Contra Costa County CERT Program CERT Review

1. Contra Costa County CERT Program CERT Review Continuing Education Series Released: 10 September 2012

2. Community Emergency Response Team • Personal safety is ALWAYS the number one priority • Work as a team • Wear personal protective equipment…gloves, helmet, goggles, mask and boots • The CERT goal is to do the Greatest Good for the Greatest Number • Hope for the best but plan for the worst

3. Levels of CERT membership • There are three levels of training in Lamorinda CERT. • Level I is a Basic Training level. Level I members are trained to respond for their families and neighborhoods. • Level II includes Red Cross training. Level II members are available for deployment throughout the local area. • Level III is for medically trained members. This level is available for deployment through Mutual Aid throughout the state.

4. CERT Functions During Disasters First, check on family and home Then, check on friends and neighbors Next, assemble in teams and plan your response Use the buddy system Check on your neighborhood

5. CERT Functions During Disasters CERT Teams should: Conduct light search and rescue Treat injuries Help to relieve survivor stress Extinguishing small fires Locate and turn off utilities, if necessary and safe Assist first responders as requested (fire, police, EMS)

6. Unit Contents Preparedness Supplies Pets in Disasters FRS Radio ICS & CERT Mobilization Light Search and Rescue Protocols Fire Safety / Utilities Killers, Triage, RPM and Assessment Hypothermia, Hyperthermia Continuing Education Opportunities Drills Visual R.5

7. Preparedness Supplies

8. What Should I Have Under My Bed?

9. What Supplies And Tools Should I Have On Hand? Look At List

10. Supply Locations At home – Food and Water for 14 days and a full supply kit At work – Food and Water for 3 days, personal protection equipment In your car – Food and Water for 3 days, small supply kit with PPE Most people spend 1/3 of their time at work or school, 1/2 of their time at home and the other 4 hours in their car or elsewhere. You need supplies where you are because a disaster can happen at any time.

11. Food and Water Choose foods that: You will enjoy Require little cooking or water for prep Require no refrigeration Do not increase thirst (i.e. low salt) Meet the needs of infants, diabetics or others with special needs Remember food for your pets, utensils and a manual can opener!

12. Food and Water Inspect your food cache every 3 months Use a marking pen to write your food’s expiration date Store in a cool, dark, dry place Store food in airtight or tightly sealed plastic or metal containers Have some way to cook your food

13. Food and Water A person can survive weeks without food but only a few days without water I’m having a small water crisis here!

14. Water Minimum one gallon per person or pet per day for up to 14 days for consumption Use food grade plastic containers, do not use used milk containers Observe the expiration date for store-bought water Replace other stored water every six months Store in a cool and dark place Use marking pen to mark expiration date Be prepared to disinfect additional water

15. Bug Out Bag In the military the phrase “bug out” means grab your gear and go – NOW! Bug Out Bags, also called Go Bags are duffel bags or backpacks that are packed with everything you need to live for a few days. CERT backpacks are not Bug Out Bags. CERT backpacks have what you need to search, triage, supply medical help, etc. BOBs have what you need to survive; food, water, clothes, shelter, warmth, safety, etc.

16. Disaster Preparedness for Pets

17. Why Pets Matter • Why Pets Matter • 63% of All US Households Own Pets • Before Katrina, 25% of Pet Owners Failed To Evacuate (During Mandatory Evacuation) • Before Katrina, 40% of Pet Owners Left Pets Behind (During Mandatory Evacuation) • Before Katrina, 70% of Those Pet Owners Attempted To Return To Rescue Their Animals • After Katrina, 61% of Pet Owners State They Will Not Evacuate Without Their Pets • Pets Matter, Because People Matter...

