This free community event, hosted by Capital Insurance Group (CIG), will provide valuable safety information and activities for the whole family, including important fire prevention tips and how to deal with emergencies! Children, teens and adults alike will learn how to “play it safe”.

Monterey, CA, July 27, 2016 – Let’s get prepared! If an emergency occurred tomorrow, would you be ready? September is National Preparedness Month and Capital Insurance Group® is – hosting its 4th Annual CIG Insurance Community Safety Saturday™ on September 10, 2016 at the Monterey County Fair & Event Center, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

National Preparedness Month, sponsored by FEMA (www.fema.gov), aims to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to all types of emergencies, including natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks. National Preparedness Month is a time to prepare yourself and those in your care for emergencies and disasters, both large scale and smaller local events.

Get Prepared!
Each of us can make a difference in our own community but many of us have not taken the time to learn the latest information about preparedness. Research on personal preparedness indicates that individuals who believe they are prepared for disasters often times are not as prepared as they think. In addition, some admit they do not plan to prepare at all. The challenge is maximizing awareness and encouraging participation in disaster preparedness activities to affect change at the community level.

Dr. Sarah W. Blackstone, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Community Emergency Response Volunteers (CERV) of the Monterey Peninsula explains, “Disasters occur infrequently but emergencies occur daily –whether it is an accident or fire at home, a medical emergency, a tree falling on your house and so many other types of emergencies that can happen to us and those we care about. It’s important to take the time to learn how to become better prepared to deal with these occurrences!”

Our nation’s emergency managers, firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMT/paramedics, and other emergency responders do an incredible job of keeping us safe, but they cannot do it alone. We must all embrace our personal responsibility to be prepared and help contribute to the safety and security of our communities as well.

Make sure that you and your family are prepared for an emergency. Ensure that you can go for at least three days without electricity, water service, access to a supermarket, or other local services.

A few important steps to take:
• Prepare a disaster supply kit with at least three days of food and water. You can learn how to prepare one from the many emergency & safety organizations at CIG Insurance Community Safety Saturday.
• Create a Family Emergency Plan, so that your family knows how to communicate during an emergency.
• Obtain a NOAA Weather Radio.
Dick Bower, Emergency Planner with the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services provided some local statistics from last year:
– In 2015, Monterey County was impacted by 9 incidents that were severe enough for the Office of Emergency Services to track response and recovery activities.
– In three of those incidents, the County Emergency Operations Center was activated to support the response and recovery.
– The most significant incident of 2015 was the Tassajara Fire which burned approximately 1,100 acres of land and 20 structures in the Tassajara/Cachagua area.
– The Alert Monterey County emergency notification system saw an additional 9,700 people register for service bringing total participation to 13,757 phones.
– In late 2015, OES began forming the Resilient Monterey County Partnership which has now grown to 7 participating organizations with ongoing recruitment.

The Monterey County Office of Emergency Services also has a very helpful online Disaster Plan about preparing for disasters at http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/oes/Preparedness%20-%20Families.asp

CIG Insurance Community Safety Saturday™ At a Glance:

What: 4th Annual CIG Insurance Community Safety Saturday™

CIG Insurance Community Safety Saturday™ is an important and free family-friendly, community safety event. It was developed by CIG in 2010 and has been held throughout California, Nevada, and Washington, features activities, demonstrations, and educational services designed to improve the safety and security of children, teens, families and communities. People of all ages will enjoy free games, prizes, food and a wealth of safety materials and resources from many different booths staffed by local and regional organizations.

When: Saturday, September 10, 2016 – 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Where: Monterey County Fair & Event Center, 2004 Fairground Road, Monterey.

L. Arnold Chatterton, President and CEO of Capital Insurance Group, remarks, “We are very excited to again hold our Community Safety Saturday event at the spacious Monterey County Fair & Event Center. We know that the safety information and tools we provide at these events truly empower parents. Each time that we host these events and have the opportunity to work with so many local, safety-oriented public service organizations, we impact hundreds of families so that they can ideally live happier, healthier and safer lives.”

