Cal State San Marcos launched its first course this week to train small businesses and non-profits on what to do to prepare for disasters.
Jeff Segall is a member of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, which was nominated for a national award for emergency preparedness this month. He said he experienced the Northridge Earthquake, and the experience prompted him to work on helping small businesses to be more prepared.
“During a disaster you’re not going to be able to call 911, and you’re not going to be able to call on the government or anyone to help you,” Segall said. “So those are things that we want every company to know: that you need to be prepared to be on your own.”
Holly Crawford of San Diego County’s Office of Emergency Services said many large companies have emergency response plans and full-time emergency preparedness staff. But most San Diego businesses are small or medium sized, and have not yet considered how they would handle an emergency.
“I think the more businesses we have thinking about this, the better off we are,” she said.
The CSUSM certificate in business disaster preparedness is a six-week course.