CA, where he will provide information on the findings of their investigation, and to figure out what measures to take before any vegetation can be put on the hillside and how mudslides will be handled; the Watershed Emergency Protection Program will allow reimbursements to cities of up to 75% of the costs associated with this work; the funds will be distributed among the Cities of Glendora and Azusa, and the L.A. Department of Public Works; it requires a letter from the Cities to the Department of Agriculture requesting these funds; it is recommended to install K -rails and/or sand bags for now, and more accurate results will be available by February 7, 2014; he further stated that the Fire After Action Report will be available few days after said meeting, as it will be the basis to decide the type of tools needed, what is available, and also to set up implementations regarding mud slides. City Manager Makshanoff introduced Ms. Suzie Hsi, Representative for L.A. Supervisor Gloria Molina; S. Hsi he thanked her and the Supervisor, for offering to be a part of these meetings in order to get information Supervisor to assist the unincorporated areas of Azusa and to keep them informed of the events. Ms.Hsi addressed Molina the Council offering the Supervisor's assistance, stating that on the day of the fire, she was at City Hall Representative available to assist on what was needed. Mayor Rocha addressed the meeting to thank everyone, on behalf of the Azusa families. REPORTS, UPDATES, AND ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM STAFF/COUNCIL Reports/Updates Mayor Rocha addressed the meeting thanking staff for the installation of flashing lights at the pedestrian J. Rocha, crossing on 4th and Azusa Avenue; he requested a study be made on the number of students that cross Flashing Lights Vernon Avenue to Hodge Elementary School, and to get a estimate of the cost to install flashing lights. Discussion of agenda -setting for future joint City Council/Azusa Unified School Board meeting. Mayor Rocha addressed the item stating that a joint meeting is being proposed with the Azusa Unified School Board to discuss topics of mutual concern; he requested volunteers from the Council, so that together with him and staff representatives of the School Board, they can provide direction to staff in setting the agenda. Councilmember Gonzales stated that this is a suggestion he brought up before, and volunteered to sit on the Board. City Attorney Ferre stated that this item is for an Ad -Hoc Committee, only to give direction to staff to set up the agenda. Joint Council/ AUSD Agenda for Meeting It was moved by Councilmember Carrillo, seconded by Councilmember Alvarez, that the Ad -Hoc Create Ad -Hoc Committee be comprised of Mayor Rocha and Councilmember Gonzales, by the following vote of the Committee Council: AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: GONZALES, CARRILLO, ALVAREZ, ROCHA NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: NONE ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: MACIAS 01/27/2014 PAGE THREE CONSENT CALENDAR RETAINER AGREEMENT FOR SPECIAL COUNSEL LEGAL SERVICES FOR USE OF FORCE INCIDENT. City Manager Makshanoff responded to questions made by Councilmember Alvarez, stating that due to the nature of this incident, there is potential for a claim against the City, if there is no legal issue, there will be no expense; this is to prepare staff to make sure that they choose the right fum to represent the City if needed. Moved by Councilmember Gonzales, Seconded by Councilmember Carrillo to Approve the Retainer Agreement for special counsel legal services with Manning & Kass, Ellrod, Ramirez, Trester LLP, for legal services that are anticipated to arise from a use of force incident that occurred on December 31, 2013, in an amount not to exceed $75,000, without written approval of the City Council, by the following vote of the Council: AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: GONZALES, CARRILLO, ALVAREZ, ROCHA NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: NONE ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: MACIAS CLOSED SESSION The City Council Recessed to closed session at 8:32 p.m. to discuss the following: CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATOR Pursuant to California Government Code, Section 54957.6 City Negotiators: City Manager Makshanoff Organizations: CAPP (Civilian Association of Police Personnel). The City Council reconvened at 8:45 p.m., City Attorney Ferre announced there was no reportable action taken in closed session. 