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                           Come to the
                 Community Preparedness Fair!
                               
                    Carson Community Center
                 801 E. Carson St., Carson, CA
             Sunday, May 15, 1994, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
                               

The Community Preparedness Fair is sponsored by US EPA and the
Local Emergency Planning Committee* as part of Community
Right-to-Know about toxic and hazardous chemicals.  The Fair will have
activities and food for the whole family.  Admission is free.

You will be able to talk with representatives of regulatory and emergency
preparedness agencies, and of industries in the area, about what is
being done to prevent and prepare for chemical emergencies.  You will
also be able to give your input on these issues to the agencies and
industries.  

At 10 am, there will be an emergency exercise (drill) open to the public
and focusing on public notification and protection.  It will be "tabletop" 
(simulating an Emergency Operations Center which is where the major
decisions are made in a large emergency).  The scenario will involve a
major release of a toxic gas from one of the local plants. 

This will actually be training for the agencies involved - not just a
demonstration.  If you have never seen one, it is an eye-opener to find
out how these emergency operations work  "behind the scenes".  Until
recently, most exercises of this type were not open to the public.  You
will have the rare opportunity to ask questions, express your
concerns, and tell the agencies how you think they should have
handled the situation. The exercise will be about 4 hours long (10
am - 2 pm), and broken up into several segments. You can come to
part or all of it.

After the exercise, a live demonstration will show how a real leak would
be stopped...  "moon-suits" and all.  You can also see Fire Department
and emergency response vehicles and equipment on display. 

There will also be information on how to protect yourselves if there's a
chemical accident or release near you.  Just as in earthquakes, the
more you know about what to do, the safer you will be.  

This should be a real opportunity for the public to learn more about
these issues and get involved in their solutions. 
            -----------------------------------------
* You may want to know more about the Local Emergency Planning
Committee. It is a regional committee (appointed by a state Commission)
which implements a federal law on chemical emergency planning and
community right-to-know.  Contact Linda Phillips, 805-967-0922, or
Pradip Desai, California Office of Emergency Services, 310-795-2901,
for more information.