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Firefighters hand out sandbags to La Crescenta residents ahead of El Niño storms

Firefighters distribute sandbags

Local and regional firefighters with the Los Angeles County Fire Dept. helped distribute 1,000 pre-filled sandbags to local residents at Two Strike Park in La Crescenta on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016.

(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)
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Under cloudy skies at Two Strike Park in La Crescenta, residents formed a line in their cars to receive sandbags in preparation for El Niño storms, courtesy of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The free Saturday event was part of a countywide effort to help communities get ready for the heavy rains forecast in the coming months, a particular concern for La Crescenta residents nestled right at the base of the Angeles National Forest.

“The rains … are expected to be so heavy in February and March that the time to prepare is right now,” said Stephanie English, spokeswoman for the fire department. “We’re trying to support [residents] as much as we can and get everybody ready.”

A few dozen firefighters from Fire Camp 9 and local fire stations, as well as volunteers with La Crescenta’s Community Emergency Response Team, took care of all the heavy lifting, forming an assembly line to heft the roughly 30-pound bags into the hundreds of cars and trucks that passed through.

The giveaway began about half an hour ahead of the scheduled 9 a.m. start, thanks to roughly a dozen drivers lined up nice and early to get their fresh morning sand.

Event coordinator Grant Grunbaum, an engineer at La Crescenta’s Fire Station No. 63, said turnout was more than expected.

“We’ve been going now for an hour and a half and we’ve already gone through 800 of the pre-filled bags,” he said, refering to the 1,000 sandbags that were loaded onto a flat-bed truck, now mostly empty.

“This was great, said La Crescenta resident Gretchen Smart as firefighters loaded up her trunk with ten sandbags. “I’m too old to heave them around.”

Smart said a friend was going to help her unload them and place them at some problem spots around her home.

Besides picking up needed sandbags, local resident Russell Barcolett of La Crescenta also received an Emergency Survival Guide from Los Angeles County Fire Dept. personnel during a free sandbag distribution event at Two Strike Park in La Crescenta on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016.

Besides picking up needed sandbags, local resident Russell Barcolett of La Crescenta also received an Emergency Survival Guide from Los Angeles County Fire Dept. personnel during a free sandbag distribution event at Two Strike Park in La Crescenta on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016.

(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

Attendees could also take home the county’s “Emergency Survival Guide,”which included tips on how to place their sandbags, what to do in the event of floods and other emergency advice.

A 10-bag limit was placed at the event based on demand and so firefighters could spread the help to as many people as possible.

Grunbaum noted that many fire stations, including No. 63, have sand and sometimes bags available to freely take any time — up to 20 per person.

Dump trucks dropped additional mounds of sand in a corner of the parking lot — enough to fill another 2,000 bags. Fire crews used shovels to fill the bags, stacked them, then carried them to awaiting vehicles.

“You’ve got to be in shape,” said La Crescenta CERT member Tom Roth. “If you’re in shape it’s not a big deal.”

When the event ended at 3 p.m., an estimated 2,600 sandbags had been handed out, according to Grunbaum.

The feedback from residents was “positive and thankful,” he said. “All in all it was a good day.”

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Ryan Fonseca, ryan.fonseca@latimes.com

Twitter: @RyFons

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