“This experience has been very rewarding. My family and co-workers often turn to me for help and advice on safety-related subjects. I have even held a family safety meeting to help prepare for any upcoming disaster.”

Citizens around Norwalk, CA, are safer in many ways, thanks to the unflagging efforts of Donna Johnson.

In 1996, Donna became a member of Toyota’s CERT team (Corporate Emergency Response Training Program), and that experience whet her appetite to do even more. She trained on weekends to become a volunteer sheriff with the Norwalk Sheriff’s Station and since 2008 has put in more than 825 hours, most recently as a training volunteer. Her efforts have included:

-          Patrolling on citizen watch, freeing Sheriff’s officers for more dangerous situations;

-          Manning DUI checkpoints;

-          Assisting the Hansen Dam command post during fires, including setting up road closures around evacuated areas.

Last June, Donna was sworn in as a member of the Governor’s Volunteer Disaster Corps. The Corps is a cadre of trained volunteers who devote their time, effort, and passion to all phases of emergency management: preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery.