Every Holiday season, Topanga New Times chooses to honor a local non-profit for longevity, relevance and growth as a service organization.
The Topanga Coalition for Emergency Preparedness (TCEP) is a 100% volunteer-run 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has been operating continuously for over 30 years. We have a two-fold mission: to help the Topanga community prepare for and respond to disasters like fires, earthquakes and floods; and to provide accurate, verified updates during emergency incidents through our website tcep.org/EmergencyStatus, telephone hotline (310-455-3000) and X @TCEP90290.
TCEP volunteers participate in a number of areas:
- Design a Topanga evacuation plan—We work closely with LA County Fire, Sheriff, CHP and Malibu city emergency personnel to formulate how those agencies would handle a mass evacuation of the canyon in a wind-driven fire.
- Write and produce a Topanga Evacuation Guide—This “glovebox” sized guide lists everything you need to know about evacuating the canyon during a wildfire. We plan to have this mailed to all Topanga households by Spring 2025.
- Help with Topanga Elementary emergency plans—We work closely with school leaders to create robust emergency protocols to keep our kids safe during disasters.
- Co-Chair the Topanga Emergency Management Task Force (TEMTF)—The TEMTF consists of County agencies and Topanga volunteer organizations tasked with developing community-based emergency management plans for Topanga residents and to leverage those plans as a model for other County communities. The group has been in existence since 2002.
TCEP is looking for new volunteers with skills and interests in:
- Website management — maintain the development and coding of our website written in PHP Laravel Framework
- IT—manage computers, routers, radios, electronic gear, fiber and satellite internet connectivity
- Neighborhood Networks—help Topangans create emergency support networks in neighborhoods across the canyon
- Social media/PR—write newsletter articles, take photos and videos, be public TCEP ambassadors
- Duty Officers—monitor first responder communications for every reported incident and post information/updates on tcep.org/emergencystatus (requires extensive training)
- Hotline—learn how to calm residents who call our Hotline (310-455-3000) during stressful emergencies
- Property and infrastructure management—perform minor repairs, cleanup, and construction vendor oversight
- Disaster Radio Team—learn how ham and FRS radios provide communication when all other services are down
- Volunteer recruitment—ensure that new volunteers continue to join TCEP
To volunteer, go to: https://tcep.org/volunteer/create
We’re also seeking donations to help fund our operating expenses and pay for repairs and upgrades to our physical infrastructure.
To donate go to: https://tcep.org/donate
https://tcep.org or email info@tcep.org
