Emergency Information Council

Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Public Affairs Officer Gregg Smith spoke at the Emergency Information Council’s (EIC) speaker series on Nov. 18. Nearly 40 attendees heard his presentation on the station’s background and mission, along with details on Station safety and emergency operations.

The station exists to provide weapons storage, loading, maintenance, and assessment support to ships of the United States Pacific Fleet. Smith described the multilayered safety procedures that go into place during any transfer of munitions onto and off of ships. The recently upgraded earthquake resistant pier accommodates larger vessels and moves the transfer activities further away from the public. The pier will provide a great platform to deliver disaster relief supplies to the region when needed.

Regarding the munitions storage bunkers, Smith mentioned that they are designed to hold a limited amount of explosives so that an issue with one does not cascade into nearby ones, nor impact areas off the base. The base has a fully staffed fire station that actively responds to calls throughout the City like any local station would. The talk was well received and the attendees were enthusiastic during the questions and answered period and many asked for a reprise of the talk in the future.

For more information about the EIC, contact President Jackie Dunagan at jackie919@gmail.com or 562-431-7479.

—Nick Massetti