Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : SECURE Helps Santa Clarita With Disaster Training

City officials hope to have nearly 140,000 experts on emergency preparedness on hand if a major disaster hits the Santa Clarita Valley.

Training all residents in the valley in five years is the goal of the ongoing Santa Clarita Educated Communities United in Response to Emergencies program that relies on volunteers and some simple math.

Under the SECURE program, volunteers participate in five two-hour training sessions, hosts of which are Santa Clarita and the American Red Cross. Once certified, the volunteers in turn make presentations to neighbors, schools and service clubs. Organizers say the program works like a human chain letter and benefits from using hands-on techniques rather than lectures.

Participants learn a range of skills, from how to turn off the gas in a home to creating a family plan that gives members duties to perform in the event of a disaster. Those without first-aid training are required to take an additional eight-hour course from the American Red Cross.

“They come away with the knowledge that it’s easy to be prepared,” said Adele Macpherson, emergency preparedness coordinator for Santa Clarita.

Macpherson estimated 2,600 residents have been trained to date.

SECURE is structured like Neighborhood Watch programs, preparing residents to rely on themselves and one another for 72 hours after a disaster. The most obvious Southern California application is for a major earthquake, although organizers say the training also applies to fires, chemical spills and other emergencies.

The program is offered free to the public. It is conducted through the Parks and Recreation Department and the next session is scheduled 7 to 9 p.m. June 16 in the Orchard Room of City Hall.