“In an emergency, knowledge is power,” Carr said. “Training
really helps. Pilots are trained for situations that will probably
never happen. CERT is the same way. You are trained for
uncommon, unexpected situations so you know how to
handle them with your safety and the safety of others in
the forefront.”
CERT also works with Medical Volunteer Disaster Relief.
Gail Adair is the Morgan Hill CERT training coordinator and a
veteran Red Cross volunteer who has assisted with relief efforts
across the U.S.
“At the end of the training we conduct a search and rescue
simulation. Trainees work in teams to search a darkened
building to find and triage victims, get them safely out of the
building, assess and treat injuries, assess building damage,
and radio their findings to the command center where
another team records the findings. As one might encounter
in a disaster, the victims are screaming, crying, not listening
to instructions from their rescuers. It’s a dose of reality
that drives home the importance of having clear roles and
working together.”
“At our team meetings, we delve into disaster psychology,”
Adair said. “We talk about behaviors they might encounter
in a disaster and how they might feel in responding to those
situations. Each new class brings new insights.”
A recent CERT graduate told Adair how, after the training,
he was able to help out a co-worker when a forklift accident
led to a medical emergency. “He felt comfortable responding
because he knew what to do and had actually practiced it in a
disaster simulation,” she said.
During the graduation ceremony, the class takes the
Disaster Service Worker oath, which Carr described as “a
proud but emotional moment for everyone.”
CERT Basic training is offered twice a year in Morgan Hill
and once a year in Gilroy. South County boasts over 400
graduates and counting. Many also take advantage of monthly
continuing education classes in cardio-pulmonary resuscita-
tion (CPR), use of an automated external defibrillator (AED),
and other training to expand their emergency preparedness
and response skills. Some graduates go on to become CERT
trainers and stay current through a required train the trainer
program and activities such as a ‘mock activation.’
“In an event where first responders are overwhelmed,
we call in CERT members to assist where they are trained,”
Ponce said. “They report to a central mobilization center
where emergency supplies are assigned, event objectives are
reviewed, and assignments are managed.”
CERT members are also trained to assist in setting up
Emergency Volunteer Centers and to serve alongside city
employees and the American Red Cross as part of emergency
shelter teams.
CERT members often provide logistics
communications support at local events such as Fourth of
July and Holiday Parades, the Mushroom Mardi Gras, and the
Garlic Festival. Trained CERT volunteers have also helped with
sandbagging during winter floods, missing person and evi-
dence searches, crowd management, and staffing of emergency
operations centers.
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
Once a year, CERT holds a countywide disaster response
simulation, typically at Moffett Field in Mountain View. Carr
said this year marks the first time that CERT will be included
as an organization in the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI)
event, with tactical teams practicing coordinated rescue. UASI
is funded by the California Department of Homeland Security.
The CERT portion is called “Green Command” because of its
trademark green t-shirts.
“CERT members are out in the community,” Ponce said.
“They’ve learned skills they’ll have for a lifetime. One day they
may save someone’s life.”
Find information about Morgan Hill and Gilroy CERT
programs online atmhcert.com and gilroycert.com.
Map Your Neighborhood
As many as 2,000 homes in Morgan Hill now participate
in a grassroots program known as Map Your Neighborhood
(MYN). The program brings residents together to follow nine
basic steps that help safeguard families, homes, and neighbor-
hoods in the event of a disaster. During that critical window
of time before first responders arrive, neighbors are the closest
source of help.
MYN got its start here in 2010 when Morgan Hill resident
Sherry Purser learned about it at a regional MYN training
hosted by Alameda County Fire Department. Afterward she
approached Ponce at OES and offered to help launch the
program. The Morgan Hill City Council gave OES the green
light to launch MYN to interested residents in Morgan Hill
and San Martin.
According to Purser, neighborhoods are broken down
geographically into blocks of 10-20 homes, each with a
resident volunteer organizer. Neighbors are invited to a two-
hour meeting at one of their homes to walk through the
program steps together. During the meeting, they create a
master list with their contact information and discuss the
special needs, skills, and resources of the people in their
block. They also designate one home to serve as an emergency
meeting place and another as a care center.
“Neighbo rs walk away from the meeting with a disaster plan
that’s tailored to their block,” Purser said. “Our goal is that, in
an emergency, block organizers can communicate the needs
for their block with CERT neighborhood captains who then
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017
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