Stacy Gerlich from the Department of Homeland Security & LAFD to Headline the Event at 6262 Van Nuys Boulevard

VAN NUYS, CA — The Van Nuys Neighborhood Council is hosting a Special Council Meeting on Wednesday April 30th from 6:30pm — 8:00pm 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 30th for the Disaster Preparedness Summit.  The final location is at 6262 Van Nuys Boulevard, and planning details will follow as we get closer to the date of the event.  (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