Fairfax County CERT

New date for Chinese New Year Festival-4 Feb 2012

2012-01-27T20:35:00.002-05:00

Chinese New Year Festival

We need your help. Please, contact James or I to volunteer some time.

NEW DATE: Saturday, February 4, 2012

Free Admission

When: Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012 from 9:30am-5:15pm
Where: Luther Jackson Middle School
3020 Gallows Road,Falls Church, VA 22042
Chinese New Year Parade: 2pm, start from Information Desk

Outreach - Mt Vernon District Town Hall

2012-01-24T20:54:00.003-05:00

Date: Saturday, February 4, 2012
Location: Mount Vernon High School

This is an early morning event (7:45 am, doors open)
Usual Outreach event for attendees at the town hall meeting that begins around 9:00 am.
Crowd is not very large but highly 'community oriented' and easily attracted to the CERT program. Great opportunity for our new CERT members to have an introduction to the CERT Outreach program. Only neeed 2 CERTS to assist.
You will be out of there by lunch - promise.

I won't be able to respond to e-mail until Feb 2.
Call and leave a voice mail message if interested (703-978-2035).
Any questions, call my cellphone (703-887-1421)

Chinese New Year Festival Rescheduled to January 28

2012-01-23T11:49:00.002-05:00

Because of bad weather conditions the Chinese New Year Festival has been rescheduled to January 28,same location, Luther Jackson Middle School. We will have a Outreach booth there again this year. Volunteer to "talk" CERT to your neighbors. I hear the food is great! Let James our Outreach coordinator know you are interested in working this event. We would need only a couple of hours of your time.

Fairfax County CERT: Fairfax County Emergency Preparedness Newsletter now available

2012-01-23T11:44:00.001-05:00

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/oem/outreach/newsletter/january2012.pdf

Check out the January 2012 newsletter

Fairfax County Emergency Preparedness Newsletter now available

2012-01-23T11:41:00.000-05:00

Check out the January 2012 newsletter from OEM

WINTER STORMS & EXTREME COLD

2012-01-21T08:23:00.001-05:00

WINTER STORMS & EXTREME COLD
While the danger from winter weather varies across the country, nearly all Americans, regardless of where they live, are likely to face some type of severe winter weather at some point in their lives. Winter storms can range from a moderate snow over a few hours to a blizzard with blinding, wind-driven snow that lasts for several days. Many winter storms are accompanied by dangerously low temperatures and sometimes by strong winds, icing, sleet and freezing rain.
One of the primary concerns is the winter weather's ability to knock out heat, power and communications services to your home or office, sometimes for days at a time. Heavy snowfall and extreme cold can immobilize an entire region.
The National Weather Service refers to winter storms as the “Deceptive Killers” because most deaths are indirectly related to the storm. Instead, people die in traffic accidents on icy roads and of hypothermia from prolonged exposure to cold. It is important to be prepared for winter weather before it strikes.
Before Winter Storms and Extreme Cold
To prepare for a winter storm you should do the following:
• Before winter approaches, add the following supplies to your emergency kit:
• Rock salt or more environmentally safe products to melt ice on walkways. Visit the Environmental Protection Agency for a complete list of recommended products.
• Sand to improve traction.
• Snow shovels and other snow removal equipment.
• Sufficient heating fuel. You may become isolated in your home and regular fuel sources may be cut off. Store a good supply of dry, seasoned wood for your fireplace or wood-burning stove.
• Adequate clothing and blankets to keep you warm.
• Make a Family Communications Plan. Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to know how you will contact one another, how you will get back together and what you will do in case of an emergency.
• Listen to a NOAA Weather Radio or other local news channels for critical information from the National Weather Service (NWS). Be alert to changing weather conditions.
• Minimize travel. If travel is necessary, keep a disaster supplies kit in your vehicle.
• Bring pets/companion animals inside during winter weather. Move other animals or livestock to sheltered areas with non-frozen drinking water.
During Winter Storms and Extreme Cold
• Stay indoors during the storm.
• Walk carefully on snowy, icy, walkways.
• Avoid overexertion when shoveling snow. Overexertion can bring on a heart attack—a major cause of death in the winter. If you must shovel snow, stretch before going outside.
• Keep dry. Change wet clothing frequently to prevent a loss of body heat. Wet clothing loses all of its insulating value and transmits heat rapidly.
• Watch for signs of frostbite. These include loss of feeling and white or pale appearance in extremities such as fingers, toes, ear lobes, and the tip of the nose. If symptoms are detected, get medical help immediately.
• Watch for signs of hypothermia. These include uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred speech, drowsiness, and apparent exhaustion. If symptoms of hypothermia are detected, get the victim to a warm location, remove wet clothing, warm the center of the body first and give warm, non-alcoholic beverages if the victim is conscious. Get medical help as soon as possible.
• Drive only if it is absolutely necessary. If you must drive: travel in the day; don’t travel alone; keep others informed of your schedule; stay on main roads and avoid back road shortcuts.
• Let someone know your destination, your route, and when you expect to arrive. If your car gets stuck along the way, help can be sent along your predetermined route.
• If the pipes freeze, remove any insulation or layers of newspapers and wrap pipes in rags. Completely open all faucets and pour hot water over the pipes, starting where they were most exposed to the cold (or where the cold was most likely to penetrate).
• Maintain ventilation when using kerosene heaters to avoid build-up of toxic fumes. Refuel kerosene heaters outside and keep them at least three feet from flammable objects.
• Conserve fuel, if necessary, by keeping your residence cooler than normal. Temporarily close off heat to some rooms.
• If you will be going away during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home, set to a temperature no lower than 55ºF.
After Winter Storms and Extreme Cold
• Go to a designated public shelter if your home loses power or heat during periods of extreme cold. Text SHELTER + your ZIP code to 43362 (4FEMA) to find the nearest shelter in your area (example: shelter 12345).
• Continue to protect yourself from frostbite and hypothermia by wearing warm, loose-fitting, lightweight clothing in several layers. Stay indoors, if possible.

Chinese New Year Festival cancelled due to weather

2012-01-21T08:08:00.002-05:00

Announcement

Because Fairfax County decided on January 20 evening to close the school for Jan. 21 due to the snow, our one-day Chinese New Year Festival event is cancelled. We have rescheduled the event one week later to Jan. 28(Sat.) 10:00am--7:00pm to celebrate Chinese New Year. Same location. Please visit our website for detail info. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you and thank you for your understanding. Happy New Year!!

come out and volunteer for the Jan. 28th event. Word is the food is GREAT!!

Stay safe out there CERT family

ADOPT A HYDRANT

2012-01-19T16:53:00.001-05:00

The winter months bring a special concern to the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. Large winter storms can often hide fire hydrants under a mountain of snow making them impossible to find quickly. In the event of a fire, firefighters have to locate and shovel out fire hydrants before hooking up to them. Precious time is lost. It is critical that the fire department has quick access to hydrants in the event of a fire. Locating and accessing an obstructed or covered fire hydrant may take 5-7 minutes once firefighters arrive on the scene.

Normally, the stations attempt to shovel every hydrant in their first due area, but it sometimes takes days to finish. Please don’t let your neighborhood hydrant remain “undercover”.

We are asking that you help us by keeping the fire hydrant closest to your residence or business clear of snow. We need a 3 foot clearance on all sides. When shoveling snow be aware of vehicle traffic. Do not stand in the street and be careful not to slip and fall out into the roadway.

Citizens and civic groups (Boy Scouts, etc) can “adopt” a hydrant or hydrants in their neighborhood.

If you do choose to participate, please send an email to fireweb@fairfaxcounty.gov with the location or locations of the hydrant(s) that you pledge to keep clear.

Jeffrey F. Katz
Volunteer Liaison
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue
703-246-3926

CERT committee meeting January 17th

2012-01-13T21:10:00.002-05:00

Folks,

Tbe first CERT leadership meeting of 2012 will be held Tuesday, January 17th at 7pm in conference room 7 at the Fairfax County government center.

As always the meetings are open to the CERT membership

Outreach Event

2012-01-10T08:17:00.003-05:00

5th Annual Chinese New Year Festival
Luther Jackson Middle School, Falls Church,
Saturday January 21, 2012.
This is a one-day free event (many food concessions there!)

Need volunteers to staff the CERT booth from 8:30am - 5:00pm.
Last years event was very successful and the interest level was very high. Great opportunity for out new CERTs to participate in an Outreach event.
Will need 2 CERTs for 2-3 hour shifts throughout the day.
Busiest time is from 11:00am - 2:00pm.
Contact James directly (703-978-2035) if you have any questions.

Next Outreach Event will be the Mount Vernon Town Hall on Saturday, Feb 4th.
Details to follow.

Virginia Citizen Corps proudly announces Citizen Corps Super Star and Super CERT Award Winners

2012-01-05T15:45:00.002-05:00

Honorable mention: James Sobecke

AWARDS 2010

Virginia Citizen Corps
proudly announces Citizen Corps Super Star and
Super CERT Award Winners
You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.
Winston Churchill

Although all volunteers are Super Stars for the time and effort they contribute to Virginia Citizen Corps Programs, the following people and activities were selected as this year’s Super Star winners. Following the list of winners, we recognize those who were nominated as well.

Additionally, the Virginia Citizen Corps office also honors a Virginia Super CERT and Special Super Star Award for noteworthy contributions to the Commonwealth.

And the winners are:

Most Outstanding Community Emergency Response Team Volunteer

Douglas Duggan- Nominated by Cookie Ketcham, Virginia Beach CERT Program Manager
Douglas Duggan took the Basic CERT class in May, 2006, and he has been indispensable to Virginia Beach CERT ever since. He has embraced the program and all it stands for. Doug has taken all of the advanced classes, such as Chain Saw Safety, Traffic Control, and CERT Train-the-Trainer so that he could help teach. He has been at every single class since then instructing where needed, especially in the medical operations classes since he is a retired EMT, or assisting in whatever way he can. He manages our website, Facebook, sends all the activity update emails to our 800 members each month and keeps the database up to date. Serving as the point of contact for members wanting to volunteer at events, he also substitutes if the CERT Program Manager cannot attend to take complete charge of the activity. Doug is the liaison with the Fire Department’s Communication officer, arranging for the radios needed for use by CERTs in the field. Doug also serves on the Leadership Team. With a full time printing business to run and a devoted family man, he makes time for it all and does a great job! In the past five years he has contributed more than 1,200 hours to Virginia Beach CERT, for an estimated value of more than $26,500 given to the city of Virginia Beach!

Most Outstanding Medical Reserve Corps Volunteer
Carolyn Conley- Nominated by Teresa Blakeslee, Peninsula MRC Coordinator

Peninsula MRC volunteers serve to protect the health of Virginians. In October 2010, Carolyn Conley, RN, conducted a routine blood pressure screening on a client in an underserved area of Newport News. Carolyn noticed a wildly erratic and while this patient had a noted irregular pulse, nurse Conley advised that this client see her physician as soon as possible based on these new symptoms. The patient’s physician immediately admitted her to the hospital where she underwent open heart surgery to repair a whole in her heart. Thanks to Carolyn’s steadfast service in support of public health, she saved a life that day. Carolyn provides approximately 100 blood pressure screenings in underserved areas each year.

