2018-2019 Arcata CERT Accomplishments

Guided by our mission and community priorities, in 2018-2019 Arcata CERT accomplished the following:

PROJECTS: COMPLETED and ONGOING

  • Redefined our newly enlarged CERT team; reorganized and identified our goals and roles
  • Team and public website development (for collaboration and resources for team projects now; for emergency preparedness information and related resources for the public next; team collaboration side nearly complete as of December 2019)
  • Formalized local-focus Work Groups and sub-Work Groups for CERT team projects (many had already been in progress); Work Group leaders appointed and members listed; first formal meetings of each Work Group have taken place:
    • Neighborhood Preparedness Work Group
      • Sunny Brae Neighborhood Preparedness Group has held several monthly planning meetings and created two radio range and clarity maps
      • Continuing: Lazy J Mobile Home Park
      • Partial roll-out: Woodland Heights
      • Slated: Windsong neighborhood preparedness project
    • Technology (collaborative website development, training, and support)
    • Team Skills (see below)
    • Funding
    • Community Outreach and Education (3 sub-Work Groups)
    • Outreach Coordination
    • Writing Team (interviewing and writing CERT-related articles for the media)
    • Local Emergency Information Sources (radio, TV, print, apps, internet, etc.)
    • Administrative Support (5-hour, all-team Visionary Strategic Planning meeting; end-of year administrative review and planning meeting)
    • Critical Businesses and Services (to be reactivated in the spring)
    • Post-disaster Pet Care (to be activated in spring 2020, possibly in coordination with Companion Animal Foundation and/or the County’s newly forming DART team)
  • Began “What is CERT” and disaster preparedness column in Mad River Union (5 articles to date); now broadening scope to include voluntary interviews of Arcata businesses, nonprofits, schools,agencies, etc., to share what preparedness measures each already has in place and what they plan next (interviewing, writing, and editing being done by the team’s Writing Team work group)
  • Acted as incubator and mentor for members of what has become the McKinleyville CERT team and for other unaffiliated CERT volunteers in nearby unincorporated areas
  • Began developing plan for decentralized storage of emergency equipment throughout City; received supply of emergency equipment on long-term loan from Sheriff’s Office (walkie-talkies, EZUp tent, generator, color-coded triage tarps); developed an inventory/check-out system for team emergency equipment and supplies
  • Created forms for local use, which were shared with all Humboldt CERT teams
    • Neighborhood Ham Radio Operator Interview
    • Neighborhood Skills/Tools/Experience Survey
    • Volunteer Intake Form
    • Questionnaire and Planning List for CERT Team Skills Presenters
    • Team Equipment Inventory and Check-out Form
  • Adapted Del Norte’s “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” plan for local use and to reduce required number of in-person meetings.
  • Obtained 700 copies of Living on Shaky Ground for use by Arcata CERT Neighborhood Preparedness Groups
  • Developed a comprehensive first aid supplies and equipment list for use with future grant applications
  • Changed meeting day to 3rd  Thursday of the month, same time and place, to accommodate teammembers who would also like to be involved with the prospective County/AFD DART (Disaster Animal Response Team)
  • Joined with other Humboldt CERT teams in staging “Fifteen Years of Humboldt CERT” display at the Clarke Museum

ADVANCED AND SPECIALIZED TRAINING                    

  • Four Arcata team members have become certified CERT Instructors after a three-day intensive training course (Chris Murphy, Lynn Sturgis, David Boyd, and Dawn Albrecht)
  • Asst. lead Lynn Sturgis attended the three-day May 2019 California for All CERT and LISTOS Preparedness Conference in San Diego, sponsored by CaliforniaVolunteers (Office of the Governor).
  • FEMA (Earthquake) tabletop exercise: ICS /team organization, medical treatment set-up, size-up
  • Six members attended 2-day Public-Private Partnerships workshop (RTIC)
  • Various RTIC training courses, including a 2-day Search & Rescue class and the 2-day Volunteers and Donations Management classes
  • PG&E Gas and Electricity Safety class
  • Ham radio classes (currently 5 licensed ham radio operators on team)
  • Active Shooter / Stop the Bleed training
  • Emergency Communications for CERT (HBF CERT)

TEAM TRAINING and SKILLS REVIEW AT MONTHLY BUSINESS MEETINGS

  • Pressure points
  • RPM (respiration, perfusion, mental status)
  • Red Cross Safe and Well
  • Triage presentation; triage follow-up tabletop exercise
  • Working with unaffiliated volunteers in disasters
  • Using the Volunteer Intake Form
  • Stopping bleeding
  • Head-to-toe assessment
  • CERT backpack and neighborhood command post kit check and update
  • Using the Arcata CERT Website: two training sessions for team members, APD personnel
  • Adapted FEMA materials into 20-minute Team Skills activities for monthly meetings; shared with all Humboldt CERT teams
    • Four triage exercises
    • One ICS exercise

MEETINGS AND PRESENTATIONS MEMBERS HAVE ATTENDED

  • Disaster Service Workers CalOES webinar
  • Humboldt CERT Coalition meetings
  • Humboldt VOAD/COAD
  • Redwood Coast Tsunami Work Group
  • McKinleyville Chamber of Commerce’s Business Continuity presentation

EVENTS AT WHICH MEMBERS HAVE PARTICIPATED AS VOLUNTEERS

  • Fields Landing 2019 tsunami drill
  • Truckers Parade 2019
  • Mad River Community Hospital nighttime drill: active shooter scenario
  • Tabling: McKinleyville Pony Express Days, Arcata Fire open houses, Arcata Police Department open house
  • August CERT Academy
  • Arcata CERT team-building potluck get-together
  • TV interview with Dave Silverbrand for Community Voices
  • Public Safety Sunday
  • Winship Middle School’s active shooter drill
  • Other outreach opportunities (preparedness speaker, etc.)

BUILDING BRIDGES WITH OTHER TEAMS

  • FEMA (Earthquake) tabletop exercise for four local teams and other local CERT grads: Arcata, BlueLake, HBF, and McKinleyville: ICS /team organization, medical treatment set-up, size-up)
  • Co-hosted with Humboldt Bay Fire CERT: PG&E Gas and Electricity Safety Workshop, March 9 (for all Humboldt CERT teams + SCOP)
  • Proposed and offered to coordinate a speakers bureau of certified CERT instructors and other local training resources that various CERT team leaders could call upon for review and/or advanced training at meetings
  • Proposed a collaborative, multi-team project to collect, verify, rate, rank, and publish an up-to-date compendium of local emergency information sources (print, radio, TV, apps, websites, etc.)
  • Eleven team members are signed up for the May 29 Active Shooter / Stop the Bleed class

IN PROGRESS

  • ID cards for CERT members (in progress)
  • Request for City sponsorship of two 23-hour Basic CERT Courses for Arcata residents and City employees

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Prepared and sent yearly state-of-the-team packets to Chief of Police Brian Ahearn and City Manager Karen Diemer
  • Met yearly with APD liaison, Sgt. Keith Altizer, to evaluate previous year’s activities and progress and to coordinate on goals and activities for the upcoming year.