Complacency Rises With Time Since Last Earthquake, Fire Chief Warns

Benjamin Franklin is often quoted as saying that the only certainties in life are death and taxes. In Pasadena, however, there exists a third inevitability: the anticipated massive someday earthquake ominously referred to as “The Big One”. 

This persistent threat is the driving force behind California’s annual ShakeOut event —  which has a goal of shaking people out of their complacency and ensuring they are fully equipped to handle the situation when the Big One eventually occurs.

This year’s event, scheduled for Oct. 19, is expected to be bigger than previous edditions in Pasadena, with increased community engagement and educational initiatives designed to inform residents and students about earthquake safety.

Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin said he’s enthusiastic about this year’s ShakeOut, because of its significance in improving earthquake readiness. 

“The farther we get from our last earthquake, the more complacent people get, and it is vital we turn that into compliance by building disaster kits, making plans, and getting trained,” Chief Augustin said. “It is not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’ we have our big earthquake that we are well overdue for.”

Augustin also announced the city has recently hired a full-time Emergency Manager, Nallely Procopio, whose role will be instrumental in educating and preparing the community for emergencies. 

“She comes to Pasadena with a wealth of knowledge and is excited to get to work to help educate and prepare our community in advance of the next disaster,” Augustin said.

Pasadena’s ShakeOut event has obviously gained immense traction over the years, with more individuals participating and contributing to the city’s earthquake preparedness efforts. 

Chief Augustin mentioned a continuing cooperation with Pasadena Christian School, at 1515 N. Los Robles Ave., where the school invites the Fire Department to observe their drill every year and see what else needs to be done to improve the school’s preparedness. 

“They have great plans in place,” Augustin said. “We encourage other businesses, schools, ecumenical groups and individuals to have discussions with neighbors and partnering organizations to discuss resources that can be shared after an earthquake or any disaster.  It is all about neighbor helping neighbor.”

The ShakeOut website, ShakeOut.org, provides updated tips, plans, and disaster exercises to address unique challenges that may come up this year. Residents can better safeguard themselves and their community by staying informed and following these guidelines.

Taking key learnings from past earthquakes in California and worldwide, the Pasadena Fire Department is now better able to profile victim survivability and quickly assess structural damage. 

Using technological advancements, such as the Survey123 platform, the Department can efficiently transmit information to the city’s Emergency Operations Center as well as to other fire agencies in LA County and the Office of Emergency Services (OES) in Sacramento. With this type of seamless coordination, resources can be swiftly directed to the areas most in need, potentially saving countless lives, Augustin said. 

The ShakeOut event in Pasadena will be at approximately 10:19 a.m. local time, with residents joining millions of individuals across the globe in practicing the “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” technique. 

For more information, visit www.shakeout.org/california/.