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9 <br /> <br />the program began. Our Council and Police Chief agree – strengthening the relationships <br />between neighborhoods, businesses, schools and law enforcement is a priority not only for our <br />community’s safety but also our quality of life. <br />Last year, the department handled about 34,000 911 calls and an additional 97,000 calls for non- <br />emergency services. It takes an incredibly dedicated and talented team to deal with that volume <br />and, as always, I’m extremely proud of the women and men who work so hard to keep us safe. <br />The Alameda County Fire Department is another group of dedicated professionals who work <br />tirelessly to protect San Leandrans in emergency situations. Our commitment to these first <br />responders is to provide them with the resources, tools, and equipment they need to protect the <br />community. I am pleased to say that we have been able to deliver on that commitment by <br />contributing funds to the purchase of new engines and other state-of-the-art tools that they have <br />used to respond to thousands of emergency calls this year. <br />It’s a comfort to know that our firefighters are serving and caring for our community, and I want <br />to also say how proud we are that during 2017, many of these crews bravely served during the <br />catastrophic fires in the North Bay, the Sierras and Santa Barbara along with being sent to Texas <br />and the Florida Keys to respond and rescue families due to hurricanes and flooding. While the <br />State and Federal government fully reimburse the Fire Department for those responses outside <br />the County, it’s still very important to assist others so that we can count on them should we need <br />help here in San Leandro someday. <br />And speaking of responding to events, Disaster Preparedness is another key area where the City <br />continues to invest resources. This past year, we were able to hire a full time Emergency Services <br />Specialist who is now working in the City Manager’s Office. In partnership with the Fire <br />Department, she is a key resource in providing a variety of training opportunities to local <br />residents and neighborhood groups about how to prepare for the next earthquake, natural <br />disaster, or large scale emergency. <br />Preparing for disasters will remain a priority in the upcoming year. We are currently working to <br />identify funding to expand our inventory of supplies – especially water.