Safety Matters
DUI Awareness Fair
El Camino College will sponsor its 18th Annual South Bay DUI Awareness Fair, featuring displays and interactive demonstrations that convey the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 31 near the Library Lawn.
Scheduled just in time for Halloween and the beginning of the holiday season, the DUI Awareness Fair is designed to increase community awareness about the dangerous consequences that can come from driving under the influence or getting into a car that is operated by someone under the influence.
The DUI Awareness Fair will feature demonstrations such as a driving exercise where students maneuver golf carts through a controlled course while wearing special "DUI goggles" that simulate impairment. Through this exercise, students can experience how being under the influence can affect reflexes and impair judgement. Also available this year are "marijuana impairment" goggles, a relatively new simulation device. A "crash car" that was involved in an alcohol-related death will also be parked on campus, delivering a strong visual impact to students as they observe the direct result of driving under the influence.
The El Camino College Police Department, in conjunction with the Avoid the 100 West DUI Task Force, will sponsor this event. Officers will be on hand to talk to students and provide valuable information about the dangers and consequences of driving under the influence. Other displays near the Library Lawn will serve as informative, direct warnings about driving under the influence.
The work of El Camino College Police Department officers has been honored with awards from MADD at both the local and state level. For more information, call the El Camino College Police Department at 310-660-3100.
Substance Abuse Prevention Expo
A Substance Abuse Prevention Expo is new this year. The event is part of Substance Abuse Prevention Month and sponsored by ECC Student Health Services. Awareness information, valuable resources and prevention activities will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Library Lawn. The expo coincides with Substance Abuse Prevention Month, an annual observance focused on raising public awareness and encouraging communities to take action and get involved to prevent substance use.
The expo will include community organizations that provide mental health and substance abuse resources, such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Alcoholics Anonymous, Behavioral Health Services, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Los Angeles County Substance Abuse Prevention and Control, Clear Recovery Center, and Asian American Drug Abuse Program.
Referrals to free and low-cost services will be available, as well as promotional items and giveaways. A "Hope Wall" will also be featured, a place for students to write messages of encouragement.
ShakeOut Drill Success!
Thank you to everyone who participated in a successful campuswide Great California ShakeOut Drill on Oct. 18. The drill started at 10:18 a.m. with all students and employees following the instructions: "Drop, Cover, and Hold On," followed by an orderly evacuation of buildings and on to assembly areas. All buildings were evacuated, emergency leaders and occupants accounted for, and then all buildings were cleared for re-entry at 10:44:37 a.m. The emergency managers in the Emergency Operations Center, together with all building captains and floor leaders, performed with exemplary leadership. Information, education and drills such as the ShakeOut help prepare for an emergency – to react quickly, there must be practice. Again, thank you to the college community, all emergency responders, and everyone who helped make the Great California ShakeOut Earthquake Drill a success. Be prepared! For more earthquake safety tips, go to www.shakeout.org.
Sign up for Nixle!
Sign up to receive Nixle emergency alerts from ECC Campus Police, simply text 888777 and type ECCPD (for ECC notifications) or CECPD (for Compton Center notifications). For more info on Nixle: www.elcamino.edu/police/.
