Vehicle and personnel from Contra Costa County Fire
Picture courtesy of the Lafayette Emergency Preparedness Commission
On August 1, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the Lafayette Safety Fair will take place at Stanley Middle School, 3455 School St. The Safety Fair is brought to you by the Lafayette Police Department, Lafayette Emergency Preparedness Commission and the Lafayette Crime Prevention Commission.
"We hope that the fair will be one way our community can get together to meet their neighbors, enhance personal safety, and help to keep Lamorinda a great place to live," says Dennis Rein of the Emergency Preparedness Commission and one of the event's lead organizers, "we want the community to know what resources are out there in the areas of safety, fire, neighborhood watch, emergency preparedness and how crime prevention works."
There will be many attractions for families, including a kids' bike rodeo and safety check, a fire shack, helicopter landings and visits by Smokey the Bear. The Lafayette Rotary Club will provide hot dog lunches.
Besides fun, the focus will be on getting residents the information they need to stay safe.
At the Lafayette Police Department booth, residents will be able to meet the K9 officer. The children who bring their bikes will learn to ride safely at the bike rodeo.
Visitors to the fair can also learn about the Neighborhood Watch program, get DNA kits and have their children fingerprinted. Information will be available on Lafayette's new solicitor ordinance, and residents will be able to pick up a "No Soliciting" sign for their front doors.
The Contra Costa Fire Protection District will dispatch information on fire safety in the home from a county fire prevention specialist and will showcase some of their vehicles. East Bay Regional Park District, Regional Parks Police, Fire and Volunteer Trail Safety will be there with Helicopter Eagle VII, to provide trail safety tips, and will display a Wildland Fire Engine.
Many other groups will be present as well, including the Bay Area Red Cross, Disaster Animal Response Team (DART), EBMUD, Lamorinda Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and more.
According to Fred Lothrop, Chair of the Lafayette Emergency Preparedness Commission, the fair had existed in the past but was discontinued. This August event is the first of what he hopes will be a long series of useful and fun events.
"We hope that the fair will be one way our community can get together to meet their neighbors, enhance personal safety, and help to keep Lamorinda a great place to live," says Dennis Rein of the Emergency Preparedness Commission and one of the event's lead organizers, "we want the community to know what resources are out there in the areas of safety, fire, neighborhood watch, emergency preparedness and how crime prevention works." 
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA