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CERT Basic Training

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Welcome

Welcome / Program Manager Introduction

    • Attendance-sign in
    • Bathrooms
    • Emergency exits, evacuation site and roll
    • Leaving at end of class
    • Raffle!

Introductions-Instructors and Class

(Note: Slide presentation has been adapted for Santa Cruz County. Individual slides and order may vary from Participant Manual).

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Self-care

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  • We all have different life experiences. Discussing disasters and emergency response will affect each of us differently
  • Acknowledge your feelings
  • Breathe
  • Take breaks if needed

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Unit 1: Disaster Preparedness

CERT Basic Training

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Setting the Stage - History

  • Mexico City Earthquake of 1985
  • CERTs are able to:
    • Plan and prepare neighbors and communities for disasters
    • Act as immediate responders in neighborhoods and community
    • Assist professional responders using the Santa Cruz County CERT Operations and Activation Guide.

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Course Preview

PM Pg 6

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  • Disaster Preparedness
  • CERT Organization
  • Medical Operations
  • Disaster Psychology
  • Fire Safety & Utilities
  • CERT & Terrorism
  • Light Search and Rescue
  • Practical and Test

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Unit 1 Objectives

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  • Identify roles and responsibilities for community preparedness
  • Describe types of hazards that affect community, people, health, and infrastructure
  • Take personal and organizational preparedness actions
  • Describe functions of CERTs

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CERT Support

  • Educate citizens on disaster threats and how to respond
  • “Bridge” for professional responders in the event of disaster
  • Attend to family, then assist on request within limits of training
  • Help with non-disaster

community events

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Activity

  • Work in groups of five to design and construct a free-standing tower that stands at least 5-feet tall from the bottom of the structure to the top
  • You will have 8 minutes. Spend the first 3 minutes planning and designing the tower as a group. While planning, you should not touch any of the materials
  • Wait to be told when to begin construction. You will have 5 minutes from that point to complete the tower

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As CERTs we may

  • Work with unfamiliar people
  • On unusual problems
  • With adapted tools and surroundings
  • Under time pressures

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What skills helped?

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“Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”

President Eisenhower

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Type of Disasters

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  • Natural
  • Technological & Accidental
  • Terrorism
  • Pandemic

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Key Disaster Elements

  • They are relatively unexpected
  • Emergency personnel may be overwhelmed
  • Lives, health, and the environment are endangered
  • Preparation will reduce impacts on people & communities

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San Bruno Sep 2010

Felton Feb 2017

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Local Hazard Vulnerability

  • Identify common disasters
  • Identify hazards with severe impact
  • Consider historical impacts
  • Susceptible locations in our community
  • Consider what to expect from disruption of services

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Earthquakes

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1906 7.9 -- North San Andreas Fault

1923 7.2 -- North Coast (San Andreas)

1964 9.2 -- Alaska (Aleutian Islands)

1984 6.2 -- Morgan Hill

1989 6.9 -- Loma Prieta

1994 6.7 -- Northridge

2024 7.0 -- Ferndale

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California Earthquake�Activity

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  • Seismic activity map in California
  • https://scedc.caltech.edu/recent/

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Local Hazards

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Bear Creek Fire 2017

Loma Prieta

1989

CZU Fire 2020

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Local Hazards

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Fukishima Tsunami

2011

Love Creek Slide

1982

Santa Cruz Flood 1955

Winter!

2023

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Local Hazards

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Tornado

December 2024

Storm Surge Dec 2024

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Disneyland of Disasters - Central County

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myhazards.caloes.ca.gov accessed 1/13/2025

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Fire Hazard Severity Zones

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Fire Hazard Severity Zones

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Fire Hazard Severity Zones

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Tsunami map – Santa Cruz County

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https://www.conservation.ca.gov

accessed 10/14/2022

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County Liquefaction Zones

From County of Santa Cruz EOP

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Disneyland of Disasters- South County

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myhazards.caloes.ca.gov accessed 5/14/2023

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Response to Disasters

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Loma Fire Sep 2016

  • Police: address incidences of grave public safety
  • Firefighters: suppress major fires
  • EMS personnel: handle life-threatening injuries
  • Lower priority needs met by neighborhood and volunteer organizations

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Break

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RETURN AT

_____

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Community Preparedness

Preparedness is important for all communities

    • Key priority is to reduce the impact of disasters
    • Critical for all community members to prepare
    • Should address unique attributes of the community and engages the whole community

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Government

Government has responsibility to:

