Latest news with #emergency preparedness
CBS News
18 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Los Angeles Mayor says it's not a problem "at all" that city continues fire season without a permanent fire chief
As Southern California's fire season reaches its midway point, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass says she isn't concerned that the city still doesn't have a permanent fire chief, five months after she fired the previous one. She made those comments on a Sunday morning appearance on CBS's "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," when Brennan asked her if she felt the city was prepared to handle another fire emergency without a permanent chief. "No, no, I don't think that [the lack of a permanent chief is] a problem at all," Bass said. "Our interim fire chief has 40 years of experience. In fact, he had just recently retired. I called him in, out of retirement, during the fires. He was doing the emergency operation center. So he stepped in, didn't miss a beat by taking over the fire department. And we are prepared. We do know that it's fire season." Bass named Ronnie Villanueva as the interim fire chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department in February after she fired former Chief Kristin Crowley in the aftermath of January's devastating Palisades and Eaton fires. The mayor cited a lack of preparation and Crowley's apparent refusal to conduct an after-action report after the Palisades Fire destroyed neighborhoods and businesses across parts of L.A. Crowley denied those claims and appealed Bass' decision, but the City Council upheld it in a vote, with many councilmembers stating that Bass had the right to fire her. Crowley chose to remain with the department as Assistant Chief of the LAFD's Operations Valley Bureau. Villanueva, on the other hand, retired in 2024 after more than 40 years with the department. He came out of his brief retirement to take the interim chief position. Bass told Brennan on Sunday morning that the city is still conducting a nationwide search for a permanent chief, and that Villanueva is welcome to apply for the job if he'd like to. "We're doing a national search, and he is certainly open to apply. But the nation's second-largest city needs to make sure that we search the nation for the best talent," she said. "And I'm sure that there will be people in the department that apply, but we want to cast the net wide." It's not yet clear if Villanueva will apply to keep the position. Bass said he is "more than capable of managing well."
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
After Texas floods that killed campers, here's what to consider when sending your kids to camp
Death and destruction at a venerable Texas summer camp might have parents wondering about the risks of sending their kids away to any camp, even if it's in a much different setting and less vulnerable to a natural disaster. The stunning flood that killed more than two dozen campers and counselors along a river at Camp Mystic in the Texas Hill Country was the result of extraordinary rain and walls of water. Nonetheless, experts agree that information about how a camp plans for emergencies is just as important as the lunch menu and the times to go swimming. Many summer camps, of course, are based around woods and water. Kids often stay in rustic cabins with bunk beds and no electricity, all part of the charm of being away from home, maybe for the first time. The American Camp Association, which accredits camps and has thousands of members, said parents may want to ask how a camp stays in touch with local emergency service teams. Two people with longtime connections to camps also offered suggestions about what families should be thinking about. What should parents ask about camp safety? In Michigan, Jim Austin, 69, has been around summer camps for decades, as a camper, staff member and grandparent seeing his grandchildren off again to Camp Hayo-Went-Ha on Torch Lake, founded in 1904. He said parents should ask how a camp handles any emergency, even an active shooter. 'Do they have a buddy check in the swimming area? Do they have a procedure when somebody is missing? Do they have things in place for severe weather?" Austin said. 'If you're in Florida, you're looking at hurricanes. Anywhere in the Midwest, you're looking at a tornado, even thunderstorms. 'If they have to make it up,' he added, 'that's a big red flag.' Mike Deen, who operates Camp Ao-Wa-Kiya in Michigan's Oceana County, faced a crisis a year ago when part of a tree fell and destroyed a cabin with more than a dozen people, mostly girls, in the middle of the night. An adult was trapped in her bed for 90 minutes. Any injuries were minor. 'Our policies worked. Personnel were on hand very, very quickly,' Deen said. 'Parents should ask a camp: What's your relationship with local emergency services? How long does it take to get here? Parents should be able to go into camps and ask wise questions but also trust the camps are doing a good job.' Austin hopes the rare event in Texas doesn't discourage families from sending kids to a camp. 'Your kid is going to come back with more independence, with more responsibilities, with the ability to make conversations as opposed to texting with their thumbs all the time,' he said. 'They're going to make lifelong friends and develop bonds.' Camps reach out to soothe any anxiety The headlines in Texas led some camps to reach out to their camper families even if the camps were nowhere near danger. Henry DeHart, interim president of the American Camp Association, said it's a good idea, noting that "tragedies anywhere can be felt everywhere." Adirondack Camp in New York expressed sorrow about the Fourth of July tragedy at Camp Mystic and emphasized that safety at its camp along Lake George is 'our top priority.' 'Our camp is not located in a flood zone. ... We receive real-time alerts for storms, high winds, or other threats,' Rikki Galusha, vice president of camp operations, said in an email. Camp Balcones Springs in Texas is more than 100 miles (160.9 kilometers) away from Camp Mystic and located on a hill to avoid flood risk. Staff sent at least five emails to families over the weekend to say campers were safe. It would be impossible under current conditions for the closest body of water, Lake Travis, to affect the camp, staff said. The camp director's cellphone number was shared because of problems with phone lines. 'We kindly ask that you refrain from mentioning the recent tragedies or weather-related challenges to your children. Our goal is to maintain a positive, safe and uplifting environment for everyone,' the camp told families. Jim Sibthorp, a professor at the University of Utah who has studied the life-changing impact of camps on children, said parents can't foresee every catastrophe. 'Getting kids immersed in nature has many benefits, and nature is unpredictable. ... However, when the unpredictability ends in tragedy, it is difficult to swallow,' he said. ____ Associated Press writer Safiyah Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed to this story.
