Sonoma County's annual disaster expo puts community preparedness on display

SANTA ROSA, Calif. -- Sonoma County Fairgrounds opened its gates for the annual Wildfire and Earthquake expo, an event focused on education and information about earthquake and wildfire preparedness.

"It's a family-friendly kind of event," Northern Sonoma County CERT Program Manager Geoff Peters says. "We're just expecting a whole lot of people to show up and have a good time and learn something about taking care of themselves in an emergency."

"Living in California, we have thousands of earthquakes every year, and it's important to know how to protect yourself when there is an earthquake," Jon Gudel from the CalOES Early Earthquake Warning Program says.

Attendees of the event lined up to experience an earthquake simulator.

"It replicates a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. And until you really feel the significant shaking from the earthquake, I don't think you realize just how severe an earthquake can be," Gundel says.

Guests also learned more about wildfire safety from a number of local agencies and companies.

"You can talk to a variety of first responders, wildfire prevention experts...it's really all about preparation," PG&E Division Operations Manager Scott Warner says.

The expo offered participants a hands-on CPR demonstration.

"We'll literally teach you how to save somebody's life," Peters says.

There were also fire extinguisher training sessions.

"They know what it is, but they never used it, and they've never practiced with it," Peters says.

With activities for children, helicopter demonstrations, and giveaways, the afternoon was filled with plenty of fun for the entire family, but the focus was always on education.

"The more you learn about how to take care of yourself and your family and your neighbors, the better off you're going to be," Peters says. "We're gratified when people show up and learn something about safety because that's what we're all about.

For more information about the future expo, visit https://www.fireandearthquakeexpo.org/.