Most Outstanding Fire Corps Volunteer

Kathryne Presson- Nominated by John Oprandy, Deputy Chief Albemarle County Fire

Kathryne Presson is the founder of the Albemarle County Fire Corps program and has invested an average of 30 hours monthly over the past year to ensure its success. The Albemarle County Fire Corps currently focuses on three important programs: a Citizen Fire Rescue Academy designed to educate Albemarle’s citizens and recruit Fire Corps members; a Community Services Unit that responds to emergencies and provides support directly to citizens recovering from a fire or other major disasters and Fire Corps support of the Prevention Division, with installation of smoke detectors within the community.

Most Effective Joint Activity With More Than One Citizen Corps Program

Nominated by Teresa Blakeslee, Peninsula MRC Coordinator

On August 7, 2010, Peninsula Medical Reserve Corps volunteers joined Newport News Community Emergency Response Team volunteers and New Horizons School Health Occupations Students of America for a pet preparedness event. The Paws Preparedness and Pictures Pet Preparedness Event at the Care-A-Lot Pet Supply store in Newport News offered pet preparedness displays and discussions about pet preparedness and sheltering with pet owners. Customers received a list of pet preparedness items available in the store and their location. The store manager also set up a pet preparedness display with necessary items for complete pet preparedness. Every 30 minutes, Dr. Sam Tate, DVM and an MRC volunteer, would discuss with customers the need to prepare pets and how simple it is to do so, placing emphasis on practicing those plans. Each pet owner received a free photo of themselves and their pets to have as part of their pet preparedness kit. Newport News CERT was able to recruit volunteers who would be designated for pet sheltering. In four hours, approximately 200 pet owners received pet preparedness materials, a photo, a discussion with Dr. Sam Tate, and learned about the MRC and CERT programs. The event is in high demand and has been repeated.

Most Outstanding Public/Private Partnership

Nominated by: Terry Raines, VDEM Volunteers and Donations Coordinator

The member organizations of the Virginia Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster provided exceptional service to the Commonwealth, especially following the tornadoes and hurricanes. Member organizations have done so individually, but more impressively, they have joined together in cooperative partnerships to do more together than one could individually. The tireless and dedicated leadership of Trish Redmond has helped to make this happen.

Most Inventive CERT Exercise
Nominated by Bobby Gelormine, Chesapeake Citizen Corps/CERT Coordinator

September 2010 marked the first Northwest Naval Annex Tornado Drill Exercise in Chesapeake. Primarily a Community Emergency Response Team full-scale exercise, the Medical Reserve Corps participated for patient care, and search and rescue dogs were able to expand capabilities for a realistic experience. Ken Belkofer, team leader from Chesapeake’s Greenbrier subdivision, had only been with CERT for a short time but was able to coordinate use of the Naval Base's Training Facility’s “training village” – a fully functional city block with 12 buildings. Approximately 40 people participated and paired up with the Naval Base's Fire Department, which was an eye opening experience as to the support capabilities of CERT, MRC and SAR dogs. This unique opportunity created a realistic environment to practice tasks and objectives of CERT training and served as a perfect vehicle for MRC and SAR dog participation.

Most Effective National Preparedness Month Activity
Nominated by Jane Wenner, Gloucester County Planner/Trainer CERT Coordinator

In September 2010 for National Preparedness Month, the Gloucester County Community Emergency Response Team sponsored a Faith Based Day and invited area faith-based groups to come to the full-day event. Various speakers taught preparedness, gave an overview of the Medical Reserve Corps and CERT and encouraged participation in both. More than a dozen churches and groups were represented. They were served lunch and then participated in a question and answer session with the opportunity to schedule classes. This day was effective and informative and a great public relations event for all involved.

Honorable mentions to applaud the contributions of the following:

Wynn Toms- Nominated by Marge Thomas, Emergency Management Coordinator, Albemarle County

Wynn Toms is our liaison between perspective Community Emergency Response Team basic students and the rest of our group. Once a basic class is in session, she attends every class and greets the students weekly. She creates the class roster and maintains it throughout the series of classes. Wynn keeps the new students apprised of any room or schedule changes and answers questions they may have, making them feel like they are valuable members of our team. She is also a member of the steering committee and the team leader of our INFO line, a rumor control/information telephone line.

James Tuttle- Nominated by Peter Walentisch, Human Services Director, Williamsburg

James Tuttle serves as an advisor for the city of Williamsburg’s Fire Chief, Human Services Director and NRT (Neighborhood Response Team) Coordinator. As a manager for the National Weather Service Skywarn Program, Jim spends countless hours providing weather information to many organizations in the greater Williamsburg area. He is available around the clock to provide weather information using sophisticated equipment purchased with his own funds. The city’s Fire Chief has often contacted Jim during emergency responses to obtain weather related information that could impact an emergency scene. During a recent medical condition that required hospitalization, Jim continued to provide weather information from his hospital bed. Jim helps lead the monthly NRT two-way radio communications drills and has been the link person for the Amateur Radio Operators. Jim is relied upon as a CERT training consultant for local volunteers. Jim has approached his volunteer commitment with a spirit of dedication and true passion for the safety and welfare of his fellow citizens.

Stanford Owens- Nominated by Jane Wenner, Gloucester County Planner/Trainer CERT Coordinator

Stanford Owens became a Community Emergency Response Team member in 2007. He immediately took the CERT Train-the-Trainer course and became one of our lead trainers. Stanford is an outstanding volunteer and is at every event, emergency or non- emergency. Each year, we have a Preparedness Expo in Gloucester County where Stanford is always early, sets up, cooks and talks about preparedness and CERT with citizens who attend. In addition, he teaches a chainsaw class for us each year. He is also a leader with the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief yet he still makes CERT a priority. All this, while holding two jobs! During emergencies, Stanford is invaluable, as he organizes various teams, does Damage Assessment and is always a calming and effective presence. He brings so much to the Gloucester CERT and we are very fortunate to have him.

James Sobecke- Nominated by Dana Powers, Assistant Volunteer Liaison, Fairfax County

James Sobecke has taken on the role as the Volunteer Public Information Officer for the Fairfax County Community Emergency Response Team program. He has worked diligently over the last year and a half to spread the word about CERT and being prepared. James has coordinated events around the county to help promote public outreach. He also sits on the CERT Steering Committee and has helped to guide the Fairfax CERT program as it continues to grow. Jim also volunteered to help develop the new website for Fairfax County CERT and has worked with county staff and outside vendors to facilitate this process. Jim is also a volunteer CERT instructor and has taken on several classes and taught them to citizens county-wide. His vision and leadership have helped to develop one of the successful CERT programs in the country.

Tim Burrows- Nominated by Bobby Gelormine, Chesapeake Citizen Corps/CERT Coordinator

Tim Burrows has been with the Chesapeake Community Emergency Response Team for just a year, but has stepped up and become heavily involved in what goes on. He is an Assistant Team Leader and now our Training Coordinator. He was a Navy Seal and is Master Chief in the Navy, so he brings a great deal of experience to the table. He is a valuable asset to our team.

Jeri Michael- Nominated by Dana Perry, Emergency Management Technician, Newport News

Jeri Michael has an extremely positive attitude and has been very active in the Newport News Community Emergency Response Team program. She attends continuing education and takes on additional responsibilities, such as serving as an evaluator, moulage artist, outreach and more advanced training. Jerri performed 60 hours of volunteer time, which is exceptional considering she works full time. She is a true asset to the Newport News CERT program.

Dreama Montrief-Johnson-Nominated by Mary Loose Devney and Dr. Alan Romanella, CHO Fire Corps Leadership Council Member

Dreama Montrief-Johnson is Chairman of the Charlottesville Fire Department's Annual Awards Dinner. She arranged for the location, contracted with the caterer, the linen company and the entertainment. She is a good manager of people, having the Fire Corps committee members assigned to different tasks so that everyone felt involved. Although this year there was funding for the event, she has, in the past, raised money to support the event. She found a way to feed 200, entertain them, and have beautiful table decorations and linen table cloths. She also made sure all invitations were sent both to current and retired firefighters, as well as the Charlottesville Volunteer Fire Company and the Professional Fire Fighter's Union. Everyone came for a good meal, fellowship and awards. The City Council members who attended remarked at how well the event was run and how welcome they felt to be a part of it. Dreama has dedicated service and excellent coordinating skills in directing the Charlottesville Fire Corps; a truly motivated individual.

Mickey Saunders- Nominated by Bobby Gelormine/ Chesapeake

Mickey Saunders is retired and donates much of her free time to volunteering. She comes in several times a week to assist the Fire Prevention at the Marshall's office with filing and organizing all of the paperwork that the office generates. She is always pleasant and excited to come in and help, and really takes on the responsibility of keeping the filing system organized and up-to-date.

Virginia Citizen Corps Office Special Awards:

Samuel Tate, DVM, Board Member, Virginia State
Animal Response Team

Dr. Tate’s volunteer achievements across the Commonwealth of Virginia are tireless. His volunteerism supports the efforts of Community Animal Response Teams by assisting at public events, outreach activities and education in the Hampton Roads area and anywhere else across the Commonwealth where his expertise is needed. His devotion and dedication to the mission of the Virginia State Animal Response Team is also demonstrated through his participation the Virginia State Animal Response Team Summit held each year.
He was the recipient of the Peninsula MRC Community Emergency Preparedness Excellence Award for 2006, the MRC Volunteer of the Year Award for 2007, and the 2008 Virginia Veterinary Service Award.
Dr. Tate did his undergraduate studies at Old Dominion University. He received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1967 from Michigan State University and a Master’s in Public Health from University of North Carolina in 1972. He completed a post doctoral program at Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 1988.
Dr. Tate served 20 years in the Air Force Veterinary Corps and owned and operated a small animal practice for 15 years.
Dr. Tate is the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association (VVMA) Director for the Greater Peninsula, Secretary of VA State Animal Response Team (VASART), member of VA Veterinary Reserve Corps, Coordinator of Veterinary Activities for the Peninsula Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), member of the National MRC Veterinary Working Group and Member of the Peninsula Pet Sheltering Committee. He is a volunteer to the Emergency Support Function 11 (Agriculture) in the VA Emergency Operation Center.

Matthew Hanson, CERT Volunteer, Spotsylvania County

Selfless service is the most important thing in Matthew’s life. He considers that to be one of the best feelings one can ever experience.
Matthew, a rising junior at Spotsylvania High School, became involved in the Community Emergency Response Team as a natural connection to helping others. Due to Matthew’s interest in FEMA’s nationally recognized CERT program, he and his father were sponsored by Virginia Citizen Corps to attend a FEMA Youth Preparedness course in Morgantown, W.Va. He returned to attend the intensive 20.5-hour CERT training held in Hanover County, and, upon its completion, he moved forward to graduate from the VDEM CERT Train-the-Trainer course. The knowledge and credentials he received open many doors to assist in the teaching and organization of the CERT curricula to adults and youth.
He has already become very visible in the Virginia CERT world through his participation in a state-managed shelter exercise conducted by the Virginia Department of Social Services. CERTs and other volunteers across the Commonwealth were offered an opportunity to assist in the management of the shelter and act as victims, and Mathew drove several hours round trip to participate and learn by experience. It is not surprising that he stepped up to the plate and demonstrated his leadership skills by organizing a group of volunteers to gauge how long it would take 12 people to set up 200 cots. In spite of the cots being new and hard to open and put into place, amazingly, that power team completed the task in a record time of a half hour. Good to know in a real time situation with people needing accommodations after a disaster!
Matthew is also involved in numerous other community service activities such as the U.S. Army JR ROTC program at Spotsylvania High School where he is the Battalion Commander for the 2011-2012 school years. This position puts him directly in charge of more than 170 high school students. From everyday office work to helping coordinate physical training, he is knee deep in the logistics and operations of his battalion. Matthew also attended the Virginia State Police Academy Cadet Trooper Program where he was attracted to its number one priority, building character.
Involved in several varsity sports during his high school career, Matthew has been a swimmer for the team for four years and has been recognized for the most dedicated swimmer and varsity captain. Additionally, he played on the tennis team for three years.

