July 31, 2021
Geoff Peters, Alma, and Dante from Northern Sonoma County CERT brought their CERT trailer packed with gear and training materials to the Grange and provided a full day of top-notch Hybrid Basic CERT hands-on training.
Bodega Bay now has 12 newly certified CERT volunteers trained and ready to help in the event of a disaster. Several volunteers from Petaluma and elsewhere in Sonoma County also participated.
Congratulations to the local graduates:
George Flores
Tiffany Flores
Amelie Hutt
Dewey Kribs
Linda Mark
Lee Ritchie
Ellen Robb
Chris Stoessel
Sue Tichava
Liz Wescott
Julie Fox-Whittaker
Greg Whittaker
Highlights from the training included using a pressurized water fire extinguisher to put out a (temperamental) propane gas fueled fire, using cribbing to rescue several dummies with amputations, triaging cardboard cutout adult and child disaster victims, and discussing lots of colorful stories about handling injuries, fires, and other situations in a safe, organized and productive way.
You are officially CERT (and covered by state liability laws extended to disaster services workers) only when activated by a government agency or agent. A volunteer cannot self-activate.
Individuals trained as CERT may volunteer services appropriate to their training to someone in need (such as an accident victim), but absent an official disaster declaration, they are acting as good samaritans, not as CERT.
CERT volunteers always have a choice as to whether they wish to serve when a disaster is declared and call for disaster services workers goes out.
Currently, the standard of care by which CERT workers are measured is equal to the level of training that they have received. However, in the case of a CERT who is also a licensed professional (e.g. physician, nurse), it is equal to the level of their professional training.
Volunteers newly trained by Northern Sonoma County CERT that wish to do so will be sworn in as California Disaster Service Workers, and will be included in the NoSoCo CERT "One Call Now" communication system. This system is managed by Geoff Peters and will immediately notify CERT/ DSWs by mobile phone, emergency phone, instant message and SMS when a disaster has been declared and CERTs are activated.
One of the more common roles for CERT is in traffic control. This important function during a disaster replaces first responders who can then be reassigned to more technical duties.
Additional Happenings
The First Aid / CPR / AED training scheduled for August 21 in Bodega Bay is postponed until October, due to instructor availability issues. A notice will go out soon to announce the new date, time, and place.
A Disaster Simulation Exercise and Expo is being held in Cloverdale on Saturday, August 7. Participation is free and all CERT volunteers are encouraged to attend. The attached explains the roles that CERT participants will have. Meals will be provided.