LASSEN COUNTY Serving Susanville Times and Surrounding Areas Vol. 42, No. 25 lassennews.com Tuesday, April 7, 2020 (530) 257-5321 $1 Last Incident action plan provides focus, goals With local emergencies edition declared, an incident command structure is rolls off helping agencies and departments focus on and the press prepare for the COVID-19 threat for when it reaches This week’s edition will Lassen County. be the last printed issue of With regular daily the Lassen Co. Times. Its meetings, and by staying in parent company, Feather contact with the Emergency Publishing headquartered Operations Center, incident in Quincy, has made the command is developing an decision to suspend incident action plan publication of the Times detailing what needs to get and its five other done, and who is in charge community weekly of what faction. newspapers in both Lassen County Health and Lassen and Plumas Social Services Director counties in light of the Barbara Longo and Lassen circumstances County Sheriff/ Coroner surrounding the ongoing Dean Growdon are taking COVD-19 crisis. the helm of the ICS as joint We are devastated that incident commanders. The Lassen County COVID-19 Incident Command holds its daily meeting to discuss the action plans and updates during the we can’t continue to According to incident coronavirus pandemic. Photos submitted produce our papers that command Public Safety have been a mainstay of Officer Richard Egan, the keeping essential operations information for our plan is “the goals and open and coordinating with counties. operations for the whole local correctional facilities The coronavirus effort for the whole for mitigation and care pandemic has seriously incident.” strategies for incarcerated impacted every aspect of Currently, as things are population. our operation, from our still in the planning and Much of the action plan ability to gather and preparation phase, the focuses on making sure disseminate local news to action plan focuses on the there are points of contact selling advertising, which ICS’s objectives for the for various area resources is where we get the area’s COVID-19 response. including community revenue needed to be able As things change, goals will businesses, assisted living to meet all of our financial be updated, Egan said. Right facilities for the elderly, obligations. now, though, the plan schools and community We have spent the last focuses on the goal for a services. several weeks week. The current plan However, there are also investigating every posted as of press time is working assignments for possible option to keep intended for March 31 to incident command operating, but despite our April 6. personnel for future best efforts, unfortunately The Lassen COVID-19 preparations should they the numbers just don’t add Incident Command Action arise and guidelines for up. Quite simply, Plan has several objectives. situations like transporting newspapers are a business One is to provide for public samples. and our expenses now far and responder safety, For collecting samples, exceed our revenue. security and accountability there are guidelines for how We also realize that this of federal state, local and to collect the samples, with comes at a challenging agency COVID-19 directives, transportation to the lab for time for everyone and we guidelines and testing. regret that we can’t recommendations. Another Moreover, some areas of continue with business as focuses on developing of the plan, Egan said, focus Joint Incident Commanders, Health and Social Services Director Barbara Longo and Lassen County usual — at least for now. protocols, training plans on areas that may not even Sheriff Dean Growdon hold discussions during a recent incident command meeting. We will do our best to and implementation be used, like potential civil continue to post critical strategies for staff and unrest issues or if there overflow of the mortuary. news to our website surge staff, along with should be an influx of Moreover, there are lassennews.com. developing mitigation deaths from the virus. assignments lists for civil This has been the most measures and keeping the “Those are kind of unrest in the city and difficult decision that we public, staff and local forward looking plans … we county, should situations have had to make during officials informed. don’t really expect these arise. our decades as publishers. It also aims to develop issues,” said Egan. The plan has operations Our days of proudly strategies and Preparing for the worst, personnel look into various boasting that the Times communications to support the action plan ensures aspects of responding to and its five sister papers, health care providers and there are points of contact cases of civil unrest, including the 153-year old facilities, along with for coroner services and for including preparing or Feather River Bulletin in coordinating available extra places to house those considering