Our main priority is the health and safety of everyone in Calaveras County. The Public Health Emergency Preparedness team works to protect the community before, during, and after emergencies that could affect people's health.
We are part of California's organized emergency response system. This system divides emergency responsibilities into 18 Emergency Support Functions (ESFs), each handling specific emergency response duties. Our team is designated as Emergency Support Function #8 (ESF #8), which means we're officially responsible for coordinating all health and medical services during emergencies.
Think of ESFs as different teams in an emergency response playbook. While some teams handle things like transportation or firefighting, our team (ESF #8) is responsible for coordinating these activities:
- Getting medical care to people who need it
- Protecting public health (like making sure water is safe to drink)
- Managing medical supplies and equipment
- Supporting mental health needs
- Helping people with special medical needs
- Monitoring environmental health hazards
- Working with emergency medical services (ambulances)
- Giving presentations to help community members prepare
- Conducting training sessions for healthcare workers
- Running emergency response drills and exercises
- Holding regular planning meetings
- Keeping emergency plans updated
- Ensuring we have emergency supplies and equipment ready
To do this work effectively, we partner with many organizations throughout our community:
- Local government agencies
- Other public health departments
- Schools and colleges
- Community organizations
- Hospitals, clinics, and doctor's offices
- Nursing homes and long-term care facilities
- Emergency medical services
- Fire departments
- Mental health services
- Environmental health services