Anthony Juarez
Staff Writer
Safety awareness and preparation were brought to the attention of students and faculty at the Safety and Emergency Preparedness Fair on Oct. 5 in the Campus Center.
The fair included a police command post vehicle and an earthquake simulator, as well as vendors providing information and emergency items such as ready-made backpacks and ear plugs.
“(The fair) benefits students and faculty, and we want to build our emergency plan and awareness among the community,” said Jeff Boster, a safety specialist for the University.
Boster said he hopes that students and faculty walked away with valuable information and tips to prepare themselves in the event of an emergency and reduce the effects of disaster in their community.
Another reason for the fair, Boster said was to prepare the University for the upcoming California Shakeout, a program planned for Oct. 20.
Boster also hopes to plan another event with the University to prepare for a major earthquake.
Sophomore criminology major Siegfried Azarcon said the fair had really opened his eyes when it comes to safety when a disaster occurs.
Police Services Technician Jim Crook explained how the Los Angeles County is broken into five areas.
Crook said when an area is in need for dispatch for the command post vehicle, Crook and his team will be there.
“The police department is ready at the drop of a phone call,” Crook said. “Although we are a small department, we have 13 cities, and 39 officers that will be here in 30 minutes.”
Azarcon talked to Crook in the police command center vehicle about a possibility for working with the department as an intern, and was offered to do a ride-a-long with the police department.
A favorite was the earthquake simulator, “The Big Shaker,” which is the world’s largest mobile earthquake simulator.
It is capable of simulating an 8.0 magnitude earthquake.
“I find that the fair was very informative,” junior political science major Ava Jahanvash said.
“I work in the Office of Student Life, and now I can use the advice that I was given and be prepared if anything happened while I am in the office.”
Although the safety awareness fair had to relocate indoors due to weather issues with the rain, the fair still went on, and proved to be a success for safety preparedness.
Anthony Juarez can be reached at anthony.juarez@laverne.edu.
