Newsletter

Rancho Palos Verdes Leads Wildfire Mitigation Efforts on the Palos Verdes Peninsula

As new technological advancements develop to mitigate the devastating effect of wildfires, the City of Rancho Palos Verdes continuously investigates prospective resources. This year, Rancho Palos Verdes and its neighbors on the Palos Verdes Peninsula have researched a wildfire camera detection system that provides municipal agencies with timely, accurate alerts of fire ignitions.

After eight months of regionally collaborative investigation, the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council voted to explore engaging Pano AI for wildfire detection services this July.

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Pano is a 360-degree, ultra-high-definition camera system. When placed on a high vantage point, Pano scans the landscape to identify, evaluate, and warn of wildfire activity within a 15-mile radius. In the event of a fire, it provides fire-monitoring professionals auto-centered images with enhanced zoom, speeding confirmation, and triangulation of the exact fire location. Pano’s Rapid Detect wildfire detection solution has been successfully deployed in Napa, Santa Cruz, and Sonoma counties.

Discovery and research efforts linked with the state-of-the-art system were supported by Rancho Palos Verdes staff member Jesse Villalpando, a senior administrative analyst responsible for emergency preparedness.

“When witnesses report wildfires via 911, it may take precious time to pinpoint the location and dispatch first responders,” said Villalpando. “Pano automatically detects and verifies wildfire events in real-time. The ability to respond more rapidly may reduce a wildfire’s ultimate threat to our community’s safety.”

When a wildfire is in progress, Pano software helps first responders and municipal staff triage changing conditions with alerts that provide up-to-date time-lapse imagery and quickly disseminate information about the fire’s location and movement.

“Facilitating real-time alerts also enhances safety for emergency personnel, helping them respond with increased efficiency and accuracy,” said Villalpando.

Furthermore, he continued, Pano AI eases staff responsibilities by managing all aspects of system permitting, installation, monitoring, operations, and maintenance.

To potentially fund the installation of the early wildfire detection system, Rancho Palos Verdes requested Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). FEMA’s HMGP funds projects intended to reduce the effects of future natural disasters. In California, these funds are administered by Cal OES. HMGP funding opportunities support communities to mitigate risk to life and property from natural hazards such as wildfire, earthquake, drought, extreme weather, and flooding.

If the HMGP grant is awarded, said Villalpando, it would fund 75 percent of the project, to be supplemented with municipal resources.

In addition to Rancho Palos Verdes, the Palos Verdes Peninsula—a subregion of southwestern Los Angeles County—is home to California JPIA member agencies, including the cities of Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, and Rolling Hills Estates, as well as the Palos Verdes Peninsula Transit Authority, which provides bus service to, from, and within the peninsula.

The four cities convene quarterly for a joint Peninsula Public Safety Committee (PPSC) meeting. The committee, composed of two council members from each peninsula city, discusses and collaborates on the region’s emergency preparedness, public safety trends, and other relevant topics.

The committee’s September meeting included a discussion of the wildfire cameras, expected to benefit all the PPSC member agencies, as well as consideration of a cost-sharing formula for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) Local Match should the grant be awarded for this project.

“We all have our unique and individual interests and concerns,” said Rancho Palos Verdes City Manager Ara Mihranian during a presentation with Villalpando to the Rolling Hills City Council, “but we also have an overlapping and common interest, especially when it comes to public safety and the emphasis on wildfire prevention.”

The Peninsula-wide system is projected to include one site on an existing tower in Palos Verdes Estates, a standalone station in Rolling Hills, and two existing and two standalone stations in Rancho Palos Verdes.

“The Palos Verdes Peninsula is an elevated fire-threat area,” said Rolling Hills Estates City Manager Greg Grammer. “By collaborating through the Peninsula Public Safety Committee and the California JPIA, the Peninsula Cities can increase preparedness, enhance protection of our residents and property, and reduce exposure to claims on the pool.”

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The Authority’s Crime Insurance Program

By Jim Thyden, Insurance Programs Manager at California JPIA

Previously, it was required that public entities purchase bonds for select officers and officials. California law has changed to allow the bonding requirement to be satisfied by either a public official bond or a government crime insurance policy. Both provide similar protection for a public entity and provide a means by which the public entity can recover monetary losses sustained by the agency that result from an elected or appointed official’s dishonesty or failure to faithfully perform duties as prescribed by law.

