The Official RJWestmore Blog

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.

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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.

Source: National Fire Protection Association Fire Loss in the U.S. 2007 and USFA’s Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2007.

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).