usage of riot Quincy, have never missed resources needed to support who have passed from gear, K-9 teams, chemical a week now sadly comes to outbreak intervention, coronavirus. munitions and transport an end. including self isolation. The action plan noted vehicles for arrestees, along Michael and Keri The Incident Action Plan’s some refrigerated with considerations for Taborski, Publishers objectives also include containers available for use, using drones for sheriff supporting public needs by should they be needed for office surveillance purposes, and lighting considerations during hours of darkness, Searchers locate missing man’s body the action plan listed. Egan continued he hoped Investigators from the March 13. The Lassen County snow, they abandoned it and these are more just training Lassen County Sheriff ’s Sheriff ’s Office and the walked approximately 200 exercises for planning. Office, the U.S. Forest Service California Highway Patrol yards to the cabin. The The Incident Command the Susanville Fire searched the area between weather deteriorated and the Structure, which is Department and Lassen Westwood and Susanville men were snowbound for comprised of many local County Search and Rescue with no success. several days. agencies and departments, discovered the remains of a On April 2 Bailey surfaced For unknown reasons, falls under the umbrella of missing man last week. in Westwood, and called his Bailey said Charles decided the Emergency Operations On March 21 Shasta brother to come pick him up. to leave the cabin in the Center. County residents Mark A deputy said Bailey told middle of the night with his Egan noted the Incident The Emergency Operations Center, housed at Lassen Bailey and Charles Reifert him approximately three dogs and never returned. Command is providing daily Community College, serves as the overarching agency during were reported missing by a weeks earlier, he and Charles Approximately 10 days updates via its Lassen Cares the COVID-19 response. The EOC is a functional organization friend after they failed to had driven east on Moonlight later, Mark left the cabin on Facebook page and website, that serves the Lassen County Operational Area and whose return home after leaving the Road toward a cabin owned foot, where he was eventually lassencares.org. purpose is planning, coordination and asset allocation. area on March 13. by a family friend. When picked up by a passing Their friend suspected they their vehicle got stuck in the motorist and taken to the might have gone to a cabin Dollar General. Three coronavirus cases in Plumas County near Susanville, but he was C ORRECTION Deputies searched unaware of the exact tirelessly for Charles until Now there are three — at least as of have they been? With each new confirmed location. Cellphone records nightfall on April 2, but were Monday, April 6. case, the public has more questions, but indicated they had likely Murphy came unable to locate him. Plumas County’s first confirmed case of Plumas County Public Health can give few arrived in Lassen County on as police chief The following morning, COVID-19 was announced March 31 — a answers, citing a patient’s right to privacy. investigators returned to the resident of Eastern Plumas who was taken to “We are receiving many, many calls,” said In the story, “Department area and found Charles St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Reno Public Health Director Andrew Woodruff. names Murphy Firefighter of deceased. One of his dogs for treatment. Plumas County’s tests jumped dramatically the Year,” we misreported the was also located and Two days later on April 2, a household last week – going from 54 on March 31 to 127 employment of firefighter transported to the Lassen contact of the first confirmed case, also on April 4. Marcus Murphy’s father. His County Animal Shelter. tested positive. The jump can be attributed partially to the father came to Susanville as Charles’ cause of death is Then, on April 4, an Indian Valley resident necessity to test those around confirmed the chief of police, not as a undetermined at this time was confirmed to test positive for COVID-19 cases, and also that Plumas District Hospital To subscribe to the Times, lieutenant, as we reported. and is under investigation by making him or her the third positive case in has begun testing its employees, expecting to To subscribecall 530-257-5321 to the Times, The Times regrets the the Lassen County Sheriff ’s Plumas County. test 40 over a two-day period. call 530-257-5321 error. Office. Him or her? Which community? Where 2A Tuesday, April, 7, 2020 Lassen County Times Bear hunt trend entertains local children and families Glenda Svendsen even if it’s a stuffed animal Staff Writer in a window.” [email protected] The project has people Bear hunts are a recent tucking bears into windows, trend for kids that makes in trees and atop mailboxes family walks more exciting.