Warner Bros. spotlights safety

Ben Godar

Outside a row of brownstone buildings, employees of Warner Bros.

found tables loaded with safety-related information and products.

The street fair was part of the studio’s 13th annual Emergency

Preparedness Fair on Wednesday. In addition to the vendors, the

Warner Bros. and Burbank fire departments displayed several of their

new and antique rigs and demonstrated lifesaving techniques.

The event is always during the third week of April because

organizers said with television shows and pilots in production, they

can reach the largest possible audience. Organizers hope employees

visit the lunchtime expo to educate themselves about emergency-

preparedness issues and pick up items ranging from flashlights to

rescue ladders.

One employee who visited the event was already very aware of the

importance of rescue training. Natalie Kostner, who works in the

studio’s human resources department, helped revive a man who

collapsed in the studio’s fitness center last year.

“I would love to see everybody take CPR,” she said. “You never

know when you’re going to use it.”

Warner Bros. officials were also working to recruit more employees

to become trained in lifesaving techniques through its warden

program, said Jeff Nagler, executive vice president of facilities.

The program provides emergency-response training to employees so they

can respond to traumatic situations in their area.

The studio has 250 wardens, but with between 5,000 and 10,000

people on the lot a day, Nagler said officials would like to see

double that many wardens.

“You have to have the equipment, but the most important aspect is

you have to have the people,” he said.

The annual fair is one of the largest internal events at the

studio each year, organizers said. While it is open only to studio

employees, Burbank Fire Capt. Ron Bell said it is an effective way

for the department to communicate safety information to a large group

of people.

“Most of these people live and work in Burbank, and that’s our

audience,” he said. “But this is important stuff to learn, no matter

where you live.”