By Demian Bulwa
The San Francisco Chronicle
SAN FRANCISCO — Bay Area and state leaders unveiled a plan on Thursday spelling out how emergency responders in the region should communicate and work with each other after an earthquake, a fire, a bomb attack or any major disaster.
The 145-page Regional Emergency Coordination Plan, funded by a $2.2 million grant from the Department of Homeland Security, also details the role played by the state Office of Emergency Services in coordinating regional responses.
The plan — which can be activated in any disaster, whether natural or human-caused — is important because the Bay Area is a business and cultural hub, where dozens of public agencies are expected to cooperate in emergencies, officials said.
“Disasters don’t know boundaries,” San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said during a press briefing on Treasure Island. He said officials would in the next three months complete nine issue-specific plans covering such topics as transportation and the emergency care and shelter of disaster victims.
The plan was developed with URS Corp. of San Francisco. Officials said it will be available in full by Friday on the Web site of the Office of Emergency Services www.oes.ca.gov.
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