This weekend, Santa Barbara firefighters are offering local residents a chance to relearn how to stop, drop and roll.

The Santa Barbara City Fire Dept. will hold a seminar this Saturday at 10 a.m. to prepare local residents for natural disasters. The two-hour session, which teaches basic skills to cope with emergencies, will take place in the Santa Barbara City Fire Station 1, on the corner of Carrillo and Chapala Streets.

“There are lots of different types of disasters that can happen in this town and people need to know what to do in case of an emergency,” said Fire Dept. Public Education Coordinator Gracie Huerta. “We want people to take personal responsibility and to know what to do in the event.”

Among other essentials, Huerta said the seminar will demonstrate the proper use of a fire extinguisher and teach attendees how to create disaster supply kits and family reunification plans. Huerta said the city offers similar events two or three times a year.

In addition, Jenny Benjamin, an information officer for the newly activated 2-1-1 help-line, will attend the seminar to publicize the new service. The help-line provides information about various health and human resources services in the surrounding area.

“The more prepared we can be, the better,” Benjamin said. “I’ll be showing how they can search the database for information they need if they have a community emergency or disaster.”

About 50 residents have already reserved a place at the seminar, and the Fire Dept. expects many more. To R.S.V.P. for the event, contact Gracie Huerta at (805) 564-5703. The seminar is free and all attendees will be entered in a drawing to win a free disaster preparedness kit.

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