The Los Angeles Fire Department CERT Program is proud to announce Chin Thammasaengsri as this month’s
LAFD CERT Spotlight.
Chin is a Los Angeles native who lives in the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Battalion 18 area of Los Angeles (encompassing #CD10 and parts of #CD8) within LAFD South Bureau. Growing up in Los Angeles Chin attended local schools nearby, eventually attending California State University at Los Angeles.
The Spotlight is nothing new for Chin, with close to 27 Years of experience with the CBS Television Network. During this same period, he launched his creative career in TV and has created a large body of scripted & unscripted work that landed him at well-known series such as Star Trek, Stargate, and Millennium along with an equally large catalog of original work. Chin established his Westlake Signal Group which produces content for film & television including award winning documentaries & local TV news fare like his Newswire L.A. series. His film work with Southern California’s fire services introduced him to the CERT concept a full decade before he actually joined.
Chin is a believer in service to the community. This part of his life kicked into high gear in 2012 when he assumed leadership of his area block club, Lafayette Road United Neighbors. Chin embodies the characteristics of a true leader. Recognizing that others relied on him in this capacity, only increased his motivation to obtain additional training. Training that would help lead his group during an emergency. CERT came to mind. He found that a CERT class was being offered in his immediate area. Chin took the class, completed it, and his passion for Community-First led him to become an active LAFD Cert Member serving the LAFD’s Battalion 18 Geographic Area.
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Chin’s dedication to the LAFD CERT Program has generated a rap sheet far too long to list. However, just to give you an idea of his commitment, here are just a few of the many activities Chin has positively impacted over the years; Chin has facilitated the coordination and staffing of CERT informational public outreach tables, crafted neighborhood drills, attended countless meetings, sweat under the summer sun during quarterly refreshers, and spoken on the subject of Disaster Preparedness & Planning to area groups & businesses.
Chin’s selfless actions don’t end there. He is part of Mid City Neighborhood Council in Mid-City, Los Angeles and currently serves as its Public Safety Liaison & CERT “member in residence.”
Chin was appointed to the position of CERT Battalion Coordinator for Battalion 18 and now is the LAFD South Bureau CERT Coordinator. This appointment gives him an area that runs from West LosAngeles to the harbor of San Pedro. When asking Chin why does he “CERT?” He simply replies “We just can’t sit back and wait for a happy ending.”
Chin is a model example of what community first represents. His demonstrated past performance proves that he is an asset to the Los Angeles Fire Department CERT Program and his Community. Chin you have made Los Angeles better prepared and we are proud to recognize you as the LAFD CERT Spotlight for May 2019.
