TWENTYNINE PALMS – the citizen of Twentynine Palms deserve all feasible opportunities to prepare themselves and their neighbors for disaster. We’ve heard it said, if the big one hits, will you be able to survive on your own for 3-5 days…weeks? it is not IF, it is WHEN! “ The Community Emergency Response Team concept was developed and implemented by the Los Angeles City fire Department (LAFD) in 1985. the Whittier Narrows earthquake in 1987 underscored the area-wide threat of a major disaster in California. further, it confirmed the need for training civilians to meet their immediate needs. as a result, the LAFD created the Disaster Preparedness Division with the purpose of training citizens and private and government employees. the training program that LAFD initiated makes good sense and furthers the process of citizens understanding their responsibility in preparing for disaster. it also increases their ability to safely help themselves, their family and their neighbors.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recognizes the importance of preparing citizens. the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) and the National fire Academy adopted and expanded the CERT materials believing them applicable to all hazards. Since 1993 when this training was made available nationally by FEMA, communities in 28 States and Puerto Rico have conducted CERT training.” http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/about.shtm the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program falls under Citizen Corps along with the fire Corps, USA on Watch (fondly known as the Neighborhood Watch Program), Medical Reserve Corps, Volunteers in Public Service (VIPS) and Corporation for National & Community Service. Citizen Corps is FEMA’s grassroots strategy to bring together government and community leaders to involve citizens in all-hazards emergency preparedness and resilience. Citizen Corps asks you to embrace the personal responsibility to be prepared; to get training in first aid and emergency skills; and to volunteer to support local emergency responders, disaster relief, and community safety.
There are currently 2,445 Councils which serve 229,207,629 people or 80% of the total U.S. population. the City of Twentynine Palms is one of those Councils (as is the Town of Yucca Valley and the County of San Bernardino) and as such our CERT team must fall under the guidance of the accredited disaster council, AKA the City of Twentynine Palms. (information received from http://www.citizencorps.gov/ and State of California Office of Emergency Services – OES via phone call) Locally fire Chief Jim Thompson and Reach Out Morongo Basin Executive Director Sandy Fleck have brainstormed how to establish, fund and engage volunteers in a CERT program for more than two years. A funding opportunity presented itself last February from the Community Foundation of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, http://www.thecommunityfoundation.net/home/index.html.
Its Community Impact Fund was a perfect match for this project. In April 2010, Reach Out Morongo Basin was awarded $10,000 grant for the establishment of the Twentynine Palms Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) in partnership with the Twentynine Palms fire Department. the grant, for one year may 1,2010-April 30, 2011 was to pay for a CERT Coordinator to work with local partners to lay the foundation for the CERT program, to establish the policies and procedures necessary for the program’s success. then to recruit, train and manage a minimum of 24 CERT volunteers during the first year. Additional expenses includes website development, creating a volunteer database and on-line communication tools, publicizing the CERT program and disaster preparedness in general and some basic office expenses of copying, postage, mileage. In-kind donations from the Twentynine Palms fire Department would include instructor time and training, facilities use and public relations. In-kind donations from the City of Twentynine Palms would include use of facilities, namely the Twentynine Palms Senior Center, where Reach Out Morongo Basin offices are located.
Reach Out Morongo Basin would absorb the overhead necessary to administer a volunteer program, i.e. insurance, offices, payroll expenses, etc. the citizens of Twentynine Palms are the chief beneficiaries of this grant funding and this entire process of emergency management and development of a trained body of volunteers, the CERT. it is the City’s responsibility to administer an Emergency Management plan for its citizens and as such the CERT program must be authorized and overseen by the City. But it truly is about training people to be responsible for themselves and their neighbors. Following a major disaster, first responders who provide fire and medical services will not be able to meet the demand for services. Factors as number of victims, communication failures, and road blockages will prevent people from accessing emergency services they have come to expect at a moment’s notice through 911. People will have to rely on each other for help in order to meet their immediate life saving and life sustaining needs. the Twentynine Palms fire Department recognizes this fact and is taking steps, with the support of Reach Out Morongo Basin to have trained volunteers in each local neighborhood when disaster strikes. Reach Out Morongo Basin has successfully managed local volunteers for more than a dozen years.
Volunteers are precious resources in any situation and must be properly trained, utilized and recognized. Hopefully in down times, CERT volunteers will find themselves helpful to their neighbors thanks to Reach Out’s guidance.
CERT training in Twentynine Palms will be held October 23 and 30 and November 6, 2010. Participants will be taught skills such as fire suppression, first aid, light search and rescue, disaster psychology, team work, etc. and will participate in a 4 hour mock drill. Training is a total of 20 hours and is done by a certified trainer, Captain Robert Marquez from Twentynine Palms fire Department. Upon completion of the training, the City Clerk will swear in all graduates as Disaster Service Workers under the State Office of Emergency Services. Backpacks, hard hats, vests and manuals are provided by the State OES. While training or in disaster mode, CERT volunteers are covered by the City’s Volunteer Workers’ Comprehensive Insurance and are afforded every right of a volunteer. Again in the down times, CERT volunteers will be engaged by Reach Out Morongo Basin for a variety of tasks including but not limited to assisting elderly and disabled neighbors in disaster preparation, this may include minor home repairs, yard work, friendly visiting, telephone reassurance, personal business assistance, etc.
We must all work together, Reach Out Morongo Basin, Twentynine Palms fire Department,the City of Twentynine Palms and many more partners to ready local residents in the event of a disaster. A neighborhood-based volunteer program like CERT can only be successful in our community with proper planning, good partnerships and the cooperation of all. To that end, Reach Out has spent an enormous amount of time meeting with the San Bernardino County Sheriff Department, Hi-Desert Medical Center, Copper Mountain College, the Morongo Basin Emergency Response Team plus experts in the mountain communities of big Bear and Lake Arrowhead, County Officials, State OES to learn all they can about CERT and how best to informs citizens about disaster preparedness, assist public safety agencies, respond to local disasters in accordance with CERT protocols and support emergency personnel upon their arrival and request, assist agencies in managing spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site, and participate in community outreach opportunities. we can’t predict, we can prepare!
Sandy FleckExecutive DirectorReach Out Morongo Basin
© 2010, Sandy Fleck. All rights reserved.
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