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    • Develop, test, and refine emergency plans

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    • Ensure emergency responders have adequate skills and resources

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    • Provide services to protect and assist citizens

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Santa Cruz County

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www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/OR3.aspx

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Emergency Operations Plan (EOP)

  • Implemented by county “OR3”
  • Assigns responsibility to organizations and individuals
  • Sets forth lines of authority
  • Describes how people and property will be protected
  • Identifies personnel, equipment, facilities, supplies, and other resources

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Businesses, Schools, NGOs

Have a responsibility to participate in community preparedness

    • Participate in local planning council
    • Identify and integrate resources into government plans
    • Ensure that facilities, staff, and customers served are prepared
    • Mobilize volunteers

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The Public

  • Learn about community alerts, warnings, and evacuation routes
  • Take training
  • Practice skills and personal plans
  • Network and help others
  • Provide feedback to community
  • Report suspicious activity
  • Volunteer

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Engaging the Whole Community

  • Whole community approach to emergency preparedness
  • Social connections are the foundation for a resilient community
  • Community coalitions help organize community preparedness efforts

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Preparing for a Disaster(1 of 2)

  • Know local hazards, alerts, warning systems, evacuation routes, and sheltering plans
  • Implement important elements of disaster preparedness
  • Address specific needs for yourself, family, and community
  • Have the skills to evaluate the situation quickly and take effective action

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Preparing for a Disaster((2 of 2)

  • Have a family disaster plan and practice the plan

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  • Assemble supplies in multiple locations

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  • Reduce the impact of hazards through mitigation

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  • Get involved by participating in volunteer programs

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Develop a Disaster Plan

  • Where will your family meet?
  • Who is your out-of-State “check-in” contact?
  • Extended stay? Shelter in place? Evacuate?

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  • How will you escape?
  • How will you evacuate?
  • Do you have transportation?
  • Did you practice your plan?

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Activity – Evacuate!!!

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Take the scenario given and decide what things to bring with you and/or what to do in the time available

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Disaster Supply Kit

  • After disaster strikes, you will not have time to gather supplies
  • Get items in advance for home confinement or evacuation (Go Bags)
  • You may already have these items and

need to assemble them for quick access

in an emergency

  • Determine how and where

to store items

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Home & Workplace Readiness

  • Family Supply Kit
  • The most important item needed is water (1 gal/person/day)
  • You can survive many days without food, but less than 1 week without water

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Family Supply Kit

  • Be sure to include medicines
  • Load flash drive with important information, or on cloud
  • Emergency radio & phone charger
  • Pet food and a carrier/leash
  • Flashlight & matches
  • Cash

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KSCO CERT Basic Training Unit 1: Disaster Preparedness

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Key stations:

*KSCO 1080 AM

KPIG 107.5 F

KGO 810 AM

KZSC 88.1 FM

KSQD 89.5 FM

KBCZ 89.3 FM

Spanish

KTGE - AM 1570 (Salinas)�KZSF - AM 1370 (San Jose)

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Home & Workplace Readiness

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PM 1-15 to17

Other Supply Kit items

  • Duct tape
  • Scissors
  • Garbage bags
  • Look at Table 4.4 for preparedness lists

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If you can’t fix it with Duct tape, you didn’t use enough!

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Alerts

CruzAware

  • Register your cell phone or VOIP CruzAware.org to receive notification.
  • Emergency situations or critical community alerts based on geographic area

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  • Social Media – Facebook, Instagram, X

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NIXLE

Register to receive alerts from Central Fire Protection District, SVPD, Watsonville PD

nixle.com

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Community Connect ScottsValleyFire.com

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Alerts – Know Your Zone!

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Protect.genasys.com

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Alert Apps

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https://www.santacruzcountyca.gov/OR3/Response.aspx

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Alert Apps

PulsePoint.org

FireDispatch.com

Phone app

Choose local agencies

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Escape Planning

  • Consider access and functional needs of all individuals
  • Inform all family members or

co-workers of the plan

  • Practice escape drills

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Protective Actions

  • Assess situation
  • Critical early decision in disasters

- evacuate or shelter in place?