18. Pets in Disasters • "During Hurricane Katrina, tens of thousands of animals became homeless or perished. Many pet owners stayed with their pets and perished," Rep. Chris Shays, 2006 • The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act – introduced by Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) and Rep. Chris Shays (R-Conn.) – requires the inclusion of companion animals in disaster planning at the state and local levels. • It was signed into law by President Bush on October 8, 2006

19. Identify Pet Evacuation Locations • Safe Distance From Home • Coordinate with Neighbors • Define Tasks • Identify Pet Friendly Hotels • Identify Boarding Kennels and Ranches

20. Evacuation • Evacuate With Your Animals • PETS Act: Mandatory Evacuation of Pets with Human Animals • If You Are Not Home: • You may not be home when the evacuation order comes; find out if a trusted neighbor would be willing to take your pets and meet you at a prearranged location.

21. Secure Your Animals • Your Home May Be Compromised: Create Controlled Environment • Have Kennels / Evac-Sacs in a Safe Place • Assign Retrieval Tasks to Family Members • Have Buddy System • Exchange Keys / Plans With Neighbor / Pet Sitter • Provide Pet Sitter with authorization letter • Identify Outdoors Holding Area • Obtain Materials to Create Holding Area • Identify & Remove Hazards

22. Keep Your Animals Alive • Store Animal Food (2 weeks) • Airtight, Waterproof Containers • In Secure Area • Store Extra Water (2 week supply) • Not in Direct Sunlight • Water That Is Unfit for Human Animals Is Unfit for ALL Animals • Food and Water Bowls • Paper Towels, Dish Soap, Disinfectant

23. Keep Your Animals Healthy • Pet First Aid Kit • Medications • Ask Vet About His/Her Disaster Plan • Blankets • Toys and Treats • Plastic Poop Bags or Cat Litter and Litter Trays

24. Disaster Communications

25. FRS – Family Radio Service • FRS / GMRS Radios • Very low power, 1/2 watt ERP • Very low cost • No license required • Personal and business use OK • Shares FRS channels 1-7 with GMRS • Channels 8-14 are FRS only; 14 total for FRS • Channels 15-22 are GMRS only (ok to listen) • No external antennas allowed • Typical 0.5 - 1 mile communication range

26. SELECTING FRS RADIOSFRS / GMRS with 22 channels • Uses AA alkaline batteries. Not AAA, and not rechargeable batteries unless they can also use AA. • Ignore “mileage” claims. Battery life is more important than transmit power. Recommended Models MFGMODELAPPROX. PRICE ($) Motorola EM-1000 R $54.00 Pair Midland GXT- 760 VP4 $60.00 Pair Midland FRS/GMRS Motorola FRS/GMRS

27. FRS Range • FRS Range limits “line of sight”

28. Using the radio • Select a channel – your team leader will tell which to use • Test the radio before you venture out • Make sure you can communicate with your team • It is not a cell-phone – • To talk; hold radio 2”- 3” from mouth, press the button • To listen; let go of the button

29. Communicating • Listen! • Speak clearly, calmly, carefully • Get the message across without a lot of words • Practice frequently!

30. Radio Protocols - I Talking • Calling another: • Use agreed-upon identifiers • “Team 3 this is Team Leader. Over” • Wait for response, which should be: • “Team leader this is Team 3. Over” • Or just • “Team 3. Over” • Speak in a normal tone of voice, and speak clearly!

31. Radio Protocols - II • You have made contact: exchange questions and answers in brief, clear language understandable to all who may listen • NO “10” codes or “11” codes! • NO CB jargon! • NO slang or ethnic / gender slurs • Confirm data • You are conveying important information to people you may neither know nor have worked with in the past

32. Radio Protocols - III Sample exchange • “Team A this is Team Leader” • “Team A – over” • “What is your location? – over” • “Corner of Moraga Way and Moraga Road – over” • “Check Safeway for damage and injuries – over” • “Will check Safeway for damage and injuries.” • “Team A out”

33. CERT and ICS Basic CERT ICS

34. Purpose of On-Scene Management • Maintain physical safety of disaster workers • Maintain mental well being of disaster workers • Provide clear leadership and organizational structure • Improve effectiveness of rescue efforts

