Oak Park hosting disaster preparedness clinic

Planning makes all the difference in surviving a disaster, and to educate residents on how to protect themselves, Oak Park High School will host an emergency preparedness clinic from 7 to 9 p.m. Mon., March 16 in the school's pavilion.

Ventura County fire Capt. Brian Dilley will discuss how to prepare home and family for a fire, earthquake or other emergency. A representative from Southern California Gas Company will address when, how and where to turn off the residential gas. Community Emergency Response Team members will explain their role, and Capt. Brent Kerr of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department, ambulance service provider American Medical Response (AMR) and the American Red Cross of Ventura County will answer questions.

"People need to realize that our professional emergency responders will be immediately overwhelmed, and we all need to be ready to care for ourselves for hours, days and possibly weeks," said Diane Starzak, who heads the Oak Park Community Emergency Response Team. "That doesn't happen without educating ourselves and taking action."

The event is open to residents of other communities, said Barbara Vaswani, OPHS Parent-Faculty Club programs vice president.

The event will "get you ready," Vaswani said.

In Southern California where residents live with the threat of earthquakes and experience frequent deadly wildfires, being prepared can make the difference in a family's ability to survive and recover from a disaster, Starzak said.

"A community grassroots forum, such as the one planned, is a wonderful opportunity for residents to meet our professional emergency responders and benefit from their expertise," Starzak said. "The onus is on every individual to have their own realistic supply of emergency food, water, medication and firstaid supplies, sheltering materials and more."

For information on disaster preparedness, visit the websites www.oes.ca.gov, www .dhs.gov or www.fema.gov.