CERT AT LONGVIEWHILL

CERT AT LONGVIEWHILLS

Many of you are becoming familiar with the forest green ball caps with the gold letters CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) emblazoned across the top. Here at LVH we see 1 or 2 sometimes even a half dozen of our community gathered at the clubhouse to practice what they were taught under a FEMA grant to our local police dept. The Fire and Police departments as well as the local EMT service and Red Cross and Coast Guard were also trainers in these classes. Instruction took twenty hours spread over 4 months.

Trainees were also security screened by the police department. As the trainees have met all requirements they were issued ID badges by the police department and you will see them on all of our volunteers when they are acting in their official capacity as your Community Emergency Response Team.

We are in the beginnings of setting up plans designed to carry our community through a disaster. Why? For me, I need look no further than Hurricane Katrina to see that every community needs to start planning for a disaster long before it happens.

Here on the coast scientists are predicting a Tsunami somewhere between 19 and 50ft at virtually any time. Tsunamis are tied to earthquakes which in and of themselves are a very destructive force. The trouble is science talks in terms of hundreds of years and in cycles. They have not yet learned how to scale that down so that we as people can see a meaningful time frame for such events. They just tell us soon. With each passing day that nothing happens we fall into the same laxness that affected the people of New Orleans and our government when they were repeatedly warned by scientists that a force 5 hurricane would inundate their city.

Other emergencies loom on the horizon and once again science can only tell us it is only a matter of time. For instance a world wide pandemic of bird flu capable of killing millions and ruining whole national economies. Once again nothing has happened so do we make our plans to save ourselves or do we follow the tradional, “head in the sand approach” ?

CERT volunteers chose to do something and are in the process of building a viable plan for all of our community’s safety and well being. Now here comes the pitch.. are you ready?

We were trained it is true but there are not enough of us to implement what has to be done here. We need volunteers that will help do what we need to do in an emergency. We need people willing to help on our drill days and in case of a disaster. Here is what you would do.. Under the direction of a CERT team member you might be asked to help canvas a section of the neighborhood, to help set up communications, to set the clubhouse as a medical facility. To tend to the injured. To help in rescue operations all under the direction of a CERT team leader. You would not have to be a CERT member but you would help the CERT team. In this way we can quickly multiply the effect of our training through out the community. As time goes on more will learn the value of CERT and volunteer for formal training but for now we want to make the most use of what we know and what we are about to learn and you can help. No one is exempt... We have a place for you... No matter your age or disability there will be something you can do. No one will be asked to do anything they are uncomfortable doing. There are plenty of things that need to be done.

Sign up to help at the clubhouse today.