The City of Mission Viejo and Ladera Ranch community are teaming up to host a disaster preparedness drill Thursday, as part of the Community Emergency Preparedness Academy (CEPA) program.
The drill, which takes place at Mission Viejo’s City Hall, will test 60 students on the knowledge they gained during the nine-week course, which is designed to provide residents with the necessary skills to help sustain them for 72 hours or more when emergency services are not immediately available in the aftermath of a major disaster.
Participants in the free session learned about earthquake preparedness; fire safety and fire extinguisher training; light search and rescue training; basic first aid; CPR and AED training; basic crisis intervention; utility safety; and emergency water storage techniques. Participants were given the knowledge to perform a home search-and-rescue operation.
On Thursday, the students will have to think and act fast as they encounter different emergency scenarios. The exercise starts at 6:30 p.m. and ends with dinner and a graduation ceremony.
The academy – which started as a pilot program five years ago in Mission Viejo and is a two-time winner of the “Excellence in Disaster Preparedness Award” from the American Red Cross – is now offered in seven south Orange County cities and three unincorporated canyon areas.
Mission Viejo’s academy is funded primarily by private funds from a grant from Mission Hospital. Representatives from the City of Mission Viejo; Orange County Fire Authority; Orange County Sheriff’s Department; American Red Cross; local water districts; Medix Ambulance; Southern California Edison; and Mission Hospital provide class instruction.
