November 3, 2003

Thank you for volunteering to be a member of Arlington County’s growing Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). Next Thursday, you and many others from throughout the County will begin your CERT training. Before you do, I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the team and to answer some of the initial questions you might have.

As a member of the County’s pilot CERT, I’ve been involved with the program for over a year and have gained insight that may be of some help to you as you undergo your training with members of the Arlington County Fire Department, the Volunteer Fire Department, the Office of Emergency Management (OEM), and the Community Resilience Project. If you have questions that aren’t addressed here, you can bounce them back to me or direct them to any of your course instructors.

So, here goes …

What is expected of Arlington’s Community Emergency Response Team members?

As a member of the County’s CERT – as well as your own neighborhood CERT – you will be expected to provide assistance in major disasters, especially those where first responders (fire department, paramedics, police, etc.) are unable to respond. If such a disaster occurs, your first responsibility will be to make sure you and your family are safe. After that, and depending on the nature of the event, you will either work out from your home (or wherever you are at the time) taking care of neighbors or you will report to a staging area for further instruction.

Do I need to purchase any supplies before the first class?

You don’t need to purchase any CERT supplies before your first class. As a responsible citizen – and an example to your neighbors – you should, however, be well on the way to having a grab-n- go bag packed and having necessary supplies on-hand in case you and your family need to shelter-in-place. Lists of recommended emergency preparedness supplies are available in a number of places, including the Arlington chapter of the American Red Cross, at FEMA’s website (www.fema.gov/areyouready), and at the Department of Homeland Security website (www.ready.gov). The Huntington Beach, CA CERT also has a great set of supply lists (including pet needs) on their website (www.hb-cert.org). Where and when do the classes meet?

All of your classes will meet at the Fire Training Academy at 2800 S. Taylor Street in Shirlington near the animal shelter. Just enter off of Arlington Mill Road where it says Arlington Trades Center and continue up the hill past the school buses on your right. Thursday night classes will meet from 7 to 9:45 pm and Saturday classes will meet from 10 am until 12:30 pm. The final exam/mock disaster, scheduled for Saturday, December 13, may run about half an hour longer.

What should I bring to the first class?

All you’ll need the first night is yourself and writing materials (paper and pen/pencil) for taking notes. If you have a 2-1/2 inch binder handy, you might also bring it. You’ll be provided with the contents of your CERT manual that night and will be asked to read a chapter before each class. If you’d like to get a head-start, you can go to the FEMA website and read the first chapter before class. Do so by going to www.training.fema.gov and clicking on “EMI” in the left margin. Under “Programs and Activities”, click on “CERT”. Click on “CERT Training Materials” in the left margin. Scroll down until you see "CERT Participant's Manual" and "MS Word Files". You can either print out Unit 1: Disaster Preparedness or just read it online. If you have difficulty accessing the chapter on the FEMA site, go to the Los Angeles CERT site and read it there (www.cert-la.com; click on CERT Manuals).

What should I wear to class?

Because many of the classes involve hands-on activities (first aid, lifting, search and rescue), you should wear clothing that enables you to move freely and, in some cases, to crawl around on the floor. This definitely applies for your final exam where you will be putting all you’ve learned to work rescuing, triaging and treating victims.

How will I know what supplies I’ll need as a CERT?

There is a list of recommended basic supplies in your CERT manual. The first things you will need to purchase – and will need for your first Saturday class – are a hard hat, leather gloves, a dust mask, and goggles. The hard hat should be kelly/grass green in color. One place you can purchase these is ABC Distributors in Shirlington. They are located at 2633 Shirlington Road and their hours are 6:30 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Because of their limited hours, you may want to ask a team member who is available during weekdays to pick up hats for a number of you. They cost less than $10 and come in one-size-fits-all. You will find, by the way, that many CERT-related supplies are cheaper if you buy them in bulk and it sometimes pays to purchase as a group rather than as an individual. Also, as CERTs have been around since the mid-1980s, there are vendors in other parts of the country that specialize in CERT merchandise. You’ll be provided with a list of possible suppliers during your first class.

How much will CERT supplies cost?

The County will provide you with a few of the basic CERT supplies, as well as a backpack for carrying them. If you add all of the CERT supplies recommended by FEMA, you should expect to spend between $75 and $100. This is in addition to the other emergency preparedness supplies (grab-n-go bag, shelter-in-place) that you should have at home and/or work. As noted previously, in many cases you’ll be able to save money if you purchase supplies in bulk with other members of your CERT. You may also already have some of the recommended supplies in your possession (e.g. large flashlight). How will we retain what we’ve learned after the initial eight sessions?

