| Local conference focuses on safety |
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http://www2.insidenova.com/isn/news/local/article/local_conference_focuses_on_safety/47072/ Anyone who was interested in brushing up on emergency preparedness should have been at the third annual City of Manassas Neighborhood Conference on Saturday. As it was, more than 250 people filled the Boys & Girls Club, visiting information booths or attending seminars to gather information on protecting themselves or their families in an emergency. "We were extremely happy with the turnout. We were happy to inform the community about the resources the city of Manassas has for them for preparing for an emergency," said Kisha Wilson-Sogunro, Neighborhood Services coordinator, who headed up the conference. All workshop sessions that included Community Living and Neighborhood Watch were filled to capac-ity. Among the speakers was Bob Halsall, city deputy emergency manager, who stressed in his presentation three steps to protecting loved ones in an emergency: 1. Get an emergency kit; 2. Make a plan; and 3. Stay informed. "I feel people walked away from my presentation wanting to be more prepared—that if an emer-gency situation comes up, they want to be ready, " he said. "With new technology coming up almost daily, it's very important to keep up on new safety measures." City Manager Larry Hughes said he was impressed with the number of people turning out for the confer-ence. "We only had about 50 for the first one, 125 for the second and more than 250 for this one. I'm really impressed with the crowd," said Hughes. He said a lot of the interest at the conference was on the efforts of Neighborhood Watches. "About three years, we had none in the city. Now there is six very active ones. I have seen where they are working closely with law enforcement, reducing crime in their neighborhoods and making a more unified community—much like a home owners association," he said. Crime prevention specialist Officer Scott Stallard, who heads up the program in the city, was one of the seminar speakers and pointed out to his audience the benefits of a Neighborhood Watch. He told the crowd how to start a watch, including contacting a law enforcement agency and scheduling a meeting to develop an action plan. "You do not have to "patrol" to be involved—a good set of eyes and ears are all that you need," he said. He was also manning an information booth with Evelyn Cahalen and Chris Tutko, who were passing out information to people interested in starting a Neighborhood Watch in their section of the city. Attendees could also get information from the Virginia Housing Development Authority, the Prince Wil-liam Area Agency on Aging, Project Mend-A-House, Unity in the Community and an opportunity to meet and chat with police, fire and rescue and emergency management officials, as well as animal control. One of the highlights of the conference was the announcement of the award winners. They were Neighbor-hood of the Year, Point of Woods Homeowners Association 1 and 2 and Point of the Woods Homeowners Association 3; Best Neighborhood Communication Award went to Georgetown South; and Best Neighbor-hood Community Participation Bristoe Station. Cindy Brookshire won the Best Church Dessert Competition Award with her cookies. Councilman Andy Harrover summed up what he thought of the conference. "I'm very proud of the way the event has grown. It has been a very successful program to educate the residents of the city on what the city can do for them to make their lives safer," he con-cluded. The conference was sponsored by Ameriprise Financial Planner Glenn Moore and the city. Staff writer Bennie Scarton Jr. can be reached at 703-369-6707. |