SP Citizens Corps: Emergency preparedness meeting tonight!

September 19, 2007
Santa Paula News

Anyone with an interest in emergency preparedness is invited to attend a meeting of the Santa Paula Citizens Corps, which will hold its first evening meeting Wednesday, September 19, in the hopes of attracting members of the public who realize the vital importance of being prepared.

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesAnyone with an interest in emergency preparedness is invited to attend a meeting of the Santa Paula Citizens Corps, which will hold its first evening meeting Wednesday, September 19, in the hopes of attracting members of the public who realize the vital importance of being prepared.The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers according to Santa Paula Fire Department Captain Steve Lazenby, the city’s Emergency Preparedness Coordinator.Although the Santa Paula Citizens Corps Council - made up of those from the private and public sector - has been meeting regularly for about eight months, Wednesday’s meeting is the launch of public participation.“The Santa Paula Citizens Corps Council always met on Wednesday,” mornings, not the optimum time for those working Capt. Lazenby noted, so the evening meeting is more convenient for city residents.Those on the Santa Paula Citizens Corps Council include representatives of the Red Cross, Santa Paula Hospital, the high school and elementary school districts, Santa Paula Police and Fire as well as Building and Safety. Vice Mayor John Procter also serves on the committee representing the City Council.At Wednesday evening’s meeting “We want to entertain input from the public on what they might have concerns about and gather any input they might have that would improve public safety for the community overall,” said Lazenby.
The meeting will also feature a report on the September 8 Ready Santa Paula Emergency Preparedness Fair held at Harding Park.Although Santa Paula has been and remains on the cutting edge of emergency preparedness with the most aggressive program and outreach in Ventura County, it still isn’t enough.“It’s not a matter of if but when an emergency or disaster will hit,” said Lazenby.And, although, “We offer plenty of opportunities for training and participation,” such as CERT (Citizens Emergency Response Team, which has more than 300 graduates), “people aren’t stepping up and taking care of their emergency preparedness. Generally, people are not taking the steps they need to protect themselves and their families, they’re relying on local government to take care of them when, in fact, they’ll have to take care of themselves” when an emergency or disaster - from earthquake to flood to fire - strikes.For more information, contact Captain Lazenby at 933-4297.“That’s our emergency preparedness contact system...even with the city’s new phone system they preserved that number of us,” noted Capt. Lazenby.



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