COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS ACTIVE IN DISASTERS (COAD)
CITIZEN CORPS & COMMUNITY EMERGENCY
RESPONSE TEAMS
Following a major disaster, first responders who provide fire and medical services, will not be able to meet the demand for these services. Factors such as the large number of victims, communication failures, and road blockages may hamper access. People will have to rely on each other for help in order to meet their immediate life saving and life sustaining needs. Recent history has shown that under these kinds of conditions, family members, fellow employees, and neighbors will spontaneously try to help each other. This was the case following the Mexico City earthquake where untrained, spontaneous volunteers saved 800 people. In the process of these heroic acts, however; 100 people lost their lives while attempting to save others. This is a terribly high price to pay and many believe it is preventable through training.
CITIZEN CORPS & COAD
Encompasses four programs nationally:
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, and disaster medical operations.
The Fire Corps promotes the use of citizen advocates to enhance the capacity of resource-constrained fire and rescue departments at all levels: volunteer, combination, and career.
An expanded Neighborhood Watch Program (NWP) Program incorporates terrorism awareness education into its existing crime prevention mission, while also serving as a way to bring residents together to focus on emergency preparedness and emergency response training.
The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) Program strengthens communities by helping medical, public health and other volunteers offer their expertise throughout the year as well as during local emergencies and other times of community need. Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) works to enhance the capacity of state and local law enforcement to utilize volunteers. VIPS serves as a gateway to resources and information for and about law enforcement volunteer programs. Clackamas County branch of NVOAD (National Voluntary Organizations Assisting in Disasters) coordinates planning by the many voluntary agencies and organizations that respond to disasters so they provide more effective service with less duplication.
COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM (CERT)
In 1985 Los Angeles City Fire Department developed the Community Emergency Response Team program and in 1994, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), began promoting nationwide use of the volunteer CERT concept.
The CERT course benefits any citizen who takes it. Individuals become better prepared to respond to and cope with the aftermath of a disaster, are given a better understanding of emergency services capabilities, and of their own responsibility in preparing for a disaster. The main purpose however, it to increase their ability to help themselves, their family and their neighbors SAFELY.
CERT members supplement our districts’ response capability after a disaster. Recruited and trained as individuals, CERT members are encouraged to recruit and develop teams from their neighborhoods and businesses, in essence these teams will be auxiliary responders. These teams can provide immediate assistance to victims in their area, organize spontaneous volunteers who have not had the training, and collect disaster intelligence that will assist professional responders with prioritization and allocation of resources following a disaster.
On November 19, 2002, Boring and Sandy Fire Districts completed the first CERT course. The prevention division has now completed six courses. CERT courses follow the federal format and consist of 24 hours of training, training includes:
- Emergency Preparedness
- Fire Suppression and Utilities Management
- Search and Rescue
- First aid and Team Organization
- Emotional First Aid
- Terrorism
An informal agreement was reached between: Sandy, Boring, Hoodland, Estacada and Corbett Fire Districts, to cooperatively host 2 courses and one final exercise per year. This collaborative effort has already increased the size and scope of these courses, (the 2005 courses both had over 35 students) while simultaneously reducing the workload on instructors. Students also gain a valuable regional perspective and benefit from a ‘county-wide’ program that incorporates all Citizen Corps components.
In 2005:
- Awarded a Citizen Corps Grant From Pam and Barbara) direct benefit to CERT members in Sandy and Boring Fire Districts:
- Mini Conference – over 70 students from across Oregon
- Moulage class and equipment – 2 Boring and 2 Sandy CERT members became “injury artists” and the county now has over $$ In moulage equipment which will increase the realism of training and therefore preparedness for an actual incident.
- What else did we get?
- Awarded a UASI grant $$ From Cathy )
- Continuing ed
- Rodeo
- TTT
- Brochure and Poster
- $$ to purchase Calendars
- State CBRNE mtg attendance, and Clk Cty $$ and activity prioritization mtg attendance
- One 8week course – BFD SFD # of students & 2 – 2day classes # of students (get numbers and where they live and work from Lynette and Rick)
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Know Your Neighborhood
It's about neighbors helping neighbors.....when it has to count!
History teaches us that when disasters strike, the first responders on the scene will be citizens. Professional first responders will be overwhelmed with requests for help, and rescue workers will be sent to the areas that are most critical, where the greatest amount of lives can be saved. In communities that are hardest hit, outside help could be days in coming.
It is crucial for communities to be prepared to help each other in the aftermath of a disaster. The Know Your Neighborhood program brings neighbors together to prepare their communities for just such an event. Host a block meeting to bring your neighbors together to work through an easy-to-use community preparation booklet - find out what you can do to be better prepared and ready to respond. The Portland Office of Emergency Management provides the booklets and a facilitator's handbook to guide you through the hour-long process of readying your neighborhood.
In late 2005, Clackamas County merged the COAD organizations (churches, Kiwanis, Red Cross, Random Acts of Kindness, etc) into the Citizen Corps Council. This will greatly increase the level of collaboration that volunteer organizations have with one another and will increase efficiency in service delivery. In addition, this merger may help identify ‘holes’ that may exist in our services prior to an incident, allowing for improvement and most importantly, coverage during an actual incident.
Anyone who belongs to or participates in a humanitarian organization, is encouraged to send a representative to COAD or, at the very least, to fill out a ‘resource’ page which lists the type(s) of materials or service(s) that they provide for small incidents (house fire, car crash, etc) or during a large scale disaster (earthquake, wildfire, etc). This resource list then becomes our social services lifeline during a disaster.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Calendar creation
- ODOT Traffic Safety Course developed for CERT students
- CCSO Perimeter Management Course
- Animals in Disaster Class
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