Local Connectivity

Connect. Collect. Collaborate.

It is important to learn about your local emergency response groups: who they are, how to contact them, how to get connected, and how they can help during an emergency. CALA can help you connect with other members in your county and with emergency responders so that you can collect information from each other to learn about best practices and available resources and collaborate on training, exercises, and more.

Building Local Connections

Getting connected can help you better prepare for an emergency. By meeting with your fellow CALA members and local emergency response groups, as part of your Active Local Emergency Readiness Team (ALERT Team), you will have the chance to:

  • Participate in region-wide drills
  • Attend local emergency response coordination meetings
  • Have your community’s emergency and disaster plans reviewed
  • Provide community tours to emergency responders to build relationships and educate on your model of care

Each county will have an ALERT Team led by CALA members. Teams will meet regularly throughout the year and be a resource to each other in the event of an emergency or natural disaster.

The make-up of each ALERT Team will be different depending on the specific needs of each area. In addition to CALA members, meetings might include individuals from the Office of Emergency Services (OES), or Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) groups, among other emergency planning organizations.

To join your county’s ALERT Team, email Selena Coppi Hornback.

OES Information

There are three OES regions within the state—coastal, inland, and southern—and each contains several counties. Click below for the contact information of each region.

  • The Coastal Region contains 16 counties along the Northern California coast.
  • The Inland Region contains 31 counties spanning the Central Valley to the Sierras.
  • The U-shaped Southern Region contains 11 counties.

For county-specific contact information, email Selena Coppi Hornback.

VOAD Information

A VOAD group is a partnership with many organizations that come together to help during disasters. They are connected to and work with their local emergency responders like OES. Contact your local VOAD to get connected and for more information about resources and training.

Confused by all the acronyms? Click here for a glossary of terms.