'ADJOURNMENT It was consensus of the City Council to adjourn the meeting. TIME OF ADJOURNMENT: 8:45 P.M. NEXT RESOLUTION NO. 2014-C6. (City) NEXT ORDINANCE NO. 2014-01. ' Indicates Mayor Pro -tem Macias Absent. 01/27/2014 PAGE FOUR Consent Cal Legal Services, Manning & Kass, Ellrod, Ramires, Trester Closed Session Labor Negotiations CAPP Adjourn Azusa Police Department Chief Sam Gonzalez Captain John Momot Officer Mike Bires January 27, 2014 Colby Fire After Action Report January 16, 2014 through January 18, 2014 01/27/2014 PAGE FIVE Synopsis Wildfires know no boundaries, as the cities of Azusa and Glendora experienced during the Colby Fire in January of 2014. Every person in the City of Azusa was impacted in some manner by this fire. Whether it be the fire itself, evacuations, congested traffic, or smoke and ash, we were all affected. I Acres Burned: 1952 les Destroyed: 6 les Damaged: 7 Buildings Destroyed: 10 Buildings Damaged: 1 The people of Azusa, along with all first tal Cost Of Fire Services' responders and emergency management personnel, should be commended for the $6,990,025 incredible, compassionate, and organized response to the Colby Fire. No civilian or emergency personnel lives were lost during this fire. While there was significant property damage, amounting to 6 homes destroyed, 7 homes damaged, 10 out -buildings destroyed and 1 out -building damaged in Glendora, and over 1,952 acres burned, at a cost of $6,990,025 to fight the fire, hundreds of homes were saved by the heroic and humble actions of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, U.S. Forest Service, CAL FIRE, Azusa Police Department, and all the assisting law enforcement agencies and fire departments. Incident Overview 2 01/27/2014 PAGE SIX s i Iflie 6E IM �mmP � Mwi A �wolM v lwl�cnM n iVmiM a Fee awn i —;r CiIM `Lnler '�' fP�llill, FYIY 1Y .e�ea Mv. (yn,�MaMe 1n AIM, PK t imlVf MrtM 7 ; 5[IiWI PVI lil[rlbf Mwiw41! (/MEYM' R S $o[elY PMI A A h n .ii, Mrl 4l[M P(Y f[mlMY phO $ 2 01/27/2014 PAGE SIX s i Iflie 6E IM �mmP � Mwi A �wolM v lwl�cnM n iVmiM a ' At approximately 6:00 AM on January 16, 2014, in the Colby Canyon area about 11.90 miles north of the City of Glendora, a fire was set, possibly accidentally, by three male adults (Clifford Henry 22 of Glendora, Steven Aguirre 21, and Jonathan Jarrell 23, both transients). These subjects had been camping along Colby Trail with an illegal campfire, when embers from the campfire ignited the hillside. The trio fled the scene and were arrested traveling out of the canyon by a Glendora Police Department officer. Currently, the three are being �— --ONNNEIIIIIIIIII prosecuted federally; the U.S. Attorney's Office has filed charges (unlawfully causing a fire of a structure or federal land) against the three men. In the days preceding the fire, the United States National Weather Service had issued a "Red Flag Warning" for the Los Angeles area. A warning of this type informs the community as well as fire fighting and emergency personnel that weather conditions are ideal for wild land fire ignition ' and quick propagation of terrain. The Santa Ana winds accompanying a Red Flag warning are a combination of wind, heat and dryness, which turns chaparral into explosive fuel. The initial response by the Los Angeles County Fire Department included 27 engines, 9 camp crews, 5 Firehawk helicopters, 5 air tankers, and 2 "Super Scoopers" airplanes. As the fire quickly grew in size aided by an easterly breeze, the Glendora Police Department contacted us and requested assistance with evacuations in their city. Approximately one hour after the start of the fire, emergency personnel reported the fire had crossed a ridge line bordering Glendora and Azusa, and that the fire would soon be threatening homes in the foothill communities of Azusa. A total of 1300 firefighting personnel and 136 law enforcement officers responded to this incident, and performed emergency duties. Activation Of The EOC The Azusa Emergency Operations Center was ' activated and staffed with members of the Azusa Police Department EOC staff, the Azusa Amateur Radio Communications (AACES) staff, and the 3 01/27/2014 PAGE SEVEN ' newly formed Social Media Team, within the first hour of the fire Message encroaching into the City of Azusa. Distributed Azusa PD's Social Media Program Total: The department launched the social media program on January 1, 2014. The purpose of the social media program is to 15562 ♦ communicate more effectively with the residents, business owners and visitors of the City of Azusa, on a platform more in aggregat consistent with what the majority of people use today - social IL media. The social media program consists of the social media channels