The Safe Community Project has developed a special initiative called the MySafe:Hawaiian Gardens Program. Hawaiian Gardens is a small incorporated community southeast of Los Angeles. The program is a pilot for other community programs in cities where emergency services are provided by outside agencies. As an example, in Hawaiian Gardens fire services are provided by the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

While Hawaiian Gardens is a small community, they have concerns and problems with fire safety. In October of 2013, a woman died as a result of a fire in her apartment complex on Tilbury Street. Structure fires are fairly common, and in an ironic twist, as MySafe:LA arrived for its presentation at Hawaiian Elementary School, LA County firefighters were arriving on scene to a single family dwelling fire just a few blocks from the school.

As with the MySafe:LA program, our instructors provide an intensive one hour program for students. The program was delivered to both Hawaiian Elementary School and Venn W. Ferguson Elementary School. Students received a series of safety materials, including family escape plans. Students were given home inspection forms and for those in need, FREE smoke alarms (First Alert is a partner with MySafe:LA) were provided. The program reaches more than 350 students. 

Fire Safety Kits were developed and are being delivered to each school. These kids include videos, educational programming material, and fire safety information. Special MySafe:LA (LA County Fire) fire safety brochures have been distributed as well. In development is a MySafe:HG website, which should be online in the near future.

MySafe:Hawaiian Gardens is supported by a generous grant from Fireman’s Fund, The Gardens, and GNW-Evergreen Insurance. MySafe:Hawaiian Gardens is a project of The Safe Community Project, a California 501 (c) (3) Public Benefit Corporation.