Long Beach commuters may have witnessed an unusual sight while driving down Atherton Street Saturday when members of the Long Beach Fire Department Urban Search and Rescue Team rappelled down Walter Pyramid.
The arduous climb was one of many demonstrations at this year’s READY Long Beach, an annual community outreach event organized by the LBFD Community Emergency Response Team.
“[READY Long Beach] is really about preparing the community,” said CERT Program Manager Jake Heflin. “It’s about taking a proactive approach to preparedness and we understand that if we take these steps now, […] individuals that are prepared are going to fair much better than those that are not.”
Several presentations were sprinkled throughout the day, such as a fire safety demonstration and an automobile rescue display.
One of the biggest demonstrations of the day was the rappelling demonstration down Walter Pyramid. The descent was executed by LBFD Urban Search and Rescue Team members, Paul Kopfstein and Ryan Sweeney.
“It was beautiful. The weather provided really good visibility today, so [the view] was perfectly crystal clear,” Kopfstein said.
Attendees were treated to a variety of tables and booths filled with disaster and emergency readiness information and freebies set up by organizations such as the City of Long Beach Disaster Preparedness Bureau and the American Red Cross.
Reginald Harrison, director of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications, urged Long Beach residents to register their phones for ALERT Long Beach, a free emergency notification system designed to keep Long Beach residents informed of major emergencies or disasters.
“The reality is, police and fire [departments] aren’t going to be able to get to everyone in the immediate aftermath of a disaster so it’s real important for residents to be prepared,” Harrison said.
The Long Beach Disaster Preparedness Bureau booth also provided attendees with disaster kit checklists to get families started in their journey toward disaster preparedness. Harrison suggested that those who could not access the checklist by attending READY Long Beach visit the Disaster Preparedness Bureau website.
Another resource available to Long Beach residents is Map Your Neighborhood, an emergency preparedness program aimed at informing residents of the risks and resources within their community.
The program would identify community members who may need additional assistance due to a disability. In addition, members with particular skills who may be helpful in the event of an emergency can distinguish themselves in their neighborhood as a resource to their community.
READY Long Beach allowed disaster readiness programs to promote resources available to community members. The American Red Cross advertised “Sound the Alarm,” a fire alarm installation event that will take place Sept. 29.
According to American Red Cross Disaster Program Specialist Chris Campbell-Jay, the American Red Cross will be installing free smoke alarms in the Long Beach area from Pacific Coast Highway to Seventh Street and Cherry Avenue to Redondo Avenue. Long Beach residents can sign up for a smoke alarm installation online at the American Red Cross website.
For more information on how to become a CERT member, email [email protected] or call the CERT Hotline at (562) 570-2525.