The City of Rancho Santa Margarita hosts a Community Emergency Preparedness Academy (CEPA) each year. CEPA provides classroom and hands-on training for residents to improve their ability to respond to large-scale disasters when first responders may be overwhelmed, and to assist during regular emergencies until first responders arrive. The goal is for graduates of CEPA to be able to care for themselves, loved ones, and neighbors in the aftermath of a disaster.

Classes are presented by the Orange County Sheriff's Department, Orange County Fire Authority, the American Red Cross, and City Staff. 
  

Academy Overview

Classes include an overview of the City's emergency service agencies, disaster preparedness, earthquake safety, fire suppression, light search and rescue, as well as CPR/AED and First Aid. CEPA is available for Rancho Santa Margarita residents ages 18+ and is free of charge. CEPA is a six week academy with classes scheduled one night per week during the fall season (usually September and October). Attendees of this academy must be able to attend all six class sessions.

CEPA 2018

The 2018 Community Emergency Preparedness Academy has been scheduled for the following dates. Participants must commit to attending all sessions. Each class is approximately 1.5 to 2 hours in duration. 

Class	Date	Starts	Location	Topics
Class 1	Tuesday October 2, 2018	6:00PM	City Hall	Welcome, Local Hazards, and City Preparedness
Class 2	Tuesday October 9, 2018	6:00PM	City Hall	Fire Safety, and Fire Suppression
Class 3	Tuesday October 16, 2018	6:00PM	City Hall	American Red Cross Earthquake and Disaster Preparedness, and Overview of RSM Police Services
Class 4	Tuesday October 23, 2018	5:00PM	City Hall	First-Aid, CPR, and AED Certification
Class 5	Tuesday October 30, 2018	6:00PM	City Hall	Light Search and Rescue Operations
Class 6	Tuesday November 6, 2018	6:00PM	City Hall	Class Exercise, and Graduation

Registration

Registration is closed. Please email dchavez@cityofrsm.org to be placed on an interest list for the 2019 CEPA. 

Contact

For additional information about the annual Community Emergency Preparedness Academy, please contact us at (949) 635-1814 or dchavez@cityofrsm.org.