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Health & Fitness

Hermosa Beach Disaster Service Workers

On Saturday, the Hermosa Beach Disaster Service Workers invited residents to attend a Refresher Workshop For Volunteer Disaster Service Workers.  I was one of a group of about twenty Hermosans who received instruction and encouragement from the invited speakers: City Manager Tom Bakaly, Fire Chief David Lantzer, and Police Chief Michael McCrary.  Each stressed the importance of having volunteers trained and prepared to serve the community in an overwhelming emergency. Earthquake, fire, tsunami, explosion or an act of terror were among the the concerns mentioned. 

The HBDSW serves to organize and to train volunteers and Saturday's workshop was for our "Circuit Training," or instruction in,

  1. Disaster Supplies
  2. Communication
  3. Reporting and Staging
  4. Sidewalk CPR
The leaders of HBDSW, including Janice Brittain (City Liaison) and Jean Laurin (Planner), are CERT members trained in basic disaster response skills.  A Mission Statement explains their purpose:

     HBDSW is a volunteer group comprised of residents of Hermossa Beach sworn in and authorized by the city of Hermosa Beach as Disaster Service Workers who provide relief to victims of disasters by assisting the Hermosa Beach Fire and Police Departments in preparing for responding to and recovering from emergencies.

HBDSW informs residents of opportunities for advanced training in emergency response and of the many avenues of participation as a disaster service worker.

Find out more at, www.hbdsw.org.  

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