of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Instagram, Pinterest, SmugMug and Nixie. At the center of the program is a custom website, designed and developed based on today's preferred styling. The original intention of the program was to monitor and pilot the program for a few months, so as to evaluate and address any issues, whether good or bad, with the program. This changed on the morning of the fire, as the social media team immediately found the entire program would be tested. Formation Of The SGVLESM Group The day prior to the Colby Fire, the ' department's social media team met with approximately 40 other law enforcement officers from 20 different agencies, to form the San Gabriel Valley Law Enforcement Social Media Group. The emphasis of the group was not just on training and collaboration, but on how agencies can work together to assist each other on social media, during emergencies. At the very beginning of this fire, social media mutual aid, or "e -Mutual Aid," was used, as explained below. Emergency Notifications - Nixie Captain Frank Chavez called Senior Officer Mike Bires, who is the Social Media Team's manager, at about 6:45 AM, and requested he send a Nixie notification advising residents that the Garcia Trail had been closed due to the fire, and to remain away from the area. Nixle is a mass emergency notification system, which is capable of sending out large quantities of SMS text and email messages, as well as Facebook and Twitter messages, from a verified governmental entity. It's popularity is soaring, as there are only 3 agencies in Los Angeles County who have yet to retain the service. I:1 01/27/2014 PAGE EIGHT L Since Officer Bires was still driving to the city, he called on a fellow social media manager, Sergeant Tom LeVeque, of the Arcadia Police Department. Sgt. LeVeque and Officer Bires have helped each other in the past, and are trusted members of the law enforcement social media community. At Officer Bires' request, Sgt. LeVeque logged into both the Nixie and HootSuite accounts used by the AZPD, and sent the message. As Officer Bires was getting closer to the city, Captain Chavez called again and requested evacuation notifications be issued to all residences north of Sierra Madre Avenue, and east of Azusa Avenue. Sergeant LeVeque distributed a high-priority "Alert" message to the residents of Azusa, informing those in the affected area to evacuate immediately. Officer Bires took over the department's social media channels at about 8:40 AM. A second evacuation order was subsequently issued for the Mountain Cove area of Azusa, which had been excluded during the first evacuation order. The situation had worsened, so an "Alert" message was sent to those residents as well. During the entire course of this fire, a total of 5,991 emails and 9,380 text messages were sent ' by only having to issue 20 Nixie messages. These messages went out to over 400 Nixie subscribers, 900 Twitter Followers and 200 Facebook Fans. Those fan and follower numbers would grow incredibly during the next few days. Evacuation Center Established Memorial Park in Azusa was set up as an evacuation center in anticipation for voluntary and mandatory evacuations. On the first day of the fire, 13 displaced residents sought shelter at the center throughout the day. Animal Services Los Angeles County Humane also provided an air-conditioned trailer of kennels for displaced animals. Humane received and sheltered 3 dogs and 2 cats during the first day of the fire. Animal shelter services were also provided by the Pasadena Humane Society. For horses, shelter was provided at the Los Angeles County Fairplex in Pomona. 01/27/2014 PAGE NINE ' Transfer Of Locations At 9:00 PM, the Memorial Park Shelter was closed at the request of the American Red Cross (ARC). The ARC had established a complete shelter (food, sleeping, and humane services) at Glendora High School, in the City of Glendora. They asked that we refer anyone with sheltering needs to go to the high school, which we did. Our social media team announced through the various social media channels about the new shelter location. Prior to the J closing of the Memorial Park shelter, all displaced residents had made other arrangements for their care. Mandatory Evacuations Ordered As the fire continued to spread west along the foothills, the Evacuation Warning Siren located in Azusa canyon was activated, to give the foothill community residents notification that an emergency was occurring and evacuations were possible. At 9:00 AM the Azusa EOC was advised that the fire department was setting up a staging area at Azusa and Sierra Madre, and that Highway 39 was now closed. The