35. Objectives of CERT Organization • Identifies the scope of the incident • What is the problem? • Determines an overall strategy • What can CERT do, and will they do it? • Deploys resources • Who is going to do what? • Documents actions and results • If you didn’t write it down, it didn’t happen

36. Command and Control • Incident Commander… “What to do” • CERT team leader • Operations… “How to do it” • Manage the teams in the field • Logistics… “How to support it” • Manage resources, supplies and equipment • Planning / Intelligence… “What’s going on” • Make incident plans,Collect and display information • Administration… “What gets recorded” • Collect and compile documentation

37. Lamorinda CERT Call-Out Policy • CERT members will not self-deploy to an incident. In the event of an earthquake with a magnitude 6.0 or higher all CERT graduates are authorized to deploy in their neighborhoods. They should check in with their neighborhood block captains. • CERT members will wait to be contacted by their local EOC or the CERT Incident Management Team. Under no circumstance will they initiate contact with the EOC, their local Police Department or their Fire Prevention District as CERT Members. • The EOC and the CERT Incident Management Team may use the phone or runners to contact CERTs. Any communication will include the name and position of the official who has approved the communication. • Following an incident CERTs who have a HAM radio license will monitor their local simplex channels. See the web site of the Lamorinda Community Emergency Communications Team (http://www.k6ori.com/) for details. • At the discretion of the EOC or the CERT Incident Management Team a controlled net may be formed for communications with CERT members. The Net Controller will in that case be someone working at the EOC or assigned that role by the CERT Incident Management Team. • CERT HAM operators may be used by the Net Controller to relay messages to individual named CERTs.

38. CERT Mobilization CERTS: • Take care of themselves, their family, their home and their neighbors • Respond according to your CERT Call-Out Policy, gathering facts along the way • First to arrive is in charge of incident and is CERT Leader until transfer to another person • CERT organization should have effective communications, a manageable span of control and maintain accountability The greatest good for the greatest number without placing CERT members in harms way

39. CERT Mobilization • CERT IC will develop an organization plan • Priorities may change as operation continues; CERT IC needs to stay on top of these shifting priorities • Communications must be organized, efficient and effective • ICS was developed to assist in the management of major incidents - Use it • Philosophy is always to do the most good for the greatest number of people while maintaining CERT safety

40. Documentation Responsibilities • CERT Teams provide the Command Staff with ongoing information and documentation on: • Damage assessment • Team status • Ongoing needs • Command Staff documents: • Incident status • Incident locations, Access routes, Identified hazards • Support locations: Staging Area, Treatment/Triage Areas, Morgue

41. Light Search and Rescue

42. Search and Rescue Operations 1. Size-up Evaluate everything that is going on 2. Search Locate victims Document location 3. Rescue Involve procedures and methods to extricate victims

43. CERT Size-up • Gather Facts • Assess Damage • Consider Probabilities • Assess Your Situation • Establish Priorities • Make Decisions • Develop Plan of Action • Take Action • Evaluate Progress

44. Step 1: Gather Facts Consider the: Time of event and day of week Type of structure and construction type Weather Hazards Gather facts accurately

45. Step 2: Assess Damage 360 degree (overview and assessment) Identify entry and egress routes Identify hazards Is it safe to enter ? Potential for occupants Interview neighbors Voice calls

46. Step 3: Consider Probabilities How stable is the situation? What else could go wrong? What it all means for the Search and Rescue? Consider what probably will happen and what could happen

47. Step 4: Assess Your Situation Assess : Whether the situation is safe enough continue The risks that rescuers will face if they continue What resource you will need to conduct the operation safely What resources are available Personnel Equipment Tools

48. Know Your Limitations

49. Decision To Attempt Rescue Risk involved to the rescuer Greatest good for greatest number of people

50. Safety Considerations Make rescuer safety your primary concern Use a buddy system Be alert for hazards Use safety equipment Rotate teams Teamwork = Success