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MySafe:LA Great ShakeOut at Rosemont Elementary (Main LA-area media event)

| Official Page

October 17, 2013, 4 am - ?:? pm, Drill at Rosemont Elementary

Event Location:
Rosemont Elementary
421 N. Rosemont Ave (Echo Park)
Los Angeles, CA 90026 (Map)

Event Contact:
Todd Leitz, MySafe:LA, todd.leitz@mysafela.org, 213-634-0100 ext. 2


Summary:
MySafe:LA and the Los Angeles Fire Department, along with the Earthquake Country Alliance, will team up for a drill at an LAUSD elementary school that prepares first responders, students and teachers, and community-members for the "Big One." The drill will include students professionally made-up to look like they've been injured in the quake, and simulated post-quake scenarios managed by the first-in LAFD fire company and civilian members of LA's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). This is the primary ShakeOut Day media event in Los Angeles.


Full Description:
MySafe:LA and the Los Angeles Fire Department, along with our Earthquake Country Alliance partners, will conduct an earthquake readiness drill at Rosemont Avenue Elementary Scœhool on the morning of the Great Shakeout (10/17/13). MySafe:LA delivers fire and life safety education throughout Los Angeles and is the official education partner of the LAFD.



This drill will simulate a major earthquake in Los Angeles, and firefighters will rescue trapped students -- moulaged to simulate quake-related injuries -- while suppressing a working structure fire within the school grounds. In this drill, we will stage situations that could occur during a large earthquake: blocked access ways, trapped classrooms, a fire following an earthquake, and students and teachers moulaged to simulate injuries.



The drill will include the first-in LAFD fire company for the district, which will help evacuate the school and assess and treat the injuries, just as they would in the case of a real earthquake. A CERT team of trained civilians will support rescue operations under the command of the incident commander. Plans call for an LAFD air-ship to conduct a hoist operation of an injured child for transport to the hospital. The drill at an elementary school provides a rare opportunity for first-responders to work directly with children (the students) in an earthquake-specific scenario. And it affords the school the opportunity to activate its LAUSD disaster-response protocol



Before the 10:17am "Drop, Cover and Hold-On" drill, there will be an opportunity for media members to visit Ready America's "Big Shaker" -- the world's largest mobile earthquake simulator -- for live standups or taped segments. Just before the drill, MSLA will hold a QuakeSmart assembly for 4th and 5th grade students with speeches from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and USGS Quake-Expert Dr. Lucy Jones, as well as from elected officials. The speakers will be addressing the children directly about the importance of earthquake preparedness -- not talking from a podium as they would in a traditional news conference. It's fair to say none of these kids have experienced a major temblor during their lifetimes. But the message will hit home: they more than likely will.




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