TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Bernard Molloy II, Fire Chief
SUBJECT: Agreement between the City of Murrieta on behalf of Murrieta Fire
& Rescue and Murrieta Valley Unified School District for the Use
of Facilities During Emergencies
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RECOMMENDATION
recommendation
Approve an agreement between the City of Murrieta on behalf of Murrieta Fire & Rescue and
Murrieta Valley Unified School District for use of facilities during emergencies; and
Authorize the City Manager or her designee to execute the agreement.
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PRIOR ACTION/VOTE
None.
CITY COUNCIL GOAL
Provide a high level of innovative public safety.
BACKGROUND
During a disaster, the City of Murrieta (City) has a responsibility to facilitate medical care for those injured or displaced by a disaster and provide mass care to the population if needed. In the past, this has been done in partnership with the Murrieta Valley Unified School District, but without the benefit of a formal agreement. Health and Safety Code sections 34070-34082 and Education Code Section 32282(a)(2)(B)(ii), which provide School Districts with disaster procedures, require schools to “establish a procedure to allow a public agency, including the American Red Cross, to use school buildings, grounds, and equipment for mass care and welfare shelters during disasters or other emergencies affecting the public health and welfare.”
Murrieta Fire & Rescue (MFR) recently developed a formal agreement (Attachment 1) on behalf of the City with Murrieta Valley Unified School District (District) that outlines the specific responsibilities and roles of involved parties during a disaster and identifies which facilities will be used to house evacuated populations. MFR conducts annual inspections of all Schools in the city, which will ensure the evacuation sites meet minimum standards to house individuals during an evacuation.
Additionally, this agreement will ensure the District has access to City parks for use during an evacuation of any one of the schools. Currently, there is no agreement in place to allow District schools to evacuate into adjacent City parks if there is an on-campus emergency.
The agreement between the City and the District creates a structured plan to be put in place that outlines the specifics of who does what during a disaster or on-campus emergency. Having this agreement in place allows both the City and the District to more effectively house populations that are forced to evacuate during a disaster, as well as move children to a safe location if there is an on-campus emergency. Moving forward with this agreement is in the best interest of public safety for the citizens and students of the City and will allow both the City and the District to work more effectively together to achieve this goal.
FISCAL IMPACT
Accepting this plan has no current fiscal impact. No fees will be charged by either party in the event school properties or parks were used as evacuation sites unless it was for specific services provided. In a disaster situation, the City would be involved in seeking available reimbursements from other agencies to help offset any incurred expenses.
ATTACHMENTS
1) Agreement between the City of Murrieta on behalf of Murrieta Fire & Rescue and Murrieta Valley Unified School District for Use of Facilities during Emergencies