Good Evening Van Nuys Council-members, Community Leaders & Stakeholders,
This is going to be an exciting month for the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council. We are not only swearing in our new board, we are also hosting a “Disaster Preparedness Summit” with the Department of Homeland Security & the LAFD.
And to top it all off, we have started the process of planning our 4th of July concert and festival at the Government Center in the very heart of Van Nuys. This coming council meeting is quite action packed and full of agenda items. Please make your way to the council chambers early, and I look forward to seeing you this coming Wednesday night.
-George Christopher Thomas, President of the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council
www.vnnc.org
Van Nuys Neighborhood Council & Department of Homeland Security To Host Disaster Preparedness Summit
Captain/Paramedic Stacy Gerlich from the Department of Homeland Security & LAFD to Headline the Event
VAN NUYS, CA — The Van Nuys Neighborhood Council is hosting a Special Council Meeting on April 23rd to address disaster preparedness. The recent earthquakes in Southern California have highlighted the importance of the issue and the largest neighborhood council in the San Fernando Valley is taking the lead in getting everyone prepared for “The Big One.”
“We are reaching out to all of the neighborhood councils in the San Fernando Valley as well as other local municipalities in the area. We intend to bring the experts, our community leaders and the general public together to get everyone prepared,” said George Christopher Thomas, President of the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council.
“At the Summit and Special Van Nuys Neighborhood Council Meeting, I would like to focus solely on emergency preparedness. We have an obligation and a duty to our community to come up with a plan, and I believe doing so should be our top concern. The City of Los Angeles and the American Red Cross both offer emergency preparedness plans, and the focus of our summit in April will be discussing the pros and cons of each, and ultimately choosing which one is best for our community,” said Thomas.
The Van Nuys Neighborhood Council has selected Wednesday, April 23rd for the Disaster Preparedness Summit. The final location will be set by the end of this week, and details will follow next week after the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council General Meeting is held. If your Neighborhood Council or organization would like to co-host this summit with the VNNC, please email Council President Thomas at [email protected]. For more information please visit www.vnnc.org. If you are a member of the working media and would like credentials, and to sponsor and/or cover this event, please email Van Nuys Neighborhood Council Vice President Howard Benjamin at [email protected]. (Also scheduled to present and speak are Captain Keith Scott, CERT Commander & Charles Poepke, Field Operation Supervisor II for the Southern California Gas Company)
(Captain/Paramedic Stacy Gerlich, MA, served as the Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) Program administrator and manager, providing both organization and leadership to the continual development of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) trained volunteer program. The CERT program was developed by the LAFD in 1986 and has remained a leader in its field. LAFD CERT is currently training 4000 citizens annually and maintains an active cadre of 215 trained volunteers who contribute over 4,500 volunteer hours annually to the LAFD. The CERT program provides a structured curriculum for citizens to become more prepared, resilient, and vital components to “whole community” preparedness. Captain Gerlich is considered a subject matter expert in the field of disaster preparedness and has had the honor of working with citizens and stakeholders throughout the United States to prepare our nation for an untimely whole community disaster.)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/champions/community-preparedness-and-resilience/stacy-e.-gerlich