Homeland Security is the coordinated effort to ensure we are prepared to
prevent, protect against, respond to and recover from acts of terrorism and
other man-made or natural catastrophes. It requires a risk management process
in order to ensure we have the right capabilities in place to manage those
hazards that pose the greatest risk to the region, its people, and its critical
infrastructure and key resources. The threat of catastrophic events, both
natural and man-made, requires continuous attention and strategic commitment
from all levels of government, the private sector and the general public. The
Bay Area UASI is committed to this effort. Working together, the entire Bay
Area UASI has strived to integrate preparedness activities, especially preparedness
planning at the strategic level. This homeland security strategic plan
represents the latest effort in that regard.
The San Francisco Bay
Area is comprised of 10 counties and the 3 major cities of Oakland, San Francisco
and San Jose; and over 100 incorporated cities. The total population exceeds 7
million people who represent a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. San
Francisco has the 4th highest population density of any U.S. city.
U.S. census data reports that over 112 languages are spoken in the homes of San
Francisco metro area, making it the fifth most linguistically varied metro area
in the nation. The San Jose metro area has 103 languages represented, ranking
it ninth out of 195 regions around the country.
The regions landscape
includes coastal and inland mountains, remote valleys, dense urban areas and
sprawling suburban and agricultural areas.
San Francisco is home
to the 2nd largest stock options exchange in the U.S. and 30 of the worlds largest banks. The Federal
Reserve Bank in San Francisco is the nation’s largest, serving 9 western states
and 36% of the nations area. The Bay Area is one of
the nation’s top exporting regions, ranking second only to the New York-New
Jersey Metropolitan Area in the value of its exports. Generating $300 billion
in economic activity annually, the Bay Area has the highest economic
productivity in the nation.
The Region attracts
15.7 million visitors annually who spend more than $16.6 million per day. San
Francisco is the fifth largest tourist destination in the world and is home to
38 foreign consulates. Over 9 million people visit the Golden Gate Bridge every
year, making it a national and international icon.
The Bay Area is home
to more than six professional sports teams, including the NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB
as well as major college sports teams.
The Bay Area hosts
internationally renowned universities and research facilities such as Stanford
University, U.C. Berkley and U.C. Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara University as
well as Lawrence Livermore and Sandia Labs, the Stanford Linear Accelerator and
NASA AMES Research Center.
Also a major
transportation hub, the Bay Area includes 3 international airports and over
23,000 miles of public highways and roads. Combined passenger traffic for the regions airports is 50 million passengers annually. The
population is heavily dependent on bridges, with over 418,000 vehicles crossing
the regions bridge network daily. The region is served by an extensive public
transit system that carries over 1 million passengers daily, including 6
overlapping bus transit agencies, 4 regional rail systems, the BART Transbay Tube and multiple ferry systems.
The Bay Area is also
home to five major oil refineries with a daily crude capacity of more than
800,000 barrels, and includes three major Ports with a constant stream of
import and export traffic. The Port of Oakland is the 4th busiest
Port in the U.S., handling over 2 million freight units annually. U.S. DOT
projections indicate that freight capacities could more than double in the next
15 years.
The Approval Authority includes representation from the three core cities
of Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose, and the counties in which they are
located, Alameda, San Francisco and Santa Clara. The Regional Administrator for
the California Office of Emergency Services Coastal Region is also a member.
The Approval Authority provides policy direction to the Program and is
responsible for final decisions regarding projects and funding.
The Advisory Group is composed of representative Command Staff for the 10
Bay Area Counties, the three core cities and Coastal OES. The Advisory Group
makes policy and programmatic recommendations to the Approval Authority and
provides input into the planning process. A primary goal of the Advisory Group
is to ensure that projects undertaken by the UASI are truly regional in nature.
The UASI Management Team, led by a General Manager, is responsible for the
administration and management of the homeland security projects that have been
endorsed by the Approval Authority. In addition the team is responsible
for the liaison role between the City and County of San Francisco as the Fiscal
Agent for the Grant Funds and the grantors and sub-recipients. The Management
Team serves as the point of contact for all inquiries and issues from regional
stakeholders. Under the direction of the Director of Strategy and Compliance,
the Project Managers (see Job Description) are responsible for the facilitation
of the Working Groups and the projects that are undertaken at the direction of
the Approval Authority. Under the direction of the Director of Strategy and
Compliance and the Chief Financial Officer, the Grants Managers (see Job
Description) are responsible for the fiscal, administrative and legislative
responsibilities associated with running the UASI.
View the UASI Staff Bios >>
The Working Groups are
comprised of regional stakeholders that are considered subject matter experts.
The Working groups each have a core mission statement and identified projects.
Each group meets on a regular schedule, setting agendas and objectives that
meet the individual initiative.
Working Groups are
formed around the following initiatives:
Regional
Planning; Training and Exercise; CBRNE Detection; Medical and Health;
Infrastructure Protection; Interoperable Communications; Information Sharing
and Collaboration; Mass Care; Citizen Preparedness and Emergency Management.
The UASI Strategic Plan is used as a guide in the planning and development
of the investment justifications for the projects undertaken in the region.
The UASI Management Team members are all responsible for preparing a work plan
that details their project list; milestones; a timeline for completion of the
projects; the project budget(s). The Grants Managers are responsible for
preparing a similar plan that aides in tracking the projects included in their
Grant assignment, and includes all reporting deadlines.
The UASI Management
Team will facilitate the following meetings:
Approval Authority-as
directed; Advisory Group-at least quarterly; Working Groups-as necessary, not
less than quarterly; Management Staff-weekly; Regional Planners-monthly
Go to the UASI General Meeting Calendar >>
All meetings will have Agendas and Minutes; this information will be posted
on the UASI website. Management Staff meeting information will be maintained by
the Director of Strategy and Compliance.
The UASI Management Team, with input from the working groups will develop
RFPs for contracts when necessary to complete a project. The CFO will be the
POC for the RFP process and the recipient of all of the submissions. The
Management Team will facilitate selections committees based on subject matter
expertise from within the regional stakeholders. The Management Team will
recommend the selection of contractors to the Approval Authority based on the
rating of the selection committees. The Contract process will follow the rules
of the CCSF, as the fiscal agent, and the Grants Managers will coordinate the
contracting process with the Project Manager, the vendor and the City Attorney.