  • Seek clean air and protect breathing passages
  • Protect yourself from debris and signal for help if trapped
  • Remove contaminants
  • Practice good hygiene

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Sheltering

  • Shelter in place: sealing a room
    • Identify internal room
    • Stay for several hours
    • Store supplies
  • Shelter for extended stay
    • Stay for several days or up to 2 weeks
    • Store emergency supplies
  • Mass care or community shelter
    • Take 3-day disaster kits
    • Shelters provide some supplies

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Mitigation

  • Mitigation is the reduction of loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters and includes any activity that prevents an emergency or reduces effects of hazards
  • CERT members should have adequate homeowners / renters coverage
    • Consider additional insurance if in a high hazard area

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Damage Related to Structure Type

  • Types of damage vary by structure
  • You may not have opportunity to select type of structure when a disaster occurs
  • Engineered buildings have performed well in most types of disasters
  • Differences in hazards and mitigation between single-family homes and multiple-unit dwellings

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Home Hazards

  • Gas line ruptures from water heaters or ranges displaced by shaking, water, or wind
  • Damage from falling books, dishes, or other cabinet contents
  • Risk of injury or electric shock from displaced appliances and office equipment
  • Fire from faulty wiring, overloaded plugs, frayed electrical cords

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Structural Mitigation Measures

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  • Secure house or mobile home

to foundation or slab

  • Install trusses or hurricane

straps to reinforce roof

  • Strap propane tanks and

chimneys

  • Raise utilities above flood level
  • Build a safe room

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Non-Structural Mitigation Measures

  • Anchor heavy furniture
  • Move beds away from tall bookcases
  • Secure appliances and office equipment
  • Childproof cabinet doors
  • Secure water heaters; have flexible gas lines installed
  • Locate and label gas, electricity and water shutoffs

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Fortifying Your Home

Non-structural hazard mitigation:

  • Home fires: Burglar bars and locks on outside window entries easy to open from the inside
  • Landslides: Flexible fittings are more breakage resistant
  • Wildfires: Reduce fuel sources
    • Avoid wooden shakes and shingles
    • Clear flammable vegetation up to 30 feet from home and remove climbing vines from walls of home

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Wildfire Mitigation Suggestions

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  • Clean roofs and gutters
  • Remove dead limbs, leaves and other litter
  • Mow dry grass and weeds
  • Maintain irrigated greenbelt
  • Prune branches to above 20 feet from the ground (reduce ladder fuel)
  • Stack firewood / combustible materials away from the house

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Get Involved

  • Preparedness requires active participation from all
    • Talk to friends and family about hazards
    • Ask about emergency planning outside the home
    • Make sure those in charge have a plan

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Training provides skills needed to help others and keep skills current

    • CERT program provides training, practice, and connection to others
    • Participate in drills and exercises
    • Talk to friends / family about volunteering

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CERT in Action

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  • CERTs respond post-disaster by:
  • Treating life-threatening injuries until

professional assistance is available

  • Helping disaster survivors cope with their

emotional stressors

  • Locating and turning off utilities if safe to do so
  • Extinguishing small fires
  • Conducting light search and rescue
  • operations

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Personal Protective Equipment

  • Helmet
  • Goggles
  • N-95 Mask
  • Gloves (work and non-latex)
  • Sturdy shoes or work boots
  • Reflective vest

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Non-Disaster Roles

  • Identify and aide neighbors/ coworkers who might need assistance
  • Distribute preparedness materials; do demos
  • Staff first aid booths at special events
  • Participate in parade route management
  • Distribute community health information

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Protection for Disaster Workers

  • CERT members are generally protected by:
  • “Good Samaritan” laws
  • Volunteer Protection Act of 1997
  • Relevant state statutes
  • DSW liability insurance

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  • Not liable for civil damages if acting

in good faith as trained, without payment

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Additional Training & Resources

  • Map Your Neighborhood
  • Firewise
  • Advanced first aid
  • Animal issues in disasters
  • Automated External Defibrillator (AED) use
  • Community relations
  • CPR skills
  • Debris removal
  • Special needs concerns
  • Traffic/crowd control
  • Utilities control
  • Online courses (FEMA,

Red Cross)

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Unit Summary (Unit 1)

You should now be able to:

  • Identify roles and responsibilities for community preparedness
  • Describe types of hazards that affect communities, people, health, and infrastructure
  • Take personal and organizational preparedness actions
  • Describe functions of CERTs

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Homework Assignment (Unit 1)

  • Review detailed information for Unit 1

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  • Sign up for CruzAware, Know your Zone

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  • Discuss preparedness with family and friends, develop communications plan

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  • Assemble supplies in multiple locations

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  • Examine your home for hazards

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Break

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RETURN AT

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for

Unit 2

CERT

Organization