CERT Basic class offered through FCPS-ACE

2012-01-03T10:34:00.002-05:00

The Fairfax County Public School -Adult and Community Education program is offering the CERT Basic class in the coming Winter term (Course HM01755, Section 0010).
The schedule is for 8 classes over 3 weeks: Mon - Tuesday and Thursday starting Feb 27 through March 13. Class starts promptly at 7:00pm
There is a charge of $49 required by FCPS.

The class is taught at the Plum Center in Springfield.
For more information: www.fcps.edu/is/ace

This is a great opportunity for those that don't have the time for the CERT 2 program and want to complete the clasroom training in a shorter period of time. The CERT Basic program is still being made available for community groups at locations throughoput the county.
We are still considering a schedule for SATURDAY classes if there is interest.
Pass this on to anyone you know that may be interested.

Remember, you never know what you'll find...

2011-12-22T07:25:00.003-05:00

Remember during the Hazards class I talked about you never know what you'll find in someone else's house? Remember the part about people possibly having war relics stashed away? Well, I bring you news out of York, Maine:

YORK, Maine — While cleaning out the house of a World War II veteran, a local resident found a souvenir from conflict: A Japanese hand grenade.

Not knowing whether the grenade was live or dangerous, the resident called police at about 2 p.m. Saturday. He was driving in his car with the grenade, and police advised him to pull over immediately, according to the police report.

York notified the Maine State Bomb Squad and a local officer and Sgt. Chris Harriman from the bomb squad met the resident in an open area behind the Meadowbrook Plaza on Route 1.
Harriman took the grenade back to the squad's headquarters in Gray, where experts didn't determine whether it was live or not, he said. They took no chances, detonating the grenade with explosives.

What's unusual about the incident, according to Harriman, is that it happens all the time.
"World War II memorabilia, we get them all the time," he said Wednesday. "We get close to 50 (calls) a year. Everything: Grenades, mortars, bomb fuses, rockets..."

Most are found by family members as they sort through the belongings of a loved one who served during World War II, Harriman said. In most instances, the family had no idea that a grenade or other potentially explosive souvenir was sitting in an attic, cellar, garage or closet for decades.

******************

See, I don't just make all this stuff up. Most of it, maybe, but not all of it.

Mike

IC needed for the rescheduled CERT/Boy Scout Camporee March 24th-25th, 2012

2011-12-19T21:22:00.003-05:00

Hi folks,

You may remember a few months ago that Fairfax County CERT was tasked to manage an emergency preparedness themed Boy Scout camporee. The event was to take place at the county fire academy; but was cancelled due to some technical difficulties.

The camporee has been rescheduled-the new dates for the camporee are Saturday March 24th and Sunday March 25th, 2012. The camporee will take place at the Fairfax County fire academy.

This camporee will involve up to 300 Boy Scouts and adult scout leaders. We are tasked to teach their emergency preparedness merit badge to them. In addition, the goal is to also train the Boy Scouts to Teen CERT level qualifications. This is a tall order folks-and we will need at least 35 to 40 CERT members to work this event and make it a rousing success.

In order to lead this event, we need an IC for it. This CERT will be in charge of the operations at the camporee. Working closely with CERT 12's Charles Monts (who organized and IC'ed the last camporee in 2007) the IC will be responsible for getting their teams together; organizing the training stations, ensuring safety and a myriad of other duties.

The IC for this event will put in some hours. Planning hours; learning hours, execution hours.... I won't lie to you-it's a challenge. A challenge in planning, executing and leading this event. Anytime you put 300 kids in one space for any period of time, it's a challenge! But, it is also a perfect opportunity for someone interested in being given a plan for a large, high profile event and executing it to a very high standard.

The ideal IC would be-a CERT 2 or 3 graduate current on their refresher classes status. A CERT that's wanting to lead a large, important "real deal" type event. Someone willing to put in the hours to make it happen. Someone wanting to truly make a difference-not only to the CERT's you lead; but helping 300 kids grasp the principles of disaster preparedness and teaching them CERT techniques as well. Just think-the emergency preparedness concepts taught at the camporee could stay with these teens for a lifetime. That's what I call important, folks..........

Are you up to this task? Are you wanting a challenge? If you are, we're looking for YOU. Please contact me at certvolunteercoordinator@fairfaxcountycert.org with your name, email address and CERT class number.

Thanks,
Terry
CERT 14

The Fairfax County CERT 4 wheel drive registry

2011-12-19T20:22:00.003-05:00

Folks,
The 4 wheel drive registry started a few weeks ago has really been popular-thanks to all of those CERTs who have already signed up. The response has been very good to this request; CERT members from all over the county have already signed up.

The 4 wheel drive registry has been such a success that we wanted to repost the request. Here is the duty-
Using your personal 4 wheel drive vehicles, drivers on the CERT 4 wheel drive registry will help get doctors and nurses to hospitals, patients to dialysis treatment, etc. during snow events. This is a volunteer duty, and there are requirements to meet. The requirements are below:

1. Be a Fairfax County CERT-this is open to CERT basic, CERT 2 and CERT 3 graduates.
2. Have a 4 wheel drive vehicle.
3. Your vehicle must be properly registered and insured to operate on Virginia roads.
4. A desire to help.....
5.Your name.
6.Your CERT class number.
7. Your contact info-home/ cell number, email address and home address (for GIS mapping and dispatching purposes)
8. How many passengers can your 4x4 hold (each passenger in your vehicle must have a seatbelt)

When the next snowstorm comes up, the drivers listed on the registry would be activated- county entities would tell the drivers where the passengers are located. The CERT member picks up the passengers and drives them to (or from) the hospital or treatment center or location as the situation dictates.
Contact me, Judy Howell at pio@fairfaxcountycert.org or jhowell695@verizon.net if you wish to be included in the CERT 4 wheel drive registry.

Team Lead Applications due Monday, December 19th

2011-12-17T20:44:00.002-05:00

Within the past two weeks, you should have received an email assigning you to one of six teams within the county. (Contact Susy at CERTTeamsCoordinator@fairfaxcountycert.org If you haven’t) We are actively looking for leaders for each of these teams. We have received some interest, but we still need your help. Contact Jack at TeamOps@fairfaxcountycert.org to apply or for more information about the positions. Please apply by the 19th or at least let us know that you are planning on applying and when we can receive your application.

Also, if you haven’t done so already, please send your roster updates to Susy at CERTTeamsCoordinator@fairfaxcountycert.org.

We need your help to make our teams a success in 2012!!!

New Teams and Leadership Opportunities!

2011-12-06T18:02:00.001-05:00

This week, emails were sent out to the Fairfax County CERT membership to make folks aware of the establishment of six new geographically-based Fairfax County CERT teams (North, South, East, West, Central, and North Central) and to assign each CERT member to one of the teams six based on his/her home address on record. If you didn’t receive the email, please email Susy, CERT Teams Coordinator, at CERTteamscoordinator@fairfaxcountycert.org and she will send you a copy.

As we stand up the new teams, we’ll be looking for energetic and motivated individuals to lead each of them. A position description and application for the Team Lead positions was included with the email. If you are interested in taking a lead role in your local CERT team, please consider applying! Completed applications or questions should be sent to Jack, CERT Teams Section Chief, at TeamOps@fairfaxcountycert.org. Applications should be submitted by December 19, 2011.

This Ain't The Same CERT That Got Started In The 1980s

2011-11-30T06:17:00.004-05:00

From Emergency Management Blogs // Disaster Academia by Valerie Lucus-McEwen
(November 24, 2011)

Most of us have been involved in – or at least are familiar with – CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams). The 59th Annual IAEM Conference and EMEX 2011 in Las Vegas last week gave us an opportunity to hear Rachel Jacky, Director of the FEMA Citizen Corps CERT Program, talk about how the program has evolved into something much different than many of us remember.

"This ain't the same CERT that got started in the 1980's", she said. "It has expanded and grown while keeping it's original purpose."

What hasn’t changed is the fundamental concept of CERT (the first responders to any incident are the people who are already there) or it’s basic rationale (training helps keep them safe). The core skills that CERT teaches hasn’t changed, although they have been updated and overhauled.

The most important thing that hasn’t changed is the ownership. CERT’s are still primarily owned on a local basis. “FEMA can provide a lot,” Jacky said. “They can’t know what is the smartest and best way to involve volunteer responders in a community’s best interests.”

What has changed is that CERT has been around long enough to have a solid track record. This gives it the freedom to adapt itself, so it is more valuable to an ever-changing emergency management program.

Much of that is because there is now an agency (FEMA’s Citizen Corps) to keep records. Citizen Corps is the umbrella for other groups (like the MRC – Medical Reserve Corps), and is affiliated with others (the VFW, ARRL, CAP, and – my personal favorite – Girl Scouts), but CERT can certainly be considered one of the more resilient.

The CERT web page is impressive. There are links to find CERT’s in your community, stories of CERT’s in actions, training and video materials, and – most impressive – a place to register your local CERT so it doesn’t get lost or forgotten.

Jacky said there are almost 1850 local CERT programs registered, and in 2010, there were almost 430,000 individuals trained who provided 1.3 million volunteer hours.

“More impressive than numbers, and a terrific development in the life of CERT,” she said, “is its growing inclusiveness.” The majority of CERTS target their training for the general public, but there are also CERT groups targeted to faith-based organizations, businesses, teens, college/universities, special needs and military groups.

Recent statistics show that over 10% of the registered CERT teams have been deployed in actual emergencies over 10 times, but 30% have never responded. What are those groups doing? Some of them are new, but some of this is related to the expanding mission of CERT teams and how CERT teams are being every more consciously integrated into Emergency Management as a discipline.

In addition to the activities you might expect CERT’s perform (neighborhood checks, staffing shelters, sandbagging) they are also supporting emergency management by doing outreach for emergency preparedness, fire safety or public health. “Who better to deliver that kind of information?” Jacky said. “The best messenger for preparedness is a neighbor who is already prepared.”

The CERT program has some lofty goals for the next couple years. Continued growth, of course, but also an increased emphasis on training effective CERT trainers. There are two courses taught at FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute: E428 Train the Trainer and E427 Program Manager

Jacky said another goal is to train CERT members for their expanded functions by developing training modules to expand their skills in areas like animal response, crowd management, leadership or communications.

END

HEADS UP!!! Role play for Exercise 28 December 2011

2011-11-25T13:34:00.001-05:00

Volunteer victims are needed for an exercise at the Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale campus. The date is 28 December 2011. I know this is a month out but, with Christmas and News Years planning, I want ya’ll to have an opportunity to get in an event towards your yearly refresher, plus role play is FUN!!
It will be partially indoors and outdoors, depending on the weather .We will not put anybody in a dangerous situation. (Temperature wise) So, it being December, it will be participant dependent to watch the weather and dress appropriately. If it too cold or there is snow and it’s too dangerous to conduct the exercise we will cancel. Unfortunately, due to the complexity of the drill, participants may not know the status of the drill, if weather is a problem, until they get to location. The exercise will be somewhere from 1300 - 1500. You should be able to leave shortly following the end of the exercise.
Role players need to be at the location to check in get their assignments, moulaged as needed and then placed at 10:00 - 10:30.
As always, bring something to sit/lay on and something to do, Kindle, etc. and probably a snack and water.
Contact Kevin, our victim/actor coordinator kmullinsva@aol.com to be put on the list and to get the actor handout. The Assumption of Risk form will need to be filled out prior and brought with you.

