Photo c ourtesy of Austin Zahn / Brooks Institute Red Cross worker David Kaiser shows Supervisor Kathy Long and Dave Fleisch the self-contained, 40-foot, diesel-powered trailer that contains a mobile kitchen.

In the wake of recent wildfires in Ventura County, the diversity of disaster threats facing county residents has never been greater, community leaders said Friday at American Red Cross headquarters in Camarillo.

To help cities improve their preparedness and response to natural and man-made disasters that include wildfires, earthquakes, floods, mudslides and train derailments, the Ventura County chapter of the Red Cross has launched a $2 million expansion of its all-volunteer Disaster Action Team. Government officials and other leaders gathered Friday at the Red Cross to explain the project.

The initiative includes a donation of a $1.2 million building in Camarillo that will be the new Red Cross training and communications hub for the county. The 11,000-square-foot building was donated by Los Angeles resident Peter Plotkin in honor of his late wife, Betty, a Red Cross volunteer for many years.

Disaster Action Team volunteers are trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, first aid and some of the other 24 services the Red Cross provides when responding to a disaster. A major goal of the expansion is to develop a larger network of teams in each of the county's 10 cities and have an efficient and effective central communications center, said Chris Johnson, chief executive officer of the Red Cross local chapter.

"I don't want to sound corny, but it's not if, but when. We've got to be prepared for the worst by having the right number of disaster teams in place in every city. When tragedy strikes, it might not be you, but it could be someone you know who's out on the street with nowhere to go," said Johnson.

An additional $800,000 is needed to enhance the facility and further expand the Disaster Action Team network of volunteers. The money will be raised through corporate fundraising and community outreach, Johnson said.

"The biggest ongoing disaster threat is fire. Statewide and in Ventura County, we are having the largest and longest duration of fires of the last 20 years," said Dale Carnathan, program administrator for the Ventura County Sheriff's Department Office of Emergency Services. "It will stay that way until we get significant rainfall."

To help disaster victims pull their lives back together, the Red Cross chapter has been intervening after disasters since it was founded in 1917.

Bill Edwards, a Disaster Action Team volunteer from Simi Valley, said his role is to help provide hot meals to disaster victims in a completely self-contained, 40-foot, diesel-powered trailer that contains a mobile kitchen. "We can feed 5,000 people a day," said Edwards.

The Red Cross provides shelter, food, clothing, money and other emergency services to those in need, said Ventura County Supervisor Kathy Long, who served on the local Red Cross board for six years.

"Public safety is a priority in our county. We've learned that disaster can strike often and strike suddenly. The biggest disaster for our county would be if they weren't here," said Long.

Ventura County Fire Chief Bob Roper said preparing for a disaster is more important than ever, not only because of increased threats but also because of population growth.

"We have a higher volume and wider variety of disasters than similar-sized counties in the state," said Roper, a 28-year veteran of the department. "If you've never used the services of the Red Cross, you probably don't know how important they are to our community. They make a big difference in people's lives."