Once you’ve graduated from the basic CERT training provided by the ACFD and OEM, you and your team can take additional steps to enhance or refresh the skills you’ve learned. For example, many CERT members have continued on to take the first aid and CPR certification courses offered by the Red Cross (www.arlingtonredcross.org or www.alexandriaredcross.org). The Red Cross also offers disaster services training for those who might be interested. Your neighborhood team, if one exists, may also elect to have regular meetings where you help each other refresh your skills or learn new ones. For example, some of the CERTs have had meetings to go over the use of two-way radios, to practice basic first aid and triage skills, and even to take bus tours of their own neighborhoods for purposes of identifying possible disaster sites and/or terrorist targets. There are also opportunities to volunteer as victims for future CERT exams and to practice such things as lifting and carrying in small groups in your own neighborhoods. The possibilities are endless … and they are growing as CERT membership grows.

What happens if I miss or am late for a class?

If you have to miss one or more classes, you will not be able to take the CERT final exam – or to become fully certified -- until you make up those classes. Your final exam is scheduled for Saturday, December 20th and the next one will not be until February or March of next year. With that in mind, you should make every effort to attend every class. If you know a couple weeks in advance that you need to miss a particular class, you may be able to make it up in advance with the CERT class that started a week before yours and meets on Tuesday nights and still be able to take the final exam with your class.

Also, to ensure all students cover the same materials, if you’re more than half an hour late for a class, you’ll have to make up the whole class before taking the final exam.

Do we have a team leader/coordinator?

During the past year, many neighborhoods within the county have established CERTs and appointed team coordinators. Those neighborhoods include Arlington Ridge, Aurora Highlands, Forest Hills, Douglas Park, Fairlington-Shirlington, Waycroft-Woodlawn, Tara-Leeway, John M. Langston, Lyon Village, and even the Cardinal House. If CERT is new to your neighborhood, however, it will be the responsibility of your team to identify its own coordinator. Although the county prefers that there be ten or more trained CERT members in a neighborhood before a neighborhood team is recognized, you may want to select a coordinator before that time. That person should be someone who is organized, is a good communicator … and wants the job! He/she will keep track of the names and addresses of all team members, will help develop, distribute and maintain a phone tree for your group, will help maintain the positive momentum of the team, and will assist in the scheduling of team meetings and refresher courses following your initial training. The sooner you are able to select a coordinator, the sooner you’ll be able to effectively share important contact information among team members and start to “jell” as a team. You might also want to consider ways to get to know your team members (and their names) better during your training. Some teams have worn name tags to each class, others have gone around the room and introduced themselves, and others have met in social settings (over coffee) outside of class. It’s up to you. Many have found that this is a great opportunity to get to know some of your neighbors better and are taking advantage of it.

In a disaster, by the way, the team leader role is determined by who arrives at the staging area or disaster site first and will not necessarily be the same person as your team coordinator. Every CERT member should be prepared to assume the role of team leader – at least temporarily -- in a disaster. You’ll learn all about that in your training.

Is there anything I can do to prepare myself for CERT training?

Yes, there are a few things you might want to consider. If you have internet access, you can do some reading about what CERTs in other parts of the country are doing. A good place to start is the website of the Redondo Beach, CA CERT Alumni Association (www.rbcertaa.org) and the website of the Los Angeles CERT (www.cert-la.com). Both of these CERTs have been in existence for many years and their experience shows. Their websites are a wealth of valuable information for new CERTs. You can learn about other CERTs around the country – including others in Virginia -- by using a search engine and typing in “CERT”. FEMA also has a lot of CERT information on their website at www.fema.gov.

Another way you can prepare yourself for CERT training is by paying attention to your physical strength and capabilities. As the role of CERT can involve heavy lifting and carrying – just ask those CERT members who were recruited to hoist 42# bags of ice after Hurricane Isabel -- anything you can do to strengthen your arm and leg muscles will be worthwhile. If you are unable to do heavy lifting, or have any other physical limitations, you will be taught to work within your own capabilities so as to prevent injury to yourself or others.

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Well, that’s all for now. Sure hope I haven’t overwhelmed you! As I mentioned at the outset, if you have any questions regarding your CERT training that are not addressed here, either let me know or direct them to your class instructor. You will also have a number of opportunities to interact with Carl Lindgren, Deputy Director of Emergency Management during your training. Carl is a Fire/EMS Captain in the ACFD and is responsible for overseeing the CERT program for the County.

Thanks again for you interest in the CERT program and in making Arlington a safer place for all who work and live here. I’m looking forward to meeting you personally in the not-too-distant future and having you on the team.

Best regards … and be safe,

Cynthia L. Kellams Arlington County CERT 703/271-4169 [email protected]