County Communications Summit focuses on enhancing public communication during disasters

Office of Emergency Services Director Crisanta Gonzalez speaks on the importance of building relationships with key agencies to support the county’s disaster response.

Enhancing public communications before, during and after major disasters was a key focus for a Communications Summit hosted by the San Bernardino County Administrative Office on Thursday, Sept. 26, at the new San Bernardino County Fire headquarters in San Bernardino.

The event was attended by representatives from a variety of agencies including local government, healthcare, education, business and public safety. The goal of the event was to strengthen external partnerships to ensure that communications staff are working together, sharing information and communicating effectively.

The first part of the event included a welcome from San Bernardino County Chief Communications Officer Martha Guzman-Hurtado followed by a welcome video from San Bernardino County Chief Executive Officer Luther Snoke and remarks from San Bernardino County Assistant Executive Officer Trevor Leja and San Bernardino County Fire Chief Dan Munsey.

In his remarks, Leja emphasized the role of communications during an emergency.

“It’s important to recognize that effective communication is vital to the entire response,” Leja said. “Your teamwork plays a significant role in protecting our residents.”

Likewise, Chief Munsey focused his remarks on the importance of collaboration and sharing information.

“In times of crisis, it’s our ability to collaborate, share information and communicate clearly that keeps our communities safe,” said Munsey. “County Fire is excited to help strengthen these bonds. Let’s continue to learn from one another and grow as a unified force to protect our residents.”

Following welcoming remarks, Office of Emergency Services Director Crisanta Gonzalez gave a presentation on the importance of building relationships with key agencies during normal operations to ensure when a disaster strikes there is a joint information system in place to keep the public informed of the incident.

“During a disaster, we activate a joint information system that brings public information officers together,” said Gonzalez. “This ensures that we’re able to vet information quickly and deliver timely updates to our residents.”

Gonzalez went on to explain that public information officers who are in the field will feed real-time updates to the joint information center so they can provide accurate updates. Gonzalez said her goal is to continue to strengthen external partnerships by holding trainings to enhance the flow of information during a crisis.

“In terms of building relationships, it’s our responsibility to make sure that we know each other so that when a disaster strikes, we all have our communications in place,” she said. “The key component is developing relationships.”

The summit also included a presentation on Brightline West, the high-speed rail system that will connect Las Vegas to key points in San Bernardino County, and a presentation on Cucamonga Station, which will evolve into a transportation and entertainment hub. Those presentations were delivered by Ben Porritt, senior vice president of corporate affairs for Brightline West; Antonio Castelan, director of public affairs for Brightline West; and John Gillison, the city manager of Rancho Cucamonga.

After a Q & A session, the event concluded with a roundtable led by San Bernardino County Public Information Officer David Wert, which allowed attendees to share key updates and invite others to share their information. The San Bernardino County Administrative Office will continue to conduct quarterly Communications Summits to ensure local government public information professionals work together to provide clear, coordinated information to county residents.

Additional County Update News – October 3, 2024