Response Operations

The Response Directorate leads the State’s incident response efforts and maintains emergency management situational awareness during an incident. Responding to a disaster means addressing the short-term, direct effects of an incident or threat. Response includes immediate actions to save lives, protect property, and meet basic human needs.

The Cal OES Response Directorate addresses all types of threats and hazards, ranging from accidents, technological hazards, natural disasters, human-caused incidents, pre-planned events, proactive preparedness measures, and mutual aid coordination.

The Response Directorate reinforces local responses to incident areas by coordinating state-level government, private sector, and nongovernmental roles in support of local governments and other entities. Responses are conducted in accordance with the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS).