By Ruth SOWBY

The first meeting of the CV Town Council Emergency Preparedness Task Force was held on Sept. 22 and included Capt. Robert Hahnlein from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Dept. CV Station, CHP Captain Derek Moulton and LA County Fire Battalion Chief Patrick Sprengel. It was perhaps the safest meeting in town.     

The goal of the Task Force meeting, held at the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station, was to give the public direction in responding to emergencies, thereby making the job of law enforcement “easier during a disaster,” said Council President Harry Leon. Number one for residents is to “Get a bag ready to go [in anticipation of an evacuation] and have a place to go,” according to Capt. Hahnlein. 

Representatives from the CV Weekly are also on the Task Force.             

California Highway Patrol assists with traffic control during an emergency through its Emergency Operators Center with officers working 12 hours on, 12 hours off. In the event of an emergency CHP enforcement will be augmented by 50% of officers in surrounding areas.    

In our area, all three law enforcement departments – CHP, Glendale Police Dept. and the Sheriff’s Dept. – work together in emergencies.

To better prepare for an emergency, residents are encouraged to read the “Ready! Set! Go!” publication of the LA County Fire Dept. It is extremely detailed regarding the public’s personal action plans such as ensuring there is cleared vegetation around their homes. (The publication can be downloaded at fire.lacounty.gov/rsg). 

LA County Fire Dept. spokesperson Marie Grycan advised residents who are evacuated to “leave the area, go to a movie, go to a mall. Keep listening to the radio.”

Also on the Task Force are representatives from the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). Representing CERT was Mark Spatny. Plans are for the Task Force and CERT to work hand-in-hand to educate the public about what it can do to keep safe in an emergency. CERT volunteers are also trained in basic triage and first aid and how to provide help to those nearby before professional first responders arrive at a scene. 

The next CERT training session will be from Oct. 1 to Oct. 8.

“We encourage residents to be part of CERT,” said Leon.

Zone Haven is a program soon to be rolled out by LA County. It’s a platform that breaks community areas into different zones to facilitate communication between the public, Sheriff’s, Fire and CHP departments. 

According to Grycan, “It puts everyone on the same page.”   

Task Force member Brian Hodge, head of the CV Fire Safe Council, detailed what the Council offers. It mainly works closely with ham radio operators to disseminate information to the community.       

Sussy Nemer is senior field deputy from the Office of Supervisor Kathryn Barger. Barger is also a Task Force member.  

“Our role is communication,” said Nemer. “We’re here to help.”   

Other Task Force members present were CV Town Councilmembers Dede Mueller and Kerri Lewin Brautigam.