What Neighborhood Disaster Preparedness Ambassador Do?
Dr. Cheng volunteers with the Los Angeles City Departments of Emergency Preparedness (EPD) and Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) to promote disaster preparedness at the grassroots. One of these activities, amongst many is to assist Los Angeles (City) Fire Deaprtment (LAFD) by setting up CERT disaster preparedness courses. Dr. Cheng sponsors the course, much like a film producer produces a movie.
Dr. Cheng applies for the permit to rent a room to hold the class. He secures funding to pay for the room. If a neighborhood council is approached for funding he writes a funding proposal, goes to committee meeting(s) to seek approval, and if approved, then goes on ward to the whole neighborhood council. This process can take 3 to 6 months, longer if the item is pushed back on the agenda.
Meanwhile Dr. Cheng books the LAFD CERT instructor. It can take 4-6 months to book an instructor. Neighborhoods all over Los Angeles are trying to get courses. There are not enough instructors to meet demand.
Once these pieces are in place, Dr. Cheng makes a flyer. The flyer is posted on a website Dr. Cheng has donated for promoting disaster preparedness www.CERTsponsor.s5.com. Then he will call and email neighborhood leaders to solicit their support in promoting the course. Sometimes, Dr. Cheng adds neighborhood organizations as co-sponsors if they help in the process. He then distributes the flyer on his extensive email list. After two degrees of distribution, a CERT flyer, with the help of neighborhood leaders, goes out to about 4,000 to 6,000 people.
Additionally, Dr. Cheng will go to various neighborhood meetings to make announcement and pass out flyers. He will also post and if possible leave flyers at various neighborhood locations.
To get a minimum of 25 people, Dr. Cheng will speak to over 500 people who call or email asking for information, people he meets at Farmer’s Markets, neighborhood meetings, disaster preparedness fairs...