VATF-1 Receives DHS “Concrete Buster” Tool (VATF-1 Provides Demonstration)

2011-11-07T20:55:00.000-05:00

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department
4100 Chain Bridge Rd, Fairfax, Virginia 22030
Phone: 703-246-3801, TTY: 711 and Fax:703-385-1687
Duty PIO (Weekends/After-hours): 703-877-3702
fire-rescue.PA-LSE@fairfaxcounty.gov

News Release 11-84
Date: November 7, 2011

On Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at approximately 1 p.m., Virginia Task Force 1 will demonstrate and formally transfer a new Controlled Impact Rescue Tool (CIRT) from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The presentation and demonstration will take place at the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department Academy, 4600 West Ox Road, Fairfax.

CIRT is a new concrete buster that could mean the difference between life and death to those trapped under collapsed concrete caused by natural and manmade disasters.

In development since 2007, the 36-inch long, 100-pound tool is capable of breaching reinforced concrete and works up to four times faster than traditional methods which require drilling, chipping, or sawing. VATF-1 will receive two CIRT tools for evaluation, training, and use in actual emergency responses. Developed in partnership with Raytheon, the CIRT is now commercially available for federal and military agencies.

Fry, or Fry Not

2011-11-02T09:55:00.002-04:00

I am posting this a little early this year, but I figure many people are starting to plan their Thanksgiving menus now. If you have never seen it, this is the annual "be careful when frying a turkey" post! I want to make sure if you are planning to fry a turkey, you do so safely. Turkey Fryer fires are extremely dangerous and I want to see everyone enjoy their holiday, no have it end in tears.

**********************

Have you thought about how you might be cooking your Thanksgiving turkey? What the heck does this have to do with CERT, safety or anything other than a cooking class or something on the Food Network? Has Mike gone completely crazy? Has cooking with Emeril Lagasse gone to his head? Good questions all! Over the past few years there has been a growing trend of people frying their turkeys. I have to say, fried turkey sure do taste good, this is a fact. Unfortunately, if you are novice, or even have experience frying a turkey, it is a serious and dangerous prospect.

There are many reasons a deep fryer can be dangerous. Since using the typical pedestal type turkey fryer SHOULD NEVER BE DONE INDOORS (this includes a garage or barn, even if is not entirely closed in), making sure you have the space and equipment to do this outdoors is important. Also bear in mind, the weather; if it is windy, raining or snowing, this could affect your fryer. In order to fry your turkey you will need to get the oil in the fryer up to at least 350 degrees ...350 degrees, which, if you did not know, IS REALLY HOT!

Working with an unstable product such as blazing hot oil over an open flame is dangerous, even if you know what you are doing. Other safety issues include:

* If the burner is not on level ground, the units can easily tip over, spilling hot oil (3-5 gallons of hot oil at 350 degrees!!!) onto the burner and creating a LARGE, FAST fire.

* If the pot is overfilled with oil, the oil may spill over when the turkey is lowered into the pot. Oil will hit the flames on the burner and engulf the burner with fire. There are ways to measure out the right amount of oil, which is imperative to ensure you do not have the pot overfilled.

* Water and hot oil do not go together. Partially frozen turkeys contain water of course, so if you lower a partially frozen turkey into a fryer, expect an extensive fire. Heaven help you if you place a frozen turkey in the fryer; to help defrost it....this will cause an explosion as the water expands in the hot (350 degrees ) oil. DON'T do it.

* The outdoor fryers have no thermostat controls, so they can overheat quickly and cause the oil to boil over the sides of the pot before you can react.

* The pot and handles get EXTREMELY hot (remember, 350 degrees of boiling oil), posing severe burn hazards.

I am sure there is someone out there saying to themselves, "I won't let Mike yuck my yum, I am going to fry a turkey anyway". It won't be the first time someone did not listen to what I said. You still want to fry that turkey? Ok, fine. Please, remember these things as you go about frying. These are not guaranteed to stop a fire or keep you from getting burned, but they may help in mitigating a larger disaster (such as burning your house down):

* Never use a turkey fryer on a wooden deck or inside a garage, home, or within any structure.

* Place the fryer a safe distance away from any building ( if you place it in the grass, the grass should not be overly dry, nor overly wet. Also count on the grass dying and never growing back).

* Fryers should be used on a firm, flat surface to prevent them from tipping over. Try the middle of a parking lot....not the sloping driveway in front of your house next to your car.

* Once the pot is filled with the recommended amount of oil (probably peanut oil) and the burner is ignited, you should NEVER leave the fryer unattended. This also means do not cook if you are under the influence. Please, don't drink and fry.

* Keep pets inside and keep children at a safe distance. A safe distance being somewhere where they will never see the fryer, because once they do, they will want to get close.

* Use well-insulated gloves or oven mitts and wear safety glasses (I think I know where you might have a pair laying around) to guard against oil splatters.

* Do not wear loose clothing as these may ignite if you get too close to the flame or the oil, or both. If your clothes do catch on fire, remember, Stop, Drop and Roll!

*Turkeys must be thoroughly thawed. While very tasty, be very careful of injecting marinades into your turkey. The extra liquid in the bird may cause the oil to spill over.

*Keep a portable dry chemical fire extinguisher nearby. Never use a water type extinguisher to extinguish a grease or oil fire. Do not deploy the garden hose to assist with your turkey fryer fire, this will do MUCH, MUCH more harm than good.

* If your fryer does catch fire call 9-1-1 immediately!

Finally, remember the oil inside the pot will remain hot for hours after your turkey has been removed. DO NOT bring it indoors and again, keep children and pets away from the pot. For more information on some of the hazards of cooking fires (not just the turkey fryer fires), please visit the United States Fire Administration's website for a copy of: Behavioral Mitigation of Cooking Fires by going here: http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/research/other/cooking-mitigation.shtm

For a short demo on a fryer fire, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQYTMFCLy5E

Thanks for reading and I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Mike

A message from a CERT IC worth reposting

2011-10-31T20:20:00.002-04:00

Folks,
I got this letter yesterday-it's from an IC for Saturday's exercise. It's worth reposting.

Terry

Hello Everybody,

The tremendous success of Saturdays exercise is a testament to the expert training provided by Steve Willey, Mike Forgy and Richard, I don't know your last name but it should be "Superman", in the "Carry" portion of our training Richard put me on his back and carried me across the class room, and I'm 6'7 250. These 3 guys are the "Grand Masters" of rescuing the masses.

This was my 1st time as an Incident Commander and I'm grateful that I was chosen to run operations in Delta building (5) Its a fact that a team will take on the persona of its leaders, and "Big Country Jackson" set the tone from the git go. He was cool, confident and believed in me and the IC for Hotel team whose name I can't remember, but I haven't forgotten your actions. I know why he was chosen to be an IC, I worked with him at the "Capital Shield" exercise and if you don't know him let me tell you he does everything well.

I take my hat off to Alex, Penny and Laura for doing the work of 10 people in Deltas medical area, we were short handed and couldn't provide them help until Jackson sent us reinforcements from Hotel team.
Once teams of 2 from Hotel began arriving they were immediately given 2-4 green tags to commandeer on extraction and transportation of victims to medical.

I also broke an existing Delta team in two and filled in the 2 teams with green tags.

The overall Logistics team can only be compared to "Radar" from M.A.S.H.....whatever I needed I got, including asking their assistance to help clear victims out of a room who were red tags so medical could expand operations into that room. Also those extra stretchers you got me enabled those reinforcements Jackson sent to do their job...bravo. Folks we had a lot of victims in Delta building 5, I was told there was at least double what Hotel had. Buy the end of the day Deltas medical area encompassed 4 rooms.

You stretcher carriers have the heart of a lion, it was cold, dark and the terrain was treacherous, but they went off into the darkness time and time again until everyone was brought back.

Andrew is who I chose to be the scribe for me at Delta IC. This guy is an "Accounting Ninja", he tracked CERT's flowing in and out of IC like it was Grand Central Station, he constantly checked and rechecked his stats with Whitney and Deltas medical accountants who were awesome. Spencer and the tall gentleman whom I'm sorry I forgot his name , but he is great.

Radios were beneficial for IC to speed up requests, transmissions were kept to a minimum.

I also want to commend Mike Hanlon for his performance throughout the course and on the final exercise, he is only 16 but was given permission to attend training if I sponsored him, he is as strong as a bull and his stretcher team carried more victims to medical than any other during Saturdays exercise.

These are all the CERT emails I have so whoever has the master list please forward this to every CERT whether they were there Saturday or not. We all benefit from sharing situations encountered in the field, what worked , what didn't etc...

This was a tough but rewarding day, there is something to be said about those who put themselves in harms way for total strangers, "He who gives himself to save another will certainly be saved" (Jesus Christ)...perhaps its best simply stated as "They are heroes"!

I invite you all to visit my website/blog Global Strategic Survival Solutions, gssurvivalsolutions.com and read "Your neighbors will be your first responders" along with this awesome training hopefully this will help you prepare and organize your community against disaster.

Thank you CERT veterans for donating your time to make us better, and thank you everybody for your friendship.

Your Friend

Eric "Kong" Bjerke

Final Exercise Inclement Weather policy-just in case.

2011-10-28T20:58:00.002-04:00

Folks,
The weather folks are predicting some interesting weather for the CERT 56/57 final exercise tomorrow. Just in case it's needed, following is the official CERT inclement weather policy, and some additional info from Steve Willey, our CERT lead instructor.

The official CERT inclement weather policy follows the Northern Virginia Community College status. if they are closed, we are closed.

Steve says,
That being said, there is no "policy" that is intended to replace common sense. If the weather seems iff'y then stay home.

You can quote me on this....

Thanks Steve!

Terry
CERT volunteer coordinator

Fairfax County CERT IDs now available to the CERT membership.

2011-10-27T11:27:00.006-04:00

Folks,
Fairfax County CERT ID cards are now available for our members. There is a specific process by which a CERT ID card is issued-please follow the instructions.

To be elgible for a Fairfax County CERT ID card, you must be an active CERT 2 or CERT 3 class graduate.
CERT ID cards will NOT be issued to CERT basic class graduates. (But CERT basic graduates who complete the CERT "bridge class" to obtain CERT 2 status ARE elgible. )
"Active" in this context means that you are up to date on your annual refresher classes and actively participating in drills or in outreach events.

Remember, to stay current as a Fairfax County CERT member, you need to participate in at least one yearly CERT refresher; participate in three outreach events within one calendar year; or participate in events designated as counting for a yearly refresher class.

You must also submit to our Fire Dept. volunteer coordinator, Jeffrey Katz Jeffrey.Katz@fairfaxcounty.gov a copy of a background check, and an electronic passport sized photograph.

