Last week, RJWestmore participated in the largest earthquake drill in U.S. history, The Great Southern California ShakeOut, where we trained a group of commercial property managers on earthquake preparedness.
That day, millions of people in homes, schools, businesses, government offices and public areas all over southern California participated in the event to prepare themselves for the inevitable – a magnitude 7.8 or higher earthquake along the San Andreas Fault that scientists expect will happen.
As part of RJWestmore’s mission to “Save Lives Through Training,” we’re including links to earthquake preparedness resources on our blog this week, including information on the ShakeOut; the Drop, Cover, and Hold On! procedure; the Golden Guardian 2008 Exercise Series, from Governor Schwarzenegger and his Office of Homeland Security; and a great educational video from Preparedness Now, which is available below.
If you’re in an earthquake-prone area, we hope this information is helpful. And, please, if you have other resources that can educate people on how to prepare for natural disasters – of any kind – please let us know in the comments section.
The U.S. Fire Administration has compiled the following statistics for 2007. The verdict? Fire killed more Americans than all natural disasters combined. The stats below illustrate the supreme importance of fire safety training and education.
The Overall Fire Picture for 2007:
There were 3,430 civilians who lost their lives as the result of fire.
There were 17,675 civilian injuries that occurred as the result of fire.
There were 118 firefighters killed while on duty.
84 percent of all civilian fire deaths occurred in residences.
There were an estimated 1.6 million fires in 2007.
Direct property loss due to fires was estimated at $14.6 billion.
An estimated 32,500 intentionally set structure fires resulted in 295 civilian deaths.
Intentionally set structure fires resulted in an estimated $733 million in property damage.
The Los Angeles Public Safety Commission will vote and then pass to City Council for final approval new regulations regarding Fire Life Safety Training Code 57.33.19. If approved, the L.A. Fire Department will initiate these updated regulations to high-rise buildings, effective Jan. 1, 2009.
Violation of the new regulations could result in daily fines from $100 to $1,000 and/or up to six months in jail. Any fees unpaid within 60 days of the due date will be subject to a 50% penalty.
If you are an existing RJWestmore Training System customer with a current emergency response plan, your obligations regarding the new regulations are almost fulfilled. There will be a meeting on December 10 to finalize additional information required by the LAFD in your emergency manual, as well as specific training requirements for your building’s fire safety director and individual floor wardens.
However, if no one is taking care of your building’s fire/life safety plans, please contact us today.
Stay tuned to RJWestmore.com for updates on the new fire regulations and how they could affect your building(s).
Halloween is a time for fun and frights, but behind the festivities lurk hidden dangers – including fire hazards.
From 2000 to 2004, decoration fires accounted for an estimated 1,610 reported home structure fires per year, the majority involving candles as the heat source, and causing seven civilian deaths, 60 civilian injuries and $24.9 million in direct property damage per year.
It goes without saying that RJWestmore wants you to ‘BE SAFE’ – no matter how you’re celebrating the holiday. Whether you’re hosting a party or donning a creative costume to trick-or-treat, we hope you’ll follow these safety tips from the National Fire Protection Association.
We’re often asked if we really believe training can save lives. We do! And here’s why:
Training is one of the most important tools used to enhance employee performance. This is especially true in life-threatening situations like responding to a fire, earthquake, bomb threat, medical emergency or other natural or man-made disasters. Your ability to know what to do and react immediately with the correct response can save lives.
The key to successful training that has high rates of retention is to train staff broadly to understand goals and constraints of each emergency situation, rather than training narrowly to follow sets of procedures without thinking.
Bob Westmore is frequently quoted as saying, “Emergencies never read the plans written to address them.” In other words, no two emergency situations are exactly alike. More intuitive training developed by RJWestmore and utilized on the RJWestmore Online Fire Life Safety Training System, increases retention rates by 60% to 200% while it teaches users to learn to recognize situations and adapt their responses as appropriate to achieve the safest outcome.
Proper response training is the only way to proactively prevent the loss of life in an emergency situation. We can help.
The 23rd Annual TOBY Awards was held at the legendary Beverly Hilton Hotel. With more than 550 attendees, this commercial real estate gala lived up to its expectations as one of the most prestigious industry events in Los Angeles.
Congratulations to each of our award-winning clients for putting safety first!
You can be an award winner, too. With the RJWestmore Online Fire Life Safety Training System, you can bring your buildings up to code in 30 days. Our interactive, building-specific e-learning training system motivates and rewards tenants instantly. It’s a convenient and affordable solution to the training needs of your building(s).
Here at RJWestmore, our goal is to “Save Lives Through Training.” So far we’ve trained more than 150 million square feet, and it’s our mission to train 150 million more.
This week marks the beginning of the National Fire Protection Association’s Fire Prevention Week – which means that there’s no better time to safeguard your home.
Fire departments nationwide responded to nearly 400,000 home fires in 2006, but by practicing extra caution, preventing the leading causes of home fires – cooking, heating, electrical and smoking materials – is within your power.
On this seventh anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, preparedness in the event of a disaster has even greater importance to Americans.
As a society, we must be ready to handle – at a moment’s notice – emergencies in our homes, businesses and communities.
But it’s not just the ongoing threat of attack for which we should prepare. Natural disasters – such as devastating hurricanes, floods and earthquakes – and the outbreak of epidemic diseases all demand a plan.
“Those with the capacity and wherewithal to help themselves must do so in advance, so that in the event of an emergency, responders can first assist those who are unable to tend to themselves,” said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, in a statement.
Throughout September, the Department of Homeland Security’s Ready Campaign – part of National Preparedness Month – highlights preparedness steps, including having an emergency supply kit, making a family emergency plan, and becoming informed about different types of emergencies.
At RJWestmore, we keep current on all policies and trends affecting safety training at commercial properties. In fact, our own CEO, Bob Westmore, is attending an important workshop today in Los Angeles: New Highrise Evacuation Ordinance.
The workshop is being presented by the Building Owners and Managers Association of Greater Los Angeles (BOMA/GLA), and representatives from the Los Angeles City Fire Department will be speaking on important building stipulations including:
"New Training requirements for Fire Safety Directors and Floor Wardens,
"Methods for tracking tenant evacuation training,
"Full building evacuation requirements for buildings over 35 stories, and
"Fees associated with new training requirements."
We’re also serving as one of the sponsors for this important event, which covers life-saving provisions such as emergency preparation and evacuation training.
There are three basic layers of compliance law related to fire life safety training in Los Angeles.
Federal Law - OSHA Code 1910.38 under Standards - 29 CFR - Training. An employer with 10 or more employees must designate and train employees to assist in a safe and orderly evacuation of other employees.
California Law – Title 19 Section 3.09 of the California Code of Regulations and local ordinances/codes, each tenant within a high-rise building shall assist in the implementation of the building’s Emergency Plan.
On this seventh anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, preparedness in the event of a disaster has even greater importance to Americans.