fire department advised mandatory evacuations were now in place for all residences north of Sierra Madre Boulevard, and east of Azusa Avenue, to include the An "Area -D" Mutual Aid Request was completed, and law enforcement officers from surrounding agencies responded to the City of Azusa. With the help of these officers, AZPD officers evacuated approximately 870 homes, containing about 2000 residents. Contributing to the success of the evacuation was the department's Social Media Team. Through the use of the various social media platforms and Nixie, evacuation warnings were issued, as described above. During and after the evacuations, residents and media were able to ask questions pertaining to the fire directly to the EOC, through the use of these social media channels. Unprecedented was the fact the answers to these questions were answered almost immediately. This allowed people to remain calm and obtain the information they felt was necessary to have. Most notable to the use of social media in this crisis was the 0 01/27/2014 PAGE TEN M OBILF dramatic reduction in telephone calls placed to the Azusa Police Department Communication's Center. The Command Post Is Established As the evacuations were being completed, the department established a Command Post (CP) at the Army National Guard Armory at 1351 W. Sierra Madre Avenue. The purpose of the CP was to properly control and direct the law enforcement activities for this incident. Evacuation Area Posts Law enforcement officers from the Area D departments who had arrived in the city to assist us needed to be accounted for, assigned and directed to 10 Evacuation Area Posts (EAP). These EAP's were identified as choke points which would allow us to safely protect the evacuated areas with the least amount of officers. From Thursday, January 16th at 10:00 AM to Friday, January 17th at about 4:00 PM, 18 officers were assigned to protect the evacuated areas and manage street closures. An additional 8 officers were assigned to roving patrols and relieving of officers assigned to the EAP's. For the Mountain Cove community, 12 ' police officers remained in that area between Friday at 4 PM to Saturday, January 18th, at 6 PM, as the evacuations remained in effect during that time period. These officers provided patrols and protection, as well as management of the street closures. Accommodating Evacuees With Retrieving Items During the second and third days of the evacuation, the department reached out to the evacuated residents through the social media channels, and coordinated numerous escorts of residents to their homes to retrieve medications and essential items. • Azusa Police Department 16 An Azusa Police Department sergeant overlooks the fire approaching a road at 6.30 PM. This effort was spread even further, when the news media broadcasted the information through their social media channels, and on -air broadcasts. 01/27/2014 PAGE ELEVEN J Prolonged Community Engagement As the firefighters were completing their mission of battling the fire, and law enforcement was maintaining security and traffic control, it was imperative the department reach out to the community and provide a source of not only information, but reassurance. Prior to the development of the social media program, this capability did not exist. Recognizing that every person has a preference when it comes to where, when and how they receive their news and information, the social media team utilized a combination of channels to create a personal and social, yet blanketed approach, to reaching the entire community. Facebook The department's Facebook page communicated with fans, by posting the Nixie messages, as well as pictures and brief stories which did not warrant a full article posting on the department's website, yet needed more space than the allotted 140 characters on Twitter. These messages, coupled with the integrated Nixie messages, and the popularity of Facebook in general, caused the department's fan base and popularity to soar. To lift spirits and recognize the community's goodwill, regardless of whether from Glendora or Azusa, the team posted encouraging photos, stories and videos. From young teenagers donating food to the dispatchers, to an 8th grade student who wanted to raise money to help his teacher rebuild her house lost in the fire, Facebook allowed us to share this with the community. The following graphs show the increase in Fans, and the overall reach of our messages. 