To obtain background check/criminal records search, you must follow the procedure below:
(No other sources, or a security clearance will be accepted)

You must appear in person at Central Records, 10600 Page Avenue, Fairfax, VA 22030. You can show up without appointment Monday through Friday from 8am to 4pm . You will be required to provide two forms of identification. One must contain your photograph and date of birth. The following is a list of acceptable forms of identification:
· A valid driver’s license
· A social security card
· Birth certificate
· Passport
· Military Identification
· Medicare card
· State-issued identification card
· A green card
Is there a cost for obtaining a copy of my criminal record?
· A $10 fee is charged. The CERT is responsible for this fee.
· Payment in the form of cash, credit card, money order or check made payable to the County of Fairfax.

Once you have your background check results, these will need to be scanned and emailed to Jeffrey; along with a digital passport sized photograph of yourself. If you cannot scan and email the results electronically, you may mail these in. Please contact Jeffrey via email for the address to send the results.
The completed ID card will then be mailed to you.

This is the procedure-it's relatively quick and painless. If you have any questions, please contact Jeffrey at jeffrey.katz@fairfaxcounty.gov or Dana Powers at dana.powers@fairfaxcounty.gov

Thanks,
Terry
CERT volunteer coordinator

On November 9th FEMA, DHS and FCC will conduct the first national test

2011-10-26T16:40:00.000-04:00

On November 9th FEMA, DHS and FCC will conduct the first national test
of the Nationwide Emergency Alert System test. This test will kick off
at 1:00 p.m. (CST). The test will be nationwide, running concurrently
across all time zones.

This system test is the first of its kind. It is designed to broadcast a
nationwide message to the American public. Nothing like it has been
conducted in the history of the country. There have been tests in the
past but none to all parts of the Nation at the same time. The test will
run concurrently on all radio and TV band and the message will run for
three minutes. Most messages in the past were anywhere from 30 seconds
to 1 minute.

There is great concern in local police and emergency management circles
about undue public anxiety over this test. The test message on TV might
not indicate that it is just a test. Fear is that the lack of an
explanation message might create panic. Please share this information
with your family and friends so they are aware of the test.

Below is additional information, along with two websites, that will
provide more information...

What will people hear and see during the Test?

During the test, listeners will hear a message indicating that "This is
a test." Although the EAS Test may resemble the periodic, monthly EAS
tests that most Americans are already familiar with, there will be some
differences in what viewers will see and hear. The audio message will be
the same for all EAS participants; however due to limitations in the
EAS, the video test message scroll may not be the same or indicate that
"this is a test." This is due to the use of the live EAN code - the same
code that would be used in an actual emergency. The text at the top of
the television screen may indicate that an "Emergency Alert Notification
has been issued."
This notification is used to disseminate a national alert and in this
case, the test. In addition, the background image that appears on video
screens during an alert may indicate that "this is a test," but in some
instances there might not be an image at all.

There are several limitations to the current EAS for individuals with
access and functional needs. FEMA and the FCC are committed to providing
organizations and the EAS community with information well in advance of
the Test. FEMA and the FCC will further engage the EAS community to
better understand the wide range of information and access needs in
preparation for the national EAS. IPAWS has been performing outreach to
access and functional needs organizations in several different forums,
including working groups and roundtables led by the FEMA Office of
Disability Integration and Coordination, with representation from
multiple FEMA program offices, other Department of Homeland Security
components, and other Federal Departments and Agencies.

http://www.fema.gov/emergency/ipaws/eas_info.shtm

https://nationaldialogue-emergencyalertsystem.ideascale.com/

Here are the official links from FCC, FEMA and DHS. This test of the Nationwide Emergency Alert System is official and will kick off at Wednesday, 9 November 2011 at 1400 ET

http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/emergency-alert-system-nationwide-test

Let's stay in touch!

2011-10-25T21:23:00.003-04:00

Folks,
Over the weekend each of the coordinators on your CERT steering committee got new email addresses. This is part of the revamp of communications in the Fairfax County CERT program; next on the list is a CERT website. (It's a work in process, and it's going slow but it IS coming. And it's being done by Roam Secure, the same people who send out those super useful CEAN text alerts.....) For your convenience, I've listed the new email addresses below.
Do you have an idea? Do you have a suggestion that might make our CERT program better? Hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Email us-if you don't know who to email it to, just shoot it to me-I'm Terry. We'll get your mail to the right person. Don't be a stranger, email us-it's your program too!

Terry, your CERT volunteer coordinator at CERTvolunteercoordinator@fairfaxcountycert.org

Mary, our CERT volunteer coordinator co-lead at asstvolunteercoordinator@fairfaxcountycert.org

Susy, our CERT teams coordinator at CERTteamscoordinator@fairfaxcountycert.org

Lani, our logistics coordinator at logistics@fairfaxcountycert.org

Steve R., our Operational event role coordinator at oproles@fairfaxcountycert.org

Jack, our CERT teams section chief at teamops@fairfaxcountycert.org

Judy, our volunteer PIO at pio@fairfaxcountycert.org

James, our outreach coordinator at outreach@fairfaxcountycert.org

Kevin, our victim actors coordinator at actors@fairfaxcountycert.org

Terry
CERT 14
CERT volunteer coordinator

Train the Trainer course at Stafford VA, 5-6 November 2011-there are still some openings for the class.

2011-10-25T21:02:00.005-04:00

Hi folks,

Would you like to learn how to become a CERT volunteer instructor? The next VDEM Train the Trainer course is on November 5th and 6th in Stafford, VA. There are still some open slots available for this hard to get class-so if your'e interested contact Jeffrey Katz, our FD volunteer coordinator at Jeffrey.Katz@fairfaxcounty.gov or me at certvolunteercoordinator@fairfaxcountycert.org for more info.

Thanks,
Terry
CERT 14
your CERT volunteer coordinator

Fairfax County Firefighter Dies

2011-10-22T13:28:00.007-04:00

Fairfax County Community Emergency Response Team is saddened to announce to its members the passing of Firefighter Hoarce 'Chris' Pendergrass, 49, this morning at FS41-Crosspointe. Firefighter Pendergrass is a 20+ year veteran with the Fire and Rescue Department. The cause of the Line of Duty Death has not been determined and is pending. As soon as arrangements are available, updated announcements will be made when formalized. The Fire and Rescue Department is a strong supporter of the CERT program and we will all have the Pendergrass family and the members of the FRD in our thoughts and prayers.

Fairfax County CERT at Capitol Shield 2012-More Rock, Less Talk was the order of the day........

2011-10-20T22:44:00.005-04:00

Hi folks,
On Tuesday October 18th and Wednesday October 19th, a number of your fellow Fairfax County CERT brothers and sisters participated in something wonderful.......
The "wonderful" was the Capitol Shield 2012 exercise, held at the old Lorton youth prison in Lorton, VA. The prison grounds were the scene of a massive disaster (exercise). A (simulated)hurricane hit taking out all of the power and all fuel storage areas in the area; leaving roads inaccesable and the population totally unruly. School shootings occured; a shooter was loose on the US Capitol grounds; and a local area hospital was (virtually) leveled in a giant bomb blast. Four more (simulated but dirty) bombs went off in areas around the DC region; and anthrax was (virtually) released. Professional response activities were completely overwhelmed..........Sounds like a disaster, right?
It was-so who was "called out" to assist?
Why, Fairfax County CERT of course! A number of your CERT brothers and sisters integrated into disaster response operations with a number of different federal, state and county agencies. We rescued upwards of 200 victims each day of the two days of the exercise-from ALL OVER the Lorton complex-we helped with getting patients to decontamination stations; the Navy deconned them and then we rushed them to medical. On Tuesday we and our Montgomery Co. CERT counterparts were the only coordinated medical response team for the Lorton field training exercise. We worked as both victims and responders on Tuesday.

On Wednesday we were purely rescuers-with rescue responsibility for the southern half of the Lorton complex. We integrated into military medical assets on site, and helped with loading the medevac helicopters and AMBuses taking wounded to DC area regional hospitals.

We had an AWESOME time, folks. So good the attendees are still talking about it. We worked side by side with units and agencies we had not worked with before-we helped in duties and functions that were new (and exciting!) to us. We had a BLAST folks; here are some of the highlights-

Mark D, our Tuesday "mental case Green"-who taught our CERT counterparts to the north some very "interesting" lessons in keeping an eye on your patients :) At one point he arranged the green victims in medical from shortest to tallest height-THAT was entertaining! And then taking over med ops and running it so efficiently that with each evolution-our other CERT counterparts began emulating our medical activities. They started wearing gloves, they started doing head to toe assessments in the medical area......

Kong-leaping like a gazelle to take care of his victims. All you saw was arms legs and duct tape.... This man was FAST......If there ever was a speed bandage competition Kong would win it!

All of us who moulaged victims at 530am in the dark using a car's headlights. (Because they were dropped off early-but we took care of it and got the job done.....) and our MD CERT counterparts who showed up (both days) at 0645, when the job was almost done. Good timing folks........

Scott, our on site IC who NEVER broke a sweat even while being pounded with command decisions from all sides. Not once did the man sweat......

Our CERT helo evac litter team, loading choppers with wounded like they had done it all their lives.And the Air Force medics; who genuinely enjoyed having us help them.

James and his team; searching one side of a large building while CBIRF troops in spacesuits were clearing the other side of the building for safe entry.

The teams that searched behind the rubble pile-seemingly a half mile away from the CP. And toted victims back to medical from that distance. WOW.

ALL of the people on ALL of our CERT teams-going 100% on PPE use on both days! You ROCK!!!!We had one scraped arm the entire two days of the exercise.

Judy giving her duct tape desk to the navy medics in the med collection point-and seeing that OUR duct tape victim tags were used by the medics.

The military medics who came up and asked to borrow a roll of duct tape-to make up med station triage tags because they had run out of their own preprinted ones............

The reporter who asked "what station" our "unit" was located-and being shocked to find out we were only citizens.

The smiles on everyone's faces ........

Mary, one of our participants summed it up best-see below.

We ain't pretty, but we get it done........
Integration w/ Army teams
integration with Air force teams
integration with other CERT teams (tried shared and separate command, ditto for teams)
ambus loading
Decon escort duty
Evac helo litter work
Duct tape bonding (literally!) with USAF/ medical folks
triage/ treatment on day 1 - no show for JTF CAPMED - just us CERTs
moulage = record setting... bus loads of vics.... in the dark... at warp speeds
rubble pile search and rescue (in up and over)
large team practice - alpha, beta etc
FC CERTs trying new roles / switching around /SEMPER GUMBY!
new mud record clinging to us
vehicle extraction duties on Wednesday.

Thanks to all who responded-it was an honor and a pleasure to serve with each of you. And we HAVE been enthusiastically invited back to respond in Capitol Shield next year!
Pictures are available for viewing at the following link.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150880378990573.752829.104461585572&type=3&l=e47a2e5f5c

Thanks,
Terry,Scott and Rich
Capitol Shield 2012 leadership team

October Emergency Preparedness newsletter from the Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management--check out page 4

2011-10-20T10:14:00.001-04:00

The October Emergency Preparedness newsletter from the Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management is now available online:

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/oem/outreach/newsletter/october2011.pdf

Volunteer Victims Needed for Emergency Simulation Drill VRE

2011-10-18T16:14:00.000-04:00

Each year VRE conducts a simulated train disaster – the goal of this is to test VRE’s federally approved Emergency Preparedness Plan as well as our security preparedness. During the simulated disaster, local first responders test their skills in responding to the train emergency, and VRE also gauges our crew, our railroad partners’ and our staffs’ preparedness for addressing any train emergency. This year’s drill will take place in Alexandria, VA. As we do every year, we are looking for volunteers to be victims of this simulated train disaster. The drill will be held on Saturday, November 12. Volunteer victims need to arrive by 7am and should be done by noon. We are limiting the number of participants this year so if you are interested email us at gotrains@vre.org. Please put Volunteer Victim in your subject line. First email, first served.