At the conclusion of Community Safety Saturday, a drawing will be held at which many exciting, family-oriented prizes will be given away.
Community Safety Saturday will feature the following attractions:

• California Highway Patrol – Monterey Area will provide information about their Start Smart and Child Car Seat inspection programs.
• KlaasKids Foundation will conduct their Print-A-Thon, a free service providing digital photo ID & fingerprinting for every child.
• Monterey Police Department will bring a squad car and crime prevention information and giveaways.
• American Red Cross will bring disaster preparedness information and giveaways.
• The City of Monterey will provide information about their Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), and will also have a bike helmet drawing, Walk ‘n Roll bingo games and more.
• California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services will demonstrate how to make a portable emergency kit, and provide educational materials about how to prepare for earthquakes and tsunamis.
• Monterey County Office of Emergency Services will bring emergency preparedness information.
• Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast will provide safety information.
• Funded by First 5 Monterey County, MY Museum will bring Wheelie Mobilee with lots of interactive games.
• Monterey Fire Department will bring a fire engine and safety information.
• U.S. Forest Service will bring informational handouts as well as a wildland fire engine. Smokey Bear will also be on hand if he’s not off fighting a forest fire!
• Monterey County Sheriff’s Office–Coastal Station Monterey will bring crime prevention information.
• California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CALFIRE) will bring a fire engine and fire safety materials. Smokey Bear will be on hand if he’s not off fighting a forest fire.
• Monterey County Boys and Girls Club will have a Wheel of Fortune Safety Game and information about their organization.
• California State Park Lifeguards will bring a personal water craft and lifeguard truck and share information about aquatic safety.
• Teddy Bear with Heart will have a bean bag toss with stuffed animals as prizes and information about their program.
• Independent Transportation Network of Monterey County will provide information about their programs which provide rides to seniors with dignity.
• Community Partnership for Youth will do face painting and offer a lanyard-making activity.
• U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will bring water and boating safety materials as well as environmental protection information.
• United Way Monterey County will provide information about the 2-1-1 program and other community services.
• Sun Street Centers will provide Information about dangers of drugs, alcohol and tobacco.
• Restorative Justice Partners will bring information about dispute resolution programs that foster empathy, accountability and restoration of fairness to victims and the community.
• Family Service Agency of the Central Coast/Suicide Prevention Service of the Central Coast will have a bean-bag toss and tic-tac-toe game and distribute their brochures and STOP cards.
• Community Emergency Response Volunteers (CERV) of the Monterey Peninsula will give out materials about turning off the gas/electricity and water in emergencies and simple medical responses learned in CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training.
• The U.S. Coast Guard will bring their 29’ fast boat for tours and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will provide water, boating and environmental protection information. Coasty the Talking Safety Tugboat will also be on hand.
• AMR (American Medical Response) will bring an ambulance for tours.
• PRS Restore will provide a kids craft table and information about
• CHOMP’S Kids Eat Right program will provide a nutrition education display with a trivia contest and prize giveaways.
News Channel 5 KION/Central Coast CW/Telemundo 23 will be the event’s television media sponsor.

About Capital Insurance Group
Capital Insurance Group® (CIG) is the leading regional property and casualty insurer serving the Western U.S. since 1898. CIG insures Personal Auto, Homeowners, Farmowners, Condo Owners, Vacation Property, Renters, Apartment Building Owners, and many kinds of Commercial and Agricultural Auto and Property. The more-than-115-year-old company is rated “A” (Excellent) by A.M. Best, the independent financial monitor of the insurance industry. CIG manages personal, business, and agriculture risks underwritten by its affiliate companies: California Capital Insurance Company, Eagle West Insurance Company, Nevada Capital Insurance Company, and Monterey Insurance Company. Types of policies may vary from state to state. For more information, please visit www.CIGinsurance.com
CIG DELIVERS MORE. Continuously. ™

About the KlaasKids Foundation
The KlaasKids Foundation was established by Marc Klaas in 1994 to give meaning to the death of his twelve-year-old daughter, kidnap and murder victim Polly Hannah Klaas, and to create a legacy in her name that would be protective of children for generations to come. The foundation’s mission is to stop crimes against children by providing education and knowledge to the general public and promoting partnerships with concerned citizens, the private sector, organizations, law enforcement and legislators. www.klaaskids.org

For more information about CIG Insurance Community Safety Saturday, please go to www.CIGsafetysaturday.com

Contact:
Wendy Brickman
Brickman Marketing
395 Del Monte Center #250
Monterey, CA 93940
831-633-4444
WendyBrickman@gmail.com
http://www.CIGinsurance.com