News

Released: January 6, 2016 - Wednesday, 03:54 PM

Sheriff's Public Safety Task Force Receives Large Donation

Contact: Tony CipollaPhone: (805) 781-4547Date and time of incident: 1-6-16Place of Occurrence: San Luis ObispoVictim Information: N/ASuspect Information: N/ASheriff Ian Parkinson and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) jointly announced today a major donation to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Task Force on Public Safety. PG&E is donating $35,000 to the Task Force with the goal of making San Luis County the “Most Prepared County in Disaster Preparedness and Response in the Country.”

“Our motto at the Sheriff’s Office is ‘Lead the Way’ and that’s what we’re doing with the Public Safety Task Force by making us better prepared to respond to any emergency,” said Sheriff Parkinson. “With PG&E’s generous donation we are able to be a leader when it comes to preparing for any emergency that may come our way.”

“On behalf of the 2,000 PG&E employees who live and work along the Central Coast, I applaud Sheriff Parkinson for his leadership and commitment to continuing to make San Luis Obispo County the most prepared county in the nation. At PG&E, and Diablo Canyon, no priority is more important than safety. Our partnership with and today’s donation to the Task Force is reflective of that commitment,” said Ed Halpin, PG&E Senior Vice President, Generation, and Chief Nuclear Officer.

The Task Force was established in 2013 with an initial donation of $75,000 from PG&E to the Sheriff’s Advisory Foundation. Led by the Sheriff's Office, the Task Force includes personnel from each of the seven cities (Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Grover Beach, Morro Bay, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo), as well as representatives from PG&E and organizations like the Red Cross and Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) and members of local media to foster outreach plans to raise awareness about emergency preparedness. A major goal of the Task Force is to increase collaboration and communication before, during and after a major disaster.

A portion of the funds were used to create a public service campaign consisting of seven public service announcements (PSA) which aired on local radio and TV stations in 2013 - 2015. The PSA’s were humorous in tone but serious in its subject matter about such things as creating an evacuation plan or knowing what to do when you shelter in place.

Plans for this new funding source include creating additional public service announcements, making general emergency plans more available to the public through the use of social media, and adding an additional CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) trailer to be used in conjunction with the other CERT volunteers across the county.