Disaster need Victims!

2011-10-18T13:54:00.002-04:00

That's right, we're having a disaster and we need victims. On Saturday October 29, 2011 the current CERT classes will be holding their final exercise at the Juvenile Detention Facility at Lorton Prison. Victims need to arrive at 0700 and be ready for the weather. Long pants and sturdy shoes are required, bug repellent and sunscreen are highly recommended. The exercise will end around 1pm and you will be fed lunch. You should be 15 or older (or parent/guardian must stay with you). For more details email Kevin at actors@fairfaxcountycert.org.

CERT steering committee meeting 18 Oct 2011, Ham radio presentation

2011-10-14T16:56:00.001-04:00

At the beginning of the October 18 CERT steering committee meeting, there will be a 15 to 20 minute presentation on “Ham Radio”
Amateur Radio, often called "ham radio," has consistently been the most reliable means of communications in emergencies when other systems failed or were overloaded. This session will provide an overview of Ham Radio, its abilities and limitations and its applicability to emergency response situations.
All are welcome to attend.

We start promptly at 7 pm

Capitol Shield registrations are now closed......

2011-10-12T20:12:00.003-04:00

Folks,
Thank you all for the interest you have shown in the Capitol Shield 2012 exercise-there has been so much interest that we have filled up ALL available participant spaces for Tuesday, October 18th and Wednesday, October 19th.

WOW. That's 40 CERT members participating in this exercise.

For those who have signed up-a briefing email will be sent to you by Saturday of this week; this email will describe relevant details you need to know for this unique and exciting exercise.

Get ready to rock, CERTs................ :)

Terry
CERT
volunteer coordinator

Logistics Team Organizes CERT Trailer

2011-10-10T11:12:00.013-04:00

Some of you may be saying, "So what, big deal". Well after a number of us have gone to the trailer to get things we need for Outreach or classes and with Fall CERT 2 class getting ready to have their final exercise, (we move the trailer to the exercise site) WE REALLY needed to get into the trailer and organize it!!!

Training got their backpack order in for the next zillion classes all at once. All of that was placed in the trailer along with the Outreach material that comes in and out regularly and exercise and real world supplies. This added up to a MESS!!! I took pictures of the before and after of our work. Thanks to Lani, our Logistics coordinator and her to assistants, Alia Carbone and Faith McCormick, for organizing this CERT "G.I." party. Lani brought bagels and cream cheese. I didn't know they made smoked salmon cream cheese, Lani's favorite!

We pulled most everything out - I can't believe that all that was in the trailer.

We have tied down and secured loose items for the most part, organized the Outreach materials for easier access and just general made better access for all materials in the trailer.

We are hoping to get a donated storage space soon and will be storing some things (backpacks and CPR Andy & Annie) off-site.

Judy Howell

29/East Team
Fairfax County CERT
Volunteer PIO

Here is what we did:

Continuing Preparedness Initiatives In State Government

2011-10-06T09:21:00.002-04:00

Continuing Preparedness Initiatives In State Government and Affirmation of the Commonwealth of Virginia Emergency Operations Plan

Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell signed Executive Order-41. Read it here:

http://www.governor.virginia.gov/PolicyOffice/ExecutiveOrders/2011/EO-41.cfm

Directly impacting CERT, it basically gives all state workers 22 hours of paid time to take CERT classes.

BSA Camporee Cancelled, but Fire Station Open Houses are still on

2011-10-06T08:22:00.003-04:00

Due to some technical difficulty with the Boys Scouts of America, we must cancel the event scheduled at the Academy on the weekend of October 15th.
We will try to reschedule this event in the Spring.

On another note: We still have the Open Houses at Five Fire Stations to do outreach at.

I have:

Centreville #17: 0 CERT

Fair Oaks #21: 2 CERTs

Mclean #1: 1 CERT

Burke #14: 2 CERTS

Vienna #2: 0 CERT

Please, come out for this event.

Capitol Shield 2012-CERTs, wanna come out and play?

2011-10-05T17:14:00.006-04:00

Hi folks,
For the fourth year in a row, Fairfax County CERT has been asked to participate in the National
Capitol Region's disaster coordination and response exercise known as Capitol Shield. Have you ever heard of it? Some have, some haven't-here is a link for you. Take a look around the site; it will give you lots of good info on this exercise.

http://www.mdw.army.mil/capitalshield/index.htm

As you can see, this exercise tests incident response capabilities and coordination between a dizzying array of federal, state and local agencies (Like FEMA, US Secret Service, US Army, US Navy, FBI, DHS, White House communications office,fire and rescue departments from all over the DC metro area, etc). It is an exciting exercise, folks. You will get to see disaster response operations "from the inside" in a way few people get to see.

Our role in this exercise will take place Tuesday,October 18th AND Wednesday,October 19th, 2011 from 0700 to 1500 (7am-3pm) at the Lorton youth prison site in Lorton, VA.

We will serve both as victims for the first responders responding to the incident; we will also work as responders during our part of the exercise. Yes, that's right-we will be working as responders as well.
This will be the second time Fairfax County CERT has worked in a response capability with federal,state and local disaster response assets.

We have been asked to provide 20 or more CERT members for this exercise. This exercise is open to ALL CERT Basic class graduates, CERT 2 and CERT 3 graduates, AND for the first time- the CERT students currently in training in CERT 56 and 57. You can participate in only one day of the exercise if you wish-if you do this let me know which day you wish to participate.
If you are interested in participating in this truly unique and exciting exercise, please email me at :

certainlywecan@gmail.com

Please put "participation in Capitol Shield " in the subject line, and let us get your FULL NAME, your CERT CLASS NUMBER, EMAIL ADDRESS and a good contact PHONE NUMBER.
Additional information and pre exercise briefing info/maps/data will be sent to you in the days prior to the exercise.

Thanks,

Terry
Fairfax County CERT/
CERT volunteer coordinator
CERT 14

WANT TO BECOME AN AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR?

2011-10-05T10:31:00.001-04:00

WANT TO BECOME AN AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR?

• Qualify for the entry level Amateur Radio Technician Class License from the FCC
• NO MORSE CODE REQUIRED
• Just four weekend classes including the Exam
• Open to the Public. CERT members encouraged to attend

Sponsor: SCOUT VENTURING CREW 80 and the MOUNT VERNON AMATUER RADIO CLUB

When: Four Successive Saturdays in January and February 2012:

January 14 - 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM (Orientation and Study Materials Distribution)
January 21 - 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM (Instruction)
January 28 - 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM (Instruction)
February 4 - 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM (Instruction, Review and Exam)
February 12 – 9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon (Make-up Exam – Mt. Vernon Amateur Radio Club)
Where: First Christian Church - 2723 King Street - Alexandria, VA
(Near the intersection with Janey’s Lane)

Cost: $35 Approx. (Cost of Supplied Materials Only – 1 textbook plus CD-ROM – Yours to Keep!)
Additional tax-deductible donations to Crew 80 are always welcome!

Age: No Limit (parental accompaniment recommended under age 14)

Instruction Method: Textbook-reading assignments combined with personal and videotape instruction
and computer-based practice exam question review. You keep the textbook and CD-ROM.
They are great references!

Course Description: Everything you need to know to get an Amateur Radio Operators Technician
Class license without having to learn the Morse Code. Fundamentals of electricity, electronic
circuit theory, electronic components, radio theory and electromagnetic wave propagation,
antennas, feed lines, amateur radio operating procedures, practices and equipment, and
FCC rules and regulations.

How to Sign Up: Pre-register anytime but no later than January 11, 2010: By email to:
venturecrew80@yahoo.com, wa4usb@arrl.net or by phone at (202) 502-8676 during business hours, or 703-820-2534 between 6-9 PM.

Provide Name, Address, Phone Number and Email address

The registration fee (cash preferred) will be collected at the first session on January 14th.

Questions ?: Email to “venturecrew80@yahoo.com, wa4usb@arrl.net, or call any of the following:

Demi Pulas K4BSA 202-502-8676
Bill Stewart W2BSA 703-642-8942
Dick Harman WA4USB 703-971-5477

COME EXPLORE AMATEUR RADIO WITH US!

Add another "tool" in your preparedness tool belt by becoming a Ham radio operator.

Correction on Train the Trainer course offered by VDEM

2011-10-02T09:52:00.002-04:00

Sorry Folks...this is the correct information. Go to the VDEM web site and sign up at the Knowledge Center. You will need a reference letter from Jeffrey Katz along with the other requirements.

VDEM - CERT 201: CERT Train the Trainer Location: Stafford County Fire & Rescue Training Room 1225 Courthouse Road Stafford, VA 22554 Date(s): 11/05/2011-11/06/2011
Time: 08:30 AM-05:00 PM

Train the Trainer course at Stanford VA, 9 Nov 2011

2011-09-30T08:16:00.002-04:00

The next Train the Trainer course offered by VDEM is 9 November 2011 in Stanford VA. Contact Terry for more info. Are you bi-lingual? We would like to expand the CERT program particularly into the Hispanic community.

Fall for Faifax 1 Oct 2011

2011-09-30T08:07:00.003-04:00

With the Fire Station open houses (5) and the BSA Camporee to support, I'll be out at Fall for Fairfax. Anybody like to join we for an hour or two?

October is a busy month for CERT!!!

Fall for Fairfax 1 Ocober 2011

Fire Station Open Houses 15 October 2011

BSA Camporee at the Fire and Rescue Academy 15-16 October 2011

Capital Shield 18-19 October 2011

GMU Safety Fair 21 Ocober 2011, 4:30- 6:30 pm

Final exercise for current fall CERT 2 class 29 October 2011

Metro CERT final exercise 29 October 2011

Fire Station Open Houses 15 Oct 2011

2011-09-30T07:57:00.003-04:00

We have 5 Fire Station to provide outreach to this year. I still need help at 2 stations.

Centreville #17: 0

Fair Oaks #21: Sharon Martin CERT 35

Mclean #1: Mike Piccione CERT 41

Burke # 14: Bob Mclean CERT 53
Denise Primdahl CERT 39

Vienna #2: 0

The Open Houses start around 0930-10:00 and end around 4- 4:30 pm. The hosting station provides lunch.

Safety Fair at George Washington University in Ashburn

2011-09-28T22:24:00.003-04:00

I joined Jim Miller, a CERT 2 from class 55 at the Safety Fair at GWU today.(You go Guy) There were a few residents of Fairfax County in attendance, but the majority were from other counties in Virginia or Maryland. We talked up the CERT program and advised them to check out the citizen corps web site for their counties' CERT program.

More info on the Camporee and Fire Station Open Houses

2011-09-22T15:55:00.002-04:00

Looks like I left out some information... senior moment...

For the BSA Camporee....we need CERTs for Saturday and Sunday. Please, indentify yourself in the emails with your class number and a phone number please.

For the Fire House Open Houses...we will be at volunteer stations: Centreville #17, Fair Oaks #21, Burke #14, Vienna #2 and Mclean # 1. Please, repond with your CERT class number and a phone number.