420 315 210 105 o AZPD Facebook Page "Likes" 0 Jan 10 Jan 12 Jan 14 Jan16 Jan18 4000 3000 2000 1000 ■ People Reached Jan 10 Jan 12 Jan 14 Jan 16 Jan 18 Twitter The department utilized it's Twitter page as the primary form of communication with the public. This was based on the amount of activity flowing on Twitter during this incident, and the simplicity of referring someone to our Twitter page by simply saying "@AzusaPD." There were 191 Twitter messages sent by the department. Some of these messages were generated by the Nixie messages, as well as messages from Facebook. In using Twitter, the department reached a large amount of people, as indicative of the graphs below. Due to the quality and frequency of information we were publishing on Twitter, several 0 01/27/2014 PAGE TWELVE news organizations actually showed our Twitter messages on the bottom of their newscast, in the ticker area. 1600 1200 800 400 Twitter Followers 0 Jan 1 Jan 7 Jan15 Jan 19 YouTube We experienced the anxiety displaced residents had with wanting to return to their residences. Unfortunately, there was fire still burning near their residences, which prevented us from lifting the evacuation orders. To ease people's fears, we created quick videos showing the area near the displaced resident's homes, and the fact that firefighters were still fighting the fire, as law enforcement continued to protect their properties. Once we posted these videos, we saw a decrease in the amount of questions asked by residents in regards to returning home. We later discovered the video was ranked the #1 link we had posted during the incident on Twitter, with it getting 157 clicks. In checking the video's views directly on YouTube, we discovered the first "recon" video had been watched 706 times, and the second one was watched 135 times. 0 01/27/2014 PAGE THIRTEEN 600 450 300 150 Cr Tweets 0 Jan 15 Jan 16 Jan 17 Jan 18 Azusa Police Department vtarr.; a link. )angary 1; This isn't the best quality but we wanted to give residents an idea why the area is closed and evacuations are in force. There are falling, hot rocks, landing on the side of the road and the road itself. There is also active fires still on the side of the mountain. Like - Comment Share ARpaa PD social Media Team Recon www.youtube.com This rodeo has been made for the residents who have been displaced by the Colby Fire. Pan of the AZPD Social Media Team went out imo rhe [7 1 a5 Myrian Rangel, Tamil Hubben Pailogar and 17 others like this. • wnte a (omment... Richard Agnew Keep up the gran work. thank yau. Like Reply )I - January 17 at 4t42pm The EOC's Eyes - Photographs We wanted to see photographs of what was happening on the fire line, as well as we wanted photo documentation of the incident. Being in an Emergency Operations Center glued to television and computer screens did not allow us to see the firefighting effort, traffic and pedestrian congestions, and evacuated neighborhoods. The social media team used it's SmugMug account and requested the public upload photos to the specially created website of photos.azusapdd.ora. We received over 40 photographs of the firefighting effort, which showed us where the impacted areas were. We posted photographs on the department's Flickr page for the residents to view as well. ' AzusaPD.org - The Nucleus of The AZPD Our new website served as the face of the Azusa Police Department to the world who was tuning into the fire. With an innovative design and layout, we were able to attract and captivate a large amount of visitors, as depicted in the data below. Website Traffic We found our website traffic was averaging between 70 and 224 visits a day, between January 1 and the morning of January 16th. On the first day of the fire (Jan 16), the website skyrocketed to 2371 visits, and on the second day, we had 2,595 visits to the website. On the third day, we had 1581 visits. Jan 1-15 Jan 16 Jan 17 1 Jan 18 10 01/27/2014 PAGE FOURTEEN ■ Website Visits 750 1500 2250 3000 ' During this incident, our website was visited 6,753 times, with 3,330 of those visitors returning for more visits. There have been a total of 33,940 pages viewed which indicates our website was accessed frequently. Average Time Spent The average duration of a visit lasted 4:02 seconds. This figure is important, as it is a testament the website is outperforming the "Wei Bull° formula. Email Newsletters We recognized not everyone uses social media, and many people still rely on email for news and information. Through our email newsletter, we were able to send out newsletters with information, as well as gain 33 new subscribers during this incident. 