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These types of losses do not occur frequently, but they do happen. Below are examples of claims that have been paid by crime insurance:

• The comptroller of a town with less than 16,000 residents defrauded taxpayers out of more than $53 million over a period of 22 years in a complex scheme in which she opened a private bank account, abusing her city position by transferring taxpayer money into the account, and then spending the funds on personal and business items. To date, only $7.4 million has been recovered through live online auctions of about 400 quarter horses, vehicles, trailers, tack equipment, and a luxury motor home.
• A city employee was accused of stealing more than $1.3 million worth of city printer ink and toner. The employee was accused of using city funds to purchase ink and toner, then reselling the items during the 2006 to 2012 timeframe.
• A former city public utilities project engineer was charged with 70 counts of theft for allegedly stealing $1.1 million from the city by diverting customer checks for water-main-extension projects into a private bank account. It is alleged that he used some of the money to buy a rental house and a car, and to pay down credit-card debt. Police seized $220,000 from the bank account but approximately $500,000 is unaccounted for.
• A fire department employee stole more than $1 million during a four- to five-year period in a scheme to siphon cash to pay for vacations and home furnishings by approving fraudulent invoices.

The Difference Between Public Official Bonds and Government Crime Insurance Policies
Public official bonds and government crime insurance policies are not the same. A key difference is that a crime insurance policy can be written to provide blanket coverage for all employees and officials of the public entity, while a public official bond is underwritten and issued for specific individuals.

Public Official Bond
A public official bond is a surety bond that is purchased by the public official and guarantees that the individual will fulfill his or her duties according to law. If the official does not, the surety bond will assure recovery of fines, fees, or expenses that are levied, but ultimately the official must make good on any loss resulting from the official’s dishonest acts or misconduct while in office (i.e., the bonded individual must repay the surety company for the amount of the loss paid under the bond). Public official bonds typically cost more than crime policies, and the amount the individual may be bonded for is dependent upon the individual’s personal assets.

Crime Insurance Program
The Authority’s crime insurance program coverage reimburses the member for loss of money, securities, or other property resulting from the dishonest acts of an “employee,” or the failure of a covered “employee” to perform his or her duties as prescribed by law. It is different from a public official bond because it is an insurance policy that contains its own terms, conditions, and exclusions. Crime insurance policies typically cost less than public official bonds, and higher limits can be purchased than may be available from a public official bond. Also, under a crime insurance policy, a deductible will typically apply. As with public official bonds, the insurance company has the right to subrogate against the individual responsible for the loss, but it should be noted that under the Authority’s crime insurance program the insurer has agreed to waive subrogation except in cases involving fraud or dishonesty by the individual(s).

The Authority offers this optional coverage to all members, who can choose a policy limit from $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 and a deductible from $2,500 to $100,000. Currently, 109 members participate in the program.

If you have any questions regarding the Authority’s Crime Program, contact Mariana Salyer at Alliant Insurance, or the Authority’s Insurance Programs Manager Jim Thyden.

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California JPIA Offers New Wildfire Resources

Wildfires remain an ongoing and worsening threat throughout California. This threat is true for many Authority members as wildfires continue to grow larger and more destructive. To support member agencies and help prepare for the challenging risks associated with wildfires, the California JPIA has contracted with Fireline Defense, LLC to conduct comprehensive wildfire risk assessments of specific high-risk properties owned by 19 member agencies.

“Preparing for wildfire risks can be very challenging,” said Senior Risk Manager Tony Leite. “While wildfires remain unpredictable and devastating, by contracting with Fireline Defense, the Authority is taking preemptive measures to reduce risks for some of our most vulnerable members.”

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Established in 2020 by professional California Firefighters, Fireline Defense offers assessment and consulting services to property owners regarding wildfire risks, prevention, and loss mitigation. As part of their service, professional firefighters perform in-field assessments to identify specific wildfire hazards and assign numeric risk scores to the assessed property using their Fireline Defense Index (FDI). The FDI gives points based on the severity of wildfire risk on a scale of one (poor) to 10 (excellent). After assessing a property, firefighters will recommend specific risk mitigation measures to help reduce the property’s risk of devastation by wildfires. Once these recommendations are implemented, Fireline Defense will reevaluate the property and provide a new FDI rating. A higher FDI score demonstrates reduced wildfire risk.