Thanks,

Judy Howell

Fire Station Open Houses

2011-09-22T08:11:00.002-04:00

Folks, on top of the 30 CERT members we need to support the BSA Camporee, we have 5 Fire Stations to support with our annual Fire Station Open Houses. With 700 trained CERT members in Fairfax County, I'm hopeing to get some more help with the open houses. This is an easy outreach event in your local communities. It is a great way to get to know the guys and gals that visit your neighborhoods in everyday emergencies and for the day when that major disaster strikes.
Ideally, I would like two cert members pre station, but with the BSA event at the Fire and Rescue Academy we could go with one.
The fire station will feed us. Fire station food is great!
These open houses start around 9 am and end around 3 or 330 pm. You will have an Outreach kit for each station.

Please, contact me at pio@fairfaxcounty.org or jhowell695@verizon.net, cc terry at certainlywecan@gmail.com

Thank You,

CERT 2 members are desperately needed for a Boy Scouts of America Disaster Campo

2011-09-22T08:09:00.000-04:00

CERT 2 members are desperately needed for a Boy Scouts of America Disaster Camporee to be held at the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy.
Date: Saturday, October 15, 2011

Time: 8:45 am until approximately 5:00 pm

CERT members will guide scouts through training stations (search and rescue, logistics, medical, etc.)
Each scout will earn the Emergency Perparedness merit badge and granduate as a Teen CERT.
The scouts will be staying the night at the Fire and Rescue Academy; you will not.

A pre Camporee CERT briefing/refresher will be held prior to the camporee. Date and time to be announced.

Please, email Dana Powers at dana.powers@fairfaxcounty.gov. and cc: Terry at certainlywecan@gmail.com

If you haven't completed a refresher for the year, this event would satisfy that requirement and keep your qualifications current.

This is a rewarding event and you will get to use and hone your skills while working directly with the scouts. No special skills or train-the-trainer experience is needed. Please help us put on this worthwhile event for the BSA.

Thanks,

Jeff, Steve, and Dana

100 Shelter Resident Volunteers needed on Tuesday, October 11, 2011 in Petersburg, VA

2011-09-19T10:29:00.002-04:00

Folks,
Here is a request for volunteers from our state CERT coordinator. If you are interested in participating follow the links below.

Thanks,
Terry
your CERT volunteer
volunteer coordinator

100 Shelter Resident Volunteers needed on Tuesday, October 11, 2011.

Location: Richard Bland College, Petersburg, VA

Exercise is from 11:30-2:30,

We need some volunteers to arrive early for set up and some to stay afterwards for break-down.

Please pass this volunteer opportunity on to your members and partners. We are utilizing a tool to help manage the registration process. To register, participants must opt for a no cost “ticket”. It’s simple and easy; to enter the website you will need a password. This event’s password you will share with your selected members and partners is Shelter. Click the button below to go to the website’s link. Additional information; including contact information, can be found on the website.

Just in case, here’s the website address:

http://2011rbshelterexercise.eventbrite.com/

Thank you.

Reta Dunn-Mills

State CERT Coordinator

Release of the NIMS Training Program

2011-09-14T16:24:00.000-04:00

The National Integration Center (NIC) has developed a National Incident Management System (NIMS) Training Program, superseding the Five-Year NIMS Training Plan, released in February 2008.

The NIMS Training Program establishes a common national foundation for NIMS training and qualifying emergency management and incident response personnel. More specifically, the NIMS Training Program guides NIMS training activities; supports stakeholder training and planning; and serves as a single-source, regularly updated compilation of training within the NIMS national core curriculum.

The NIMS Training Program is available on FEMA’s NIMS Resource Center: www.fema.gov/emergency/nims.

The document can be found here: www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/NIMSTrainingCourses.shtm

For additional information on NIMS, NIMS implementation, or NIMSCAST contact the National Integration Center at 202-646-3850 or via e-mail: FEMA-NIMS@dhs.gov.

Outreach-Get Ready Fairfax- Tysons Mall 9-10-11

2011-09-11T19:09:00.002-04:00

Very successful event thanks to Mary, Charles, Steve, Marco, Dexter, Terry and James.
High interest in being prepared - displayed notional Emergency Kit that got a lot of attention.

SERVE, and REMEMBER on 9/11-Volunteers Needed to Help with Flood Relief Efforts in Huntington area of Alexandria

2011-09-10T17:45:00.002-04:00

Folks,
We just got this second request for flood relief volunteers for tomorrow, SUNDAY 9/11/11 from 10:00am to 8:00pm. 43 volunteers turned out in today's flood relief effort; giving valuable service helping numerous families put their lives back together after this week's flooding. But there is more work to be done, and our neighbors need our help. Below are the relevant details if you wish to help.

Thanks,

Terry
Fairfax county CERT
CERT volunteers' coordinator

Honor September 11 by helping your community with immediate needs.

In response to the recent flooding in Northern Virginia, Volunteer Fairfax, as requested by the Fire and Rescue Incident Command Center, seeks volunteers to assist with flood relief efforts TOMORROW, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2011, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Volunteers are needed to commit to a five hour shift and will be tasked with: lifting, moving, organizing, removing debree and cleaning personal items (heavy lifting may be involved). All volunteers must be atleast 18 years old or 16 years old with parental consent. Volunteers will receive instructions, safety equipment and a brief training before being deployed to needed areas.

If you are interested in volunteering, please park at the Huntington Metro Station (2475 Huntington Avenue, Alexandria, Virginia 22303) and WALK to the Huntington Community Center (5751 Liberty Drive, Alexandria, Va).

On arrival, please find the Volunteer Fairfax table to check in. PLEASE DO NOT SELF DEPLOY.

If you plan on participating tomorrow, please send an email to Christopher Copley at ccopley@volunteerfairfax.org
You may not receive a response; however, please check www.volunteerfairfax.org for the most recent updates.

Everyone must wear closed toed shoes. Sturdy shoes such as work boots or sneakers are recommended. You should wear lightweight, comfortable clothing that you do not mind getting dirty.

Volunteer Request - Real Incident

2011-09-09T19:09:00.001-04:00

The following is a message from Volunteer Fairfax regarding a need for volunteers on Saturday, September 10th:

Dear community member,
In response to the recent flooding in Northern Virginia, Volunteer Fairfax, as requested by the Fire and Rescue Incident Command Center, seeks 20 volunteers to assist with relief efforts TOMORROW, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2011, at 12:00 p.m. Volunteers are needed for a six hour shift and will be tasked with incident command center set-up including: lifting, moving and organizing. All volunteers must be atleast 18 years old. Volunteers will receive instructions and a brief training before being deployed to needed areas. Volunteers will meet Todd Damren, a representative of Volunteer Fairfax, at the Huntington Metro Station, Alexandria, Va. by 12:00 p.m. If you need assistance the day-of, please contact Todd at (313) 300-4198.

Everyone must wear closed toed shoes. Sturdy shoes such as work boots or sneakers are recommended. You should wear lightweight, comfortable clothing that you do not mind getting dirty.

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Christopher Copley at ccopley@volunteerfairfax.org or by calling (571) 382-8679 so we can keep track of volunteers. Please provide your name, email and telephone number.

Turn around...don’t drown.

2011-09-09T03:52:00.002-04:00

Fairfax County warns that most flood deaths occur in automobiles. Never drive your vehicle into areas where the water covers the roadway. Flood waters are usually deeper than they appear. Just one foot of flowing water is powerful enough to sweep vehicles off the road. When encountering flooded roads make the smart choice...turn around...don’t drown.
Good time to subsribe to the Comunity Emergency Alert Network CEAN for important emergency alerts,notifications and updates about weather and traffic, Messages are delivered to all devices you register. Register now at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/cean/. You can also sign up for alerts from other jurisdictions in Virginia,Maryland and D.C. at capitalalert.gov.
Did you know in some parts of the country, if you ignor and drive around high water barriers and need to be rescued from a high water situation, you would be fined.

FAIRFAX COUNTY ANNOUNCES COMPREHENSIVE CHANGES TO THEIR COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM (CERT) PROGRAM

2011-09-02T16:22:00.000-04:00

1 September 2011
Fairfax County CERT

FAIRFAX COUNTY ANNOUNCES COMPREHENSIVE CHANGES TO THEIR COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM (CERT) PROGRAMFairfax County officials announced the establishment of a CERT steering committee and the formation of localized CERT teams. The boundaries of operation as set for each team will be based upon major highway divisions within Fairfax County, i.e. North Team (North of Dulles Toll Road to Beltway).
Fairfax County CERT was formed in 2003 and is sponsored and overseen by the Office of Emergency Management and the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. CERT, a national program implemented in Fairfax County, is completely funded by FEMA and State grants. CERT trains Fairfax County resident volunteers to help themselves, their families, and local communities in times of wide-spread disaster when professional first responders will be significantly delayed in providing assistance. Currently there are over 600 trained CERT members within Fairfax County.
The CERT steering committee was formed due to increased demand for outreach venues and operational requests. Additionally, Fairfax County CERT has grown exponentially in the past 4 years, resulting in the need for more operational structure. The committee is organized to align with the federally mandated National Incident Management System or NIMS. The committee allows the CERT members to take a greater role in the operations of the program. However, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department retains the functional oversight of the CERT program.
Under the existing system, CERT members may not know if there are other CERT trained citizens in their neighborhood. These localized CERT teams will be able to familiarize with their particular circumstances’ in their neighborhood and train together for the benefit of their communities. Accordingly, these communities will become familiar and aware of CERT resources before a major disaster impacts this region.
People who have taken CERT training are better prepared to respond to and cope with the aftermath of a disaster whether natural or manmade. Trained individuals and teams are ready to:
1. Help themselves, family and friends with immediate assistance in their neighborhoods
2. Organize spontaneous, untrained volunteers to provide needed services.
3. Collect disaster intelligence to assist professional responders who are trying to allocate limited resources.
CERT teams do not replace first responders; they are a resource until first responders arrive.
Fairfax County CERT continues to prepare citizens through training. For information on scheduling classes for your community, training and more, please visit the official Fairfax County CERT page at www.fairfaxcert.com or, contact the Fire and Rescue Department Volunteer Liaison's Office at 703-246-4683, TTY 711.
#end#

New Digital Communications Recommendations to Help Americans Prepare in Advance of an Emergency

2011-08-31T11:35:00.000-04:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2011 - Recent weather events such as Hurricane Irene, the earthquake on the East Coast and other natural disasters highlight the need for Americans to prepare for emergencies. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the American Red Cross, the Ad Council and Google Crisis Response are collaborating to launch a new preparedness web resource, Get Tech Ready, on behalf of the Ready campaign.

Released just before the start of National Preparedness Month, this new resource educates individuals and families about how using modern-day technology can help them prepare, adapt and recover from disruptions brought on by emergencies or disasters.

A recent American Red Cross survey showed that the internet, including online news sites and social media platforms, is the third most popular way for Americans to gather emergency information and let their loved ones know they are safe.

"As technology becomes more a part of our daily lives, people are turning to it during emergencies as well. We need to utilize these tools, to the best of our abilities, to engage and inform the public, because no matter how much federal, state and local officials do, we will only be successful if the public is brought in as part of the team," FEMA Administrator, W. Craig Fugate.

"During Hurricane Irene, we saw people using new technologies in many ways, whether it was thousands of people downloading our new shelter finder App or others using our Safe and Well site and social media to let their friends and family know they are OK, " said Gail McGovern, President and CEO of the American Red Cross. "People now have more varied resources available at their fingertips that they can use before, during and after emergencies."

