Disaster Preparedness
Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT)
On October 17, 1989, San Francisco experienced a magnitude 6.9 earthquake that tragically killed 67 people and caused more than $5 billion in damages. The aftermath prompted the formation of the Neighborhood Emergency Response Team Training Program (NERT), which currently provides instruction in disaster and emergency response. Since 1990, Local 798 members have dedicated time to provide engaging, quality hands-on training to residents of San Francisco. The goal is to teach as many San Franciscans as possible that with basic skills they can make a difference in the lives of their families and others when they are affected by a disaster. Since its inception, the NERT program has trained more than 24,700 residents to be self-reliant in a major disaster.
Community Outreach
In 2019, training was delivered in English, Cantonese, and Spanish. NERT was expanded to include Spanish language training, LISTOS, with the recognition that our city has many monolingual Spanish speakers that we were not reaching through traditional channels. Trusted community partners have also become trainers in this family-friendly preparedness class and jointly deliver the instruction to bridge the immigrant community's fear of uniformed personnel.
COVID-19 Response
Additionally, since the start of the disaster declaration for COVID-19, volunteers trained in NERT have fulfilled over 700 assignments supporting community education, physical distancing messaging at Parks and Recreation sites, and food bank operations for the increased need. The NERT deployment was recognized by FEMA for their outstanding efforts in Individual and Community Preparedness. Local 798 members who are committed to this program demonstrate their love of community and help develop a strong partnership between our neighbors and the City we serve so we can all be disaster ready.
Proposition B
San Francisco Voters Passed $628 Million Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response Bond.
“The voters of San Francisco know the importance of being prepared, and Proposition B ensures our great city is resilient for future generations.”
-Shon Buford, President of SF Firefighters Local 798
Proposition B
In March of 2020, San Francisco voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition B, a $628.5 million bond measure that will allow the City to finance seismic renovations to police and fire stations, expand the city’s 911 call center to accommodate more dispatchers and other disaster-response facilities, and fund an expansion of the emergency firefighting water system. With the City’s Firefighters leading the charge, the measure passed with 81% approval, needing a two-thirds supermajority.
The Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response (ESER) Bond will continue the important work of the 2010 and 2014 safety bonds to fund the essential improvements and upgrades to our emergency response systems that will help First Responders reduce casualties, injuries, and the critical infrastructure damage from an earthquake or emergency.
This bond ensures our 911 dispatchers have the updated technology and training they need to connect gravely injured people with emergency responders as fast as possible. San Francisco’s 911 Dispatch Center is already one of the top 25 busiest 911 centers in the United States and receives an average of 3,700 calls each day. Improvements and upgrades are needed to ensure functionality during and after large-scale disasters so the needs of the critically injured are met.
The bond will also provide for essential upgrades to the Emergency Firefighting Water System so our Firefighters can access an adequate water supply to fight fires in an emergency. The Emergency Firefighting Water System is used as the secondary defense against large, multiple-alarm fires, specifically those that can occur after a large earthquake when the domestic water system may be impacted. If the City’s domestic water system is damaged as a result of an earthquake – as had happened previously – sufficient water from the domestic water system will not be available to suppress the flames. We must upgrade this system to safeguard our community from devastating fires. In
Know the Facts.
Scientists say there is a 72% chance that the bay area will be hit with an earthquake of six point seven magnitude or greater sometime in the near future.
Current estimates for building damage from a major earthquake due to shaking and fire are as high as $28 billion to $66 billion.
In the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the City’s century-old emergency firefighting water system was knocked out as massive fires broke out in the Marina.
Fire damage would account for 20 to 50 percent of total earthquake damage. This would severely impact the Bay Area’s economy, devastate families, and greatly hinder San Francisco’s capacity to recover.
In the 1906 earthquake, it was the devastating fire that followed that caused most of the loss of life and destruction of homes.
It’s vital First Responders have the necessary tools to reduce injuries and deaths from such a disaster, and to reduce the economic impact to our communities.