Last week, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors received a presentation recognizing September as a National Emergency Management Awareness Month – noting Contra Costa County has been rated as one of the most at risk counties in the country.
Presented by Rick Kovar, Officer of Emergency Services Manager, he shared that Contra Costa County is rated the 14 most dangerous county in the county and this years theme is about building a culture of readiness—taking small practical steps, such as signing up for the community alerts and have a “go bag” for if they need to evacuate, along with practicing drills at home and work.
He stated a few programs that were key to disaster preparedness and resiliency include the American Red Cross, which in 2025, have already responded to 125 events while assisting 556 residents through apartment fires and home fires. They also have done training for 500 children and young adults throughout the county – Prepare with Pedro Program along with 38 events, including Sound the Alarm. He also credit Health Services – health emergency response unit which manage the medical reserve core for the county. A group of volunteers that are health officials—such as vaccination clinics. He also credited the CERT program, which has trained over 2,000 CERT volunteers since the early 2,000’s…