Free Disaster Training for Laguna Beach Residents Starts Sept. 5

News release from the Laguna Beach Police Department: 

Laguna Beach Residents Invited to Prepare for Disasters with Training and Subscribing to Mass Notification

CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) members will be asked to take an active role within their own neighborhoods in these efforts. The CERT program was one of the first established with help from the two-year-old Laguna Beach Disaster Preparedness Committee. The program currently has trained 75 individuals. The next CERT class begins Sept. 5 and will be held from 6PM to 9PM each Thursday through Oct. 24. Registration materials can be found at www.lagunabeachcity.net and must be submitted by September 2nd. The course is free. CERT members are trained in basic emergency response procedures and can act as coordinators and responders within their own neighborhoods until professional help arrives during a disaster. For registration or questions contact Jordan Villwock, Emergency Management Coordinator, jvillwock@lagunabeachcity.net or 949-497-0701.

AlertOC sends local alerts to affected residents via landlines and cell phones as the emergencies unfold. All landlines are automatically registered through this county website but cell phones must be registered by individual residents in order to receive alerts by text. This is the mass notification system Orange County utilizes to alert residents of nearby fires, public safety warnings, floods and other large scale emergency incidents that could impact local homes and require quick action by residents. Sign up at www.alertoc.com.