Emergency Preparedness and Operations

Emergency Preparedness

Emergency Management is dedicated to strengthening community preparedness before, during, and after emergencies. Its goal is to ensure that residents, businesses, and city staff are ready to respond effectively to disasters through planning, training, and coordinated communication. The City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) serves as the central hub for managing major incidents, supported by key programs such as Volunteers in Policing, the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), and the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES). Public safety alerts are distributed through the AlertOC mass notification system, keeping the community informed in real time. In addition, outreach efforts such as the Citizens Academy and Neighborhood Watch help educate and engage residents, building a stronger, more resilient community.

VIPs

Our Volunteers in Policing (VIP) team plays a vital role in enhancing community safety and strengthening the connection between the Police Department and the public. These dedicated volunteers assist with community patrols, school foot patrols, and a wide range of community engagement efforts that promote visibility, trust, and partnership throughout the city. In addition to their field duties, the VIPs play an integral part in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) staffing plan, contributing to operational efficiency and providing essential support during critical incidents. Their commitment and service exemplify true community partnership in public safety.

CERT

The West Orange County Community Emergency Response Team or CERT Program is comprised of those who live and/or work in Buena Park, Cypress, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Rossmoor, Seal Beach, Westminster and their attached communities. 

The West County CERT Program’s primary purpose is to educate people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact them at home, at work, or at play. The initial CERT training covers basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. With this training, CERT members can assist themselves and their families, plus others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help.

CERT members give critical support to first responders, provide immediate assistance to affected individuals and organize volunteers at a disaster site. CERT members can also help with non-emergency projects that improve the safety of their community.

West Orange County CERT is about readiness, people helping people, rescuer safety, and doing the greatest good for the greatest number. CERT is a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where people will be initially on their own and their actions can make a difference.

Through CERT Academy training, neighbors can manage utilities and put out small fires; treat the three killers by opening airways, controlling bleeding, and help to treat shock; provide basic medical aid; search for and rescue victims safely; and organize themselves and spontaneous volunteers to be effective.

If you are a resident or work in the Western Orange County communities of Buena Park, Cypress, La Palma,  Los Alamitos, Rossmoor, Seal Beach, or Westminster then you have come to the right place to discover more about the CERT Program and how it can help you and your family in a disaster or wide spread emergency situation.

To learn more about the West County CERT team or for additional information visit the West County CERT website.

CITIZENS ACADEMY

The Los Alamitos Police Department’s Citizens Academy offers community members an inside look at the daily operations of local law enforcement. This interactive program is designed to build understanding, trust, and collaboration between the Police Department and the residents it serves. Participants gain hands-on experience through presentations, demonstrations, and scenario-based activities led by officers and staff, covering topics such as patrol operations, investigations, traffic enforcement, emergency response, and more. By the end of the academy, graduates walk away with a deeper appreciation for the challenges and responsibilities of policing, as well as a stronger connection to their community and local officers.

PD Simulation - The Inaugural Citizens Academy

RACES

RACES stands for "Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service," a protocol created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC Part 97, Section 407). Many government agencies across the country train their Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) volunteers using the RACES protocol. The volunteers serve their respective jurisdictions pursuant to guidelines and mandates established by local emergency management officials.

RACES volunteer operators are:

• Licensed Radio Amateurs
• Certified by a civil defense agency
• Able to communicate on Amateur Radio frequencies during drills, exercises and emergencies
• Activated by local, county and state jurisdictions and are the only Amateur Radio operators authorized to transmit during declared emergencies when the President of the United States specifically invokes the War Powers Act.

Alert OC

Department social media pages are not the same as or a replacement for, Alert OC, the emergency mass notification system utilized by the City of Los Alamitos. Please visit the Alert OC website for more information and be sure to sign-up for Alert OC notifications while you're there. 

Public Information

Law enforcement has a unique relationship with the media. It is an art to balance the dissemination of information for safety awareness with an individual's right to privacy. Transparency is a necessary component of gaining or maintaining the public's trust, so we often see the media as a liaison to the public. The responsibility of serving as the Police Department's Public Information Officer is assigned to Emergency Management.