11 01/27/2014 PAGE FIFTEEN News And Press Relations During this incident, members of the department provided press interviews with local and national television, radio and print news organizations. Press releases were given by Captain Frank Chavez, Lieutenant Paul Dennis, and Senior Officer Mike Bires. Due to the popularity and usefulness of the social media program, we found the media was extremely cooperative and commending of our department. In fact, it was mentioned by media personnel that the flow and timeliness of updates coming from the department were excellent and very much appreciated. Air Quality During this incident, we issued information to the public from the South Coast Air Quality Management District on helpful breathing tips, especially for children and seniors. We also published these items on our website for future use as well. Wild Animals We also issued information to residents about wild animals and to be alert to their presence, as well as tips for keeping them from their yards. Potential Future Problems With a fire of this magnitude burning away the brush above homes and roadways, the potential for landslides and mudslides is a concern. The following immediate actions are being taken to help mitigate these issues: • Chet Anderson is Azusa's designee for Citywide watershed protection. • During the next five years, the Colby Fire has increased the potential of possible sediment runoff from the burned hillsides •AauM M1ke Department lanuary V H We know the air can be unhealthy and not fun to breath after a fire. We have flyers on our website with helpful tips for everyone, including children and seniors. Visit hnps:I/azusapd.o,g/disasters/health-and-safety- documents to view and download howl during rainstorms. • Los Angeles County Public Works (LACPW) \\// personnel are currently touring Azusa to determine what measures are needed to protect residents from potential debris flow associated with the Colby Fire. • LACPW will provide the City and residents with recommended measures to mitigate potential damage from these debris flows. • Starting next week, Los Angeles County crews will be clearing debris from debris basins in Azusa to anticipate increased flows. • A copy of the Homeowners Guide to Mudflow Protection and other useful information is available on this website: http://dpw.lacounty.gov/wrd/Fire/ • Hudson Minshew from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will brief the City on the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP). A meeting was held on Thursday, January 23. • The EWP is a cost -share program that offers 75% of the costs to cities to install protection measures following a natural disaster. • The protection measures could include the installation of k -rails to help divert possible debris flows. 12 01/27/2014 PAGE SIXTEEN Operational Period Breakdown The following breakdown indicates officers and departments assigned to specific shifts: • Azusa • Irwindale 0 Covina • Claremont • CHP • LASD Thursday, January 16, 2014 at 6 PM to Friday, January 17, 2014 at 6 AM 13 01/27/2014 PAGE SEVENTEEN Thursday, January 16, 2014 7AMto6PM 0 Arcadia • Azusa • Baldwin Park • Covina • La Verne • Monrovia • Sierra Madre • West Covina I Operational Period Breakdown (Continued) • Arcadia • Azusa Covina Irwindale La Verne • Sierra Madre • West Covina Friday, January 17, 2014 at6AMto6PM • Arcadia • Azusa Irwindale • LASD • LaVerne • Pomona • West Covina 14 01/27/2014 PAGE EIGHTEEN Friday, January 17, 2014at6PMto Saturday, January 18 at 6 AM Operational Period Breakdown (Continued) Saturday, January 18 6AM-6 PM 0 Azusa • Irwindale LASD Azusa Police Department Personnel Costs Police Officers Straight Time: Police Officers Hours (Overtime): Fire Aircraft Crews Equipment Personnel Camp Support Supplies Total 15 Personnel Costs 01/27/2014 PAGE NINETEEN Numbers Pending $35,389.00 (463.75 hours X Step 6 O.T. Rate) $920,399 $2,017,860 $2,684,539 $714,101 $442,356 $210,770 $6,990,025 ' Identified Equipment Needs After reviewing this incident, we found the EOC would benefit with the additional improvements: Item Quantity Purpose Additional computer monitors for 4 Allow for monitoring of multiple social media team critical software components Additional computer peripherals TBD Use for operations/social media (keyboards, trackpads, batteries) team Additional MacBook Air computer 1 For use by social media team Updated large screen television TBD For monitoring of news media, social media components, video feeds Portable desktop radio 1 Communication needs Pre -approved meal vendor list N/A Providing meals to emergency personnel Additional Laptops 3 Update EOC equipment This concludes the Colby Fire After Action Report. All information contained in this report is deemed accurate as of 01/27/2014. Any questions, comments or concerns may be addressed to Chief Sam Gonzalez. 16 01/27/2014 PAGE TWENTY