San Mateo County’s Disaster Preparedness Day returns Aug. 1 with live demos and firsts

San Mateo County will host its 22nd annual Disaster Preparedness Day on Aug. 1 at the San Mateo County Event Center, offering free disaster-readiness training in English, Spanish and Mandarin. The event adds its first live KCBS broadcast and a debut K9 demonstration as officials push practical preparedness for families across the Bay Area.

Why it matters: - San Mateo County’s annual preparedness day gives residents a chance to learn concrete steps before a disaster hits. - The event is free and open to residents, workers and visitors across the county and broader Bay Area. - County officials are using resident feedback to shape the program around the languages, questions and recovery concerns people raised. - The focus is on practical readiness, from home safety to recovery planning, which can affect how quickly families respond when minutes count.

What happened: - San Mateo County will hold its 22nd annual Disaster Preparedness Day on Saturday, Aug. 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the San Mateo County Event Center in Redwood City. - The event is designed as a multilingual, all-ages gathering that pairs residents with first responders. - Dr. Shruti Dhapodkar, San Mateo County Emergency Management Director, said the goal is to help families meet the people who will be there in a crisis and learn simple preparedness steps. - Sandra Firpo, an emergency coordinator who leads community outreach and directs the event, said the program was built by listening to residents and their language and age needs.

The details: - Workshops will run in English, Spanish and Mandarin. - A "How to Pack a Go Bag" session will be offered in all three languages. - "Storytime with a Firefighter" will also be offered in English, Spanish and Mandarin for younger visitors. - Master Gardeners will cover native plants and landscaping that can stand up to fire and drought. - Insurance and legal experts will address recovery issues families face after a disaster. - Young people exploring careers or college paths will find multiple vocations on display. - County amateur radio operators will be featured, with ham radios positioned as a backup link when cell towers and power fail. - KCBS All News Radio (106.9 FM and 740 AM) will broadcast live from the fairgrounds throughout the day for the first time. - The Hillsborough and Friends K9 Unit will make its event debut with a live working-dog demonstration. - A CalFire crew will host a hands-on cooking demo on preparing emergency meals and will offer samples of emergency rations. - Updates will be posted at SMCDisasterPrep.org as the event approaches. - The event is supported by AMR (American Medical Response), the San Mateo County Event Center, The Daily Journal, Kaiser Permanente and KCBS All News Radio.

Between the lines: - The programming mixes family-friendly activities with serious recovery and communications planning, which suggests the county is trying to remove the usual barriers to preparedness: language, cost and intimidation. - Adding live radio coverage and a K9 demonstration broadens the event’s reach and may help draw in people who might not attend a standard emergency workshop. - The multilingual format is especially important in a county-wide event because preparedness guidance is only useful if people can understand and use it quickly.

What's next: - County officials will continue posting event updates online as Aug. 1 approaches. - Residents can use the event to gather information before fire, earthquake, weather or other emergencies disrupt daily life. - Organizers are positioning the day as an annual touchpoint between the community and the first responders and experts who support disaster response and recovery.

The bottom line: - San Mateo County is turning disaster preparedness into a hands-on, multilingual community event, with new demonstrations and live radio coverage aimed at making readiness more practical and more accessible.