LA firefighter Jake Ching honored with “You Are The Advantage” award

At the Tuesday, Aug. 16, Board of Education meeting, Jake Ching from the Los Angeles County Fire Department was honored with the district’s “You Are The Advantage” award.

Student safety is one of PYLUSD’s highest priorities. Over the past three years, district staff has collaborated with law enforcement and fire protection agencies to help establish a standard list of emergency supplies to have on hand at each school in the event of a large-scale emergency. The district has since outfitted each school with search-and-rescue equipment, new radios and medical supplies for the health office. Last year, the focus was placed on providing classrooms with basic earthquake and lockdown supplies.

Los Angeles firefighter Jake Ching met with district staff last summer to help finalize the list of needed supplies. Jake emphasized the need to train school officials on how to use the items contained in each classroom kit. He made the year-long commitment to use his days off to train staff at each school site. He partnered with district nurses to coordinate this hands-on training, which provided participants with the skills needed to effectively respond in an emergency situation, including basic first aid techniques. He often moved his work shifts to accommodate school meeting schedules. Jake maintained a commitment throughout the year to ensure that staff and student safety remained the highest priority. His tireless effort helped to ensure that PYLUSD schools are more prepared to respond to a large-scale emergency.

Congratulations to Jake for earning this distinction.