Get Tech Ready provides Americans with tips on how to use technological resources before, during and after a crisis to communicate with loved ones and manage your financial affairs. Preparedness tips on the website include:
• Learn how to send updates via text and internet from your mobile phone to your contacts and social channels in case voice communications are not available;
• Store your important documents such as personal and financial records in the cloud or on a secure and remote area or flash or jump drive that you can keep readily available so they can be accessed from anywhere; and
• Create an Emergency Information Document using the Ready.gov Family Emergency Plan template in Google Docs or by downloading the Ready Family Emergency Plan to record your emergency plans.

"Get Tech Ready is a resource that will truly help people in the US and around the world understand how they can use widely available technology to prepare for potential crises," said Nigel Snoud, Product Manager, Google Crisis Response. "We're thrilled to be working with FEMA, the American Red Cross, and the Ad Council on this public service project."

"We are delighted to collaborate with FEMA, Google and the American Red Cross to expand our Ready messages through this new web site to educate more Americans about the vital need to get prepared in advance of an potential emergency," said Peggy Conlon, president & CEO of the Ad Council. "The web site will provide access to critical resources to Americans addressing the importance of using technology as part of their individual and family preparedness plans."

Launched in 2003, National Preparedness Month is designed to encourage Americans to take steps to prepare for emergencies throughout the year. The Ready campaign was also launched in 2003 by FEMA in partnership with the Ad Council. Since its launch, media outlets have donated more than $900 million in advertising time and space for the PSAs. The new PSAs will air in advertising time that will be entirely donated by the media.
FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
AMERICAN RED CROSS
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit http://www.redcross.org/ or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

OEM Live

2011-08-31T11:33:00.001-04:00

Good morning,

The Office of Emergency Management will host a live, call-in program, “OEM Live,” on Fairfax County Government Channel 16 on Tuesday, Sept. 6, at 7 p.m.

“OEM Live” is your opportunity to learn about National Preparedness Month and what you should do to prepare for emergencies. Find out about the county’s emergency plans, what to do in inclement weather and how to put together an emergency supply kit for your car, home or office.

Submit any questions you have about emergency preparedness in advance to wwwcpd@fairfaxcounty.gov. County residents also can call in to 703-818-1445 or email questions that night.

You may tune into Channel 16, or watch the program live on 16’s streaming video on the county website, www.fairfaxcounty.gov; click on the Channel 16 logo in the left side navigation box, or simply visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/cable/channel16/asx/live_stream.asx.

Sincerely,

Marcelo Ferreira, AEM
Community Liaison
Fairfax County
Office of Emergency Management
571-350-1013 Office
703-483-1357 Cell
marcelo.ferreira@fairfaxcounty.gov

Virginia Task Force 1 Activated

2011-08-30T07:45:00.000-04:00

News Release 11-63
Date: August 26, 2011

Virginia Task Force 1 Activated
Virginia Task Force 1 (VATF-1), Fairfax County's urban search and rescue team was activated this morning by the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, to assist in the response to the impending landfall of Hurricane Irene. The task force will consist of 76 members and four search canines, and will depart from the Training Academy, 4600 West Ox Road, Fairfax, Virginia, at approximately noon today and stage near Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

The self-contained heavy task force will consist of technical search and rescue specialists, structural engineers, physicians, paramedics, search canines, and communications and planning specialists.

Virginia Task Force 1 last deployed to Japan in response to the devastating earthquake in March of 2011.

Additionally, as part of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, the team maintains a constant operational readiness, and is a local resource for the residents of Fairfax County.

Note: Federal government pays for most costs and expenses incurred by VATF-1 when activated or when participating in training. All training, equipment, supplies, and personnel are paid for by the federal government on a regular basis. Additionally, when firefighters and members are deployed, there is no loss in emergency service or response to county residents, as minimum staffing continues for all emergency apparatus for all stations within the county.

A letter from our county executive about Hurricane Irene

2011-08-26T15:54:00.002-04:00

From: Griffin, Anthony H.
Sent: Friday, August 26, 2011 2:00 PM
To: All Fairfax County
Subject: Hurricane Irene

With the approach of Hurricane Irene, I wanted to update you on what the county is doing to prepare, as well as encourage you to make preparations for you and your family.

The county’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is monitoring the National Weather Service forecast and hurricane track, and is in regular communications with NWS staff about Hurricane Irene and potential impacts on the county. OEM held a webinar yesterday with county agencies and is providing regular updates to them on the situation. OEM also plans to staff the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) this weekend to coordinate the county’s response to the storm.

County agencies are also currently reviewing their continuity of operations and staffing plans in case any response is needed this weekend, as well as checking critical equipment and infrastructure.

While the county is doing all it can to protect our critical infrastructure and our residents, I also encourage you to make sure that you and your family are prepared. If you haven’t yet done so, assemble an emergency preparedness kit – or update your current kit – for your home, office and car. Your kit should include essential items to last at least three days such as a battery-powered radio and extra batteries, food, water, flashlights, a first-aid kit, blankets and medications.

Make a communications plan for your family. Many of us had a hard time making or receiving telephone calls on Tuesday following the earthquake. Consider telling your friends and family you are okay via text, email, Twitter, Facebook and other social media and avoid calling by phone. Also, decide on a meeting place in case you cannot return home and designate an out-of-town friend or relative as a point-of-contact. A great resource to help with your plan is the new Northern Virginia emergency planner at www.readynova.org, a joint effort of the Northern Virginia emergency management agencies.

And finally, stay informed. Monitor local media and the NWS forecasts. Get emergency updates from the county’s new emergency blog at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/emergency/blog. And be sure to sign up for Community Emergency Alert Network (CEAN) alerts. Our OEM office will issue critical life safety and protective action notifications through CEAN, so you’ll want to make sure that you and every member of your family is signed up to receive those alerts, by email, text and pager.

I am sure that through the collaborative efforts of all of us that we will weather this upcoming storm with flying colors. I continue to be impressed by the talent of Fairfax County’s workforce and appreciate your dedication to providing the highest level of service to the residents of Fairfax County.

Tony Griffin

New Emergency Information Blog

2011-08-25T16:20:00.001-04:00

Today, Fairfax County launches a new emergency information blog in an effort to publish information more quickly and in user-friendly, shareable ways.
This will be the County's primary way to share emergency information that you may have previously found on a fairfaxcounty.gov web page. You can subscribe to blog updates by email, RSS or boommarking their site on your full browser or mobile device. There are other ways to stay informed based on tools you may already use:

We ask that you help us share the information you’re reading with your social networks, family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and others. We recognize the valuable role social media plays in today’s information age and we want you to help us, especially in times of preparedness, response and recovery.

The URL for the new Fairfax County Emergency Information Blog is http://fairfaxcountyemergency.wordpress.com/. Please help spread the word!

Virginians need to prepare for Hurricane Irene

2011-08-24T16:25:00.000-04:00

Virginians need to prepare for Hurricane Irene
RICHMOND, VA Virginians need to prepare now for Hurricane Irene, which is forecasted to be a Category 2 hurricane as it passes near the Virginia coast on Saturday and Sunday. Irene has the potential to bring flooding to the eastern part of the state; winds could reach at least 39 mph west of Interstate 95 and up to 95 mph in the Hampton Roads area.
Irenes path is not certain, and a small change in the track could bring different impacts, said Michael Cline, state coordinator for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. Virginia state agencies are getting ready for the storm, and so should residents.
It is important for Virginians, especially those living in the Hampton Roads region, to pay close attention to the storm, find out if they are at risk for storm surge and review their evacuation, shelter and pet plans.
Irene is a large, wide storm, and residents should pay attention to the extent of the storm, not the path or location of the eye.
There are no evacuation orders in effect for any part of Virginia, and there are no plans for a regional evacuation. Localized evacuations could be ordered for low-lying areas.
Local governments will open shelters if they are needed and in areas that are safe for residents. If shelters are opened, local governments will announce their locations.
Residents should listen to their local media and local officials for instructions.

A series of videos are available online to help families understand storm surge (the reason for evacuations). The videos are available at http://www.youtube.com/vaemergency. A list of needed emergency supplies and maps of storm surge areas and evacuation routes can be found at http://www.vaemergency.gov/.

Glad We had CERT training, doesn't seem so silly now does it

2011-08-24T08:56:00.002-04:00

Morning fellow CERT members! After yesterday's 5.8 earthquake here in Virginia, I'm feeling some validation. Some of our friends and family that had viewed our CERT training and emergency preparedness as silly (Let the Professionals handle it), had problems getting a hold of officials right away.

I would like you to email me your experience's from yesterday where your CERT training was able to help you or you were able to help others. I will post them here. If you would like to be anonymous let me know in the email.
Thanks,

CERT Preparation for Hurricane Irene

2011-08-23T14:39:00.001-04:00

Following Hurricane Isabel, Fairfax County experienced a number of difficulties with critical infrastructure, and many families were left less prepared than they needed to be for the loss of water, power, and fuel for several days. Today, Hurricane Irene is a Category 2 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, but she is expected to strengthen over the next 48 hours, and may be classified as a major hurricane tomorrow. CERT members should begin acting now to prepare themselves and their neighborhoods for the arrival of the storm. While it is far too early to know what, if any, impact Irene may have, the storm is tracking to arrive in the national capital Region by Sunday. It's important to start planning now, so that members are not caught off guard because stores may run short of necessary supplies in the period immediately prior to or after the storm's arrival. CERT members can do these things this week: - Tuesday and Wednesday - Make sure you have your issued gear and tools assembled and ready - Wednesday/Thursday/Friday/Saturday - Find out where the vulnerabilities are in your neighborhood for high water and make a plan for alternate travel routes to safely avoid roads that flood during regular storms, as well as roads that flooded during the storm when Isabel happened, in the event you must evacuate your home. Consider taking photos of your home and vehicles this week to use in documenting property losses should they occur. Charge your digital camera, and buy batteries if you have a standard camera, for use following the storm's departure - Wednesday/Thursday/Friday - Stock up on dry goods, bottled water, and essential medications for your family members and your pets. Assemble extra dry clean clothing so that they are readily available to take with you if you must evacuate, or to have on hand if access to regular services is lost - Thursday/Friday/Saturday - Check all of your vehicles for proper operating condition and top off your fuel in all of them. If power is lost, gas stations cannot dispense any product, and that could be critical if you need to travel. All chain saws should be checked and run, and necessary oil/fuel mixes prepared before Saturday to assure they are available when needed. If necessary, chains should be sharpened before the weekend, too. - Wednesday/Thursday/Friday/Saturday - Develop a family emergency plan that provides for the safety and protection of family members and pets who may be with or without their CERT volunteer once the storm arrives. The website www.ready.gov offers good guidance. CERT members should consider alternate locations away from the region where they could send their families if needed for better shelter or as a rendezvous point should volunteers become separated from their families. This may seem like a lot of activity for something we aren't sure will happen, but consider this: A weekend storm landing means some of the infrastructure resources you might need may not be available, or may not open after the storm arrives to be of help; but remember, we still have 3 full months of hurricane season beyond August to prepare for and it's likely that even if this storm misses us, others will not. We can use this as a live exercise. John S. "Pete" KirbyAssistant Fire ChiefCentreville Volunteer Fire Department.

Hurricane Preparedness

2011-08-23T13:36:00.005-04:00

Folks,
This email went out to all the CERT members about an hour ago-I'm reposting