For the program’s first year, the California JPIA selected 19 member agencies with properties that scored above an 80 in the CoreLogic wildfire risk rating, presented significant value, and had occupant exposure. Unlike the FDI, a higher CoreLogic risk rating demonstrates an increased wildfire risk. The Authority partnered with the City of Big Bear Lake to test the program’s effectiveness.

“The Fire Line Defense program provided the City of Big Bear Lake with a detailed and beneficial report on areas in which the city could improve its defensible space to protect our city hall, which is typically a gathering point in the community during an emergency,” said Administrative Analyst Rachel Bowman. “As we are all familiar, California is especially at risk for wildfires, so the need for fire defense planning and protection services is critical for municipalities in California.”

Bowman notes that understanding and establishing defensible spaces within the city is crucial to mitigating risks from wildfires due to Big Bear Lake’s remote location, which can often limit access to resources during an emergency.

Following the program’s first year, the Authority will look at facilities rated 70 and above in the CoreLogic wildfire risk rating.

“As wildfire risks persist throughout California, we hope to continue providing wildfire prevention and risk mitigation services to ensure our members remain prepared to handle the effects of wildfires and other disasters,” said Leite.

To learn more about the new program, contact your regional risk manager.

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Resource Spotlight: Contractual Risk Transfer Manual

Did you know the Contractual Risk Transfer Manual was designed to be a resource for membership staff responsible for drafting agreement specifications? It includes everything from what indemnification is to reference material on contractual risk transfer, indemnification and insurance specifications guidelines, risk allocation, financing techniques, separation of permits and facility use agreements, independent contractor agreements, and more.

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The purpose of the manual is to guide the user in writing proper insurance specifications for contracts and obtaining insurance compliance. The manual also assists members in answering insurance specifications and indemnity questions and helps with processes and techniques for allocating risk using risk transfer principles.

Membership staff interested in learning more about reviewing a certificate of insurance and endorsements, what a waiver of subrogation is, recommended insurance requirements and provisions such as primary/noncontributory, etc., should reference the manual. For additional support on using the manual, contact your regional risk manager.

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Are You Ready to ShakeOut for Earthquake Preparedness?

With 330 million people living and working in the United States, a major earthquake could cause unprecedented devastation. What we do now – before a big quake – will determine how well we survive and recover. Each year the Great California ShakeOut event is held on the third Thursday of October. This year’s ShakeOut, October 20, is an opportune time to review your earthquake preparedness plan and to schedule a drill to practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On.

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Why rescuers and experts recommend Drop, Cover, and Hold On:

• Moving during an earthquake puts you at risk: Immediately dropping to the ground allows you a chance to protect yourself. Otherwise, the quake may forcibly drop you, which may disorient you from taking the following steps to protect yourself further.
• Falling and flying objects pose a significant danger during an earthquake: If you cannot seek cover under furniture and hold on, lower yourself next to an interior wall and cover your head and neck with your arms.

When an earthquake strikes, the following procedures are recommended to reduce your chance of injury:

DROP where you are onto your hands and knees.

COVER your head and neck.

If a sturdy table or desk is nearby, crawl underneath it for shelter.

If a furniture item is unavailable, crawl next to an interior wall away from windows, stay on your knees and cover your head and neck.

HOLD ON until the shaking stops.

If you are under a table or desk, hold on to a furniture leg with one hand and use your other arm to cover your head and neck.

If you are next to an interior wall, stay on your knees and use both arms and hands to protect your head and neck.

This is also the time to review and evaluate work areas to confirm bookcases and cabinets are secured to walls, items stored on top of cabinets are removed and stored correctly, and chemicals are stored in secured cabinets. Additionally, check your earthquake supplies. Discard expired items, replace them accordingly, and confirm that staff knows the location(s) of the earthquake supplies.

After the drill, update your emergency preparedness plan and procedures based on lessons learned from the ShakeOut exercise.  Review the updated plans and procedures with all staff.

Practice, practice, practice!  Practicing reinforces the behavior. You will be more likely to react quickly when the shaking begins if you have regularly practiced how to protect yourself. Although California holds an annual Great ShakeOut event, it is beneficial to practice drills throughout the year to reinforce responsive and safe behavior in an emergency.

Resources:

CaliforniaJPIA Library

CaliforniaJPIA Emergency Preparedness & Fire Extinguisher Safety Training

Earthquake Country Alliance

OSHA’s Earthquake Preparedness and Response

Dept. of Homeland Security Ready-Earthquakes

American Red Cross

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