Residents spend a day learning safety tips and how to prepare for natural disasters
The City of Malibu hosted the annual Safety and Preparedness Fair at the City Hall parking lot Sunday, Sept. 15.
The free event was organized by Malibu’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and featured safety training, an earthquake simulator, a fire extinguisher course, and other safety tips from first responders and volunteer groups.
CERT Leader Richard Garvey said it’s important to host these fairs for Malibu residents because the city is isolated compared to Los Angeles.
“Disasters happen and if it’s a localized disaster, we’re cut off from much of the rest of LA,” Garvey said. “We have to be able to maintain our own resources to some degree and take care of ourselves because help is not necessarily going to be there as quickly as if you’re in the middle of West LA or something like that.”
In addition to CERT and the City of Malibu; LA County Fire Department, LA County Sheriff’s Department, Arson Watch, Volunteers on Patrol, California Highway Patrol, LA County Fire Forestry, Malibu Search & Rescue, SoCal Edison, Community Brigades, American Red Cross and many more set up tents and booths to provide residents with life-saving tips in the events of disasters.
“The first time you want to learn those things and learn who those people are, is not when you’re in the middle of a disaster,” Garvey said. “You want to get an idea of what the resources are, who can help you, what’s going to happen.”
Safe-T-Proof brought their earthquake simulator machine that people could sit in and it would shake, preparing residents for the intensity of a quake.
“It’s to show and get people ready to see what an earthquake feels like of that magnitude,” Seismic Specialist Robert Risick said. “But it’s not going to feel exactly like the earthquake when it happens, but it’s as close as we can get without one in the real world.”
At the back of the parking lot, CERT were training kids and adults on what to do if there’s a fire. A simulated fire was lit and people were taught how to aim and squeeze a fire extinguisher.
The children participated by learning how to ride a bike safely on streets and how to read a stoplight, sitting on the LASD and CHP motorcycles, looking around the cabin of the fire trucks, learning how to operate a tow truck andscaling a rock climbing wall.
Lia Calica traveled from Camarillo to attend because she wanted more information about earthquake preparedness.
Calica said she loved that every vendor spent time with her explaining what to do in different types of disasters and loved that there was stuff for the kids as well.
Guests enjoyed double-doubles, chips and soda from In-N-Out’s truck and dessert from Tikiz Shaved Ice truck.
Garvey said this year’s fair had the highest attendance numbers in years and hopes that event-goers learned tips on how to prepare for any and all emergencies.
“We hope that everybody comes away from here knowing a little bit more about how to defend themselves or take care of themselves or protect themselves or keep themselves and their families safe during a disaster,” Garvey said.
Malibu residents who are interested in further preparedness training from CERT can sign up for classes at https://www.malibucity.org/226/CERT.