MySafe:LA Education Director Cameron Barrett joined other city leaders as Mayor Eric Garcetti, in partnership with 100 Resilient Cities (pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation) announced a new strategy for creating a more secure and prepared Los Angeles.

“Resilience is so much more than disaster preparedness; it is a value that guides everything we do in Los Angeles, because we know that today’s decisions shape the lives of our children and grandchildren,” said Mayor Garcetti. The Mayor’s Office created the initial draft of the strategy with financial and technical support of the 100 Resilient City organization, often referred to as the 100RC. The plan features 96 immediate actions that give residents the tools to plan and prepare for inevitable disasters or social impacts that could unsettle people, pets, and communities in Los Angeles.

Core Objectives for a Resilient Los Angeles

Resilient Los Angeles is centered around four core objectives:

• Safe and Thriving Angelenos: The ability for individual families and businesses to recover from emergencies/disasters.
• Strong and Connected Neighborhoods: When a disaster occurs, it is often the people in a neighborhood, often on a single street, that will come together to survive and support one another.
• A Prepared and Responsive City: The use of technology to modernize an aging infrastructure, supporting new transportation grids, and to help prioritize vulnerabilities will change how Los Angeles functions.
• Pioneering and Collaborative Partner: As the second largest city in the United States, there is a responsibility to community, leadership, and to demonstrate success in the region, the country, and the world.

MySafe:LA is an Active Resiliency Organization

“MySafe:LA was founded on the principals that drive resiliency,” Director Barrett noted following the announcement at the Mayor’s official residence. “Our work in the community is about saving lives through education, engagement, and partnerships.” In fact, MySafe:LA has been working diligently to create a more resilient Los Angeles since 2008.

MySafe:LA delivers fire the life safety education to elementary students, teaches high school students how to save a life via CPR and the use of an AED, and extends our programs all the way to helping to train firefighters to survive wildfires and other life-threatening situations. Those initiatives, combined with media outreach, educational programs, community risk reduction efforts, and social engagement is already making an impact to tens of thousands of Angelenos.

During the coming year, our programs will extend beyond teaching in elementary and high schools. A new “citizen responder” course will help anyone interested in being more prepared to get certified in CPR, learn bleeding control management, scene safety, how to interact and support first responders, and personal protection. Individuals who complete this training and want to learn more will be directed to either the LAFD’s CERT program, or to the Mayor’s Crisis Response Team program.

While we’ve been installing smoke alarms and CO detectors in homes for nearly a decade, we’ve upped the ante by partnering with the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region to ensure as many smoke alarms are installed in L.A. area homes as possible. The LA Region is diligent in its community engagement, providing to be even more supportive, responsive, and capable than many people thought could be possible.

We’re also expanding our efforts relative to supporting older adults, both with “Go” bags and related education, plus resources to help them feel better connected to family, caregivers, and their neighbors. Our older adults are often forgotten, and MySafe:LA is eager to do all we can to create a more resilient senior community.

Most importantly, our work will align to the extent possible with the city’s new endeavor relative to resilience. We live in a complex, ever-changing world. The best way to survive is to be not only prepared, but engaged with neighbors, programs, communications, and the city we live in.