Associated Press
07-07-2025
- General
- Associated Press
After Texas floods that killed campers, here's what to consider when sending your kids to camp
Death and destruction at a venerable Texas summer camp might have parents wondering about the risks of sending their kids away to any camp, even if it's in a much different setting and less vulnerable to a natural disaster. The stunning flood that killed more than two dozen campers and counselors along a river at Camp Mystic in the Texas Hill Country was the result of extraordinary rain and walls of water. Nonetheless, experts agree that information about how a camp plans for emergencies is just as important as the lunch menu and the times to go swimming. Many summer camps, of course, are based around woods and water. Kids often stay in rustic cabins with bunk beds and no electricity, all part of the charm of being away from home, maybe for the first time. The American Camp Association, which accredits camps and has thousands of members, said parents may want to ask how a camp stays in touch with local emergency service teams. Two people with longtime connections to camps also offered suggestions about what families should be thinking about. What should parents ask about camp safety? In Michigan, Jim Austin, 69, has been around summer camps for decades, as a camper, staff member and grandparent seeing his grandchildren off again to Camp Hayo-Went-Ha on Torch Lake, founded in 1904. He said parents should ask how a camp handles any emergency, even an active shooter. 'Do they have a buddy check in the swimming area? Do they have a procedure when somebody is missing? Do they have things in place for severe weather?' Austin said. 'If you're in Florida, you're looking at hurricanes. Anywhere in the Midwest, you're looking at a tornado, even thunderstorms. 'If they have to make it up,' he added, 'that's a big red flag.' Mike Deen, who operates Camp Ao-Wa-Kiya in Michigan's Oceana County, faced a crisis a year ago when part of a tree fell and destroyed a cabin with more than a dozen people, mostly girls, in the middle of the night. An adult was trapped in her bed for 90 minutes. Any injuries were minor. 'Our policies worked. Personnel were on hand very, very quickly,' Deen said. 'Parents should ask a camp: What's your relationship with local emergency services? How long does it take to get here? Parents should be able to go into camps and ask wise questions but also trust the camps are doing a good job.' Austin hopes the rare event in Texas doesn't discourage families from sending kids to a camp. 'Your kid is going to come back with more independence, with more responsibilities, with the ability to make conversations as opposed to texting with their thumbs all the time,' he said. 'They're going to make lifelong friends and develop bonds.' Camps reach out to soothe any anxiety The headlines in Texas led some camps to reach out to their camper families even if the camps were nowhere near danger. Henry DeHart, interim president of the American Camp Association, said it's a good idea, noting that 'tragedies anywhere can be felt everywhere.' Adirondack Camp in New York expressed sorrow about the Fourth of July tragedy at Camp Mystic and emphasized that safety at its camp along Lake George is 'our top priority.' 'Our camp is not located in a flood zone. ... We receive real-time alerts for storms, high winds, or other threats,' Rikki Galusha, vice president of camp operations, said in an email. Camp Balcones Springs in Texas is more than 100 miles (160.9 kilometers) away from Camp Mystic and located on a hill to avoid flood risk. Staff sent at least five emails to families over the weekend to say campers were safe. It would be impossible under current conditions for the closest body of water, Lake Travis, to affect the camp, staff said. The camp director's cellphone number was shared because of problems with phone lines. 'We kindly ask that you refrain from mentioning the recent tragedies or weather-related challenges to your children. Our goal is to maintain a positive, safe and uplifting environment for everyone,' the camp told families. Jim Sibthorp, a professor at the University of Utah who has studied the life-changing impact of camps on children, said parents can't foresee every catastrophe. 'Getting kids immersed in nature has many benefits, and nature is unpredictable. ... However, when the unpredictability ends in tragedy, it is difficult to swallow,' he said. ____ Associated Press writer Safiyah Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed to this story.
