Program offers training for the unthinkable

Greg Risling

NEWPORT BEACH -- Imagine an earthquake the magnitude of Saturday’s

reverberating through this coastal area.

Buildings would shake, the ground would shift and there would likely be

thousands of casualties.

Police and firefighters would try to restore civility amid the chaos.

Paramedics would tend to the injured masses.

But public safety officials concede that not everyone would be helped

during a major catastrophe. That’s why the Newport Beach Fire and Marine

Department has launched a pilot program that allows residents to assist

people during a time of need.

“When there is a large-scale disaster where there are a lot of injuries,

we won’t have enough responders,” said Donna Boston, the city’s emergency

services coordinator. “It’s really important for people to know what they

might face during a disaster. We want to train people to help during that

crucial time.”

The department plans to work with different neighborhoods to teach first

aid, fire suppression and search and rescue techniques. The first set of

classes will wrap up at the end of the month for 17 Newport Shores

residents.

Carol McDonald learned about the classes through the police department,

where she volunteers. McDonald has been very involved in the community,

acting as her neighborhood’s watch commander for 17 years. She thought it

could only help to learn what to do in an emergency.

“Any time you can learn CPR and any type of first aid, I think it’s

wonderful,” she said. “It’s extremely beneficial in a major disaster to

have about 20 trained people in our neighborhood. We will know what to do

and where to go.”

Fellow resident Marilyn Honsaker said the classes have been invaluable to

her and her neighbors. She feels confident that should a crisis occur,

she and her classmates could be helpful.

“It makes me feel really useful,” she said. “The classes show us that we

can assist people really quickly and do it in a safe and productive

manner.”

Residents aren’t the only ones learning from the classes. The volunteer

teachers are getting a better understanding of the public’s concerns and

needs.

Boston said if all goes well with the pilot program, the department will

offer other classes beginning next year. She added the next Newport

neighborhood in line for the program will likely be Balboa Island and

classes will be limited to 20 people. But that won’t stop the department

from meeting the demand if there is any.

“We will keep the classes small but will add more of them if needed,” she

said. “We have received positive feedback from the community. I think

people like the classes because they are getting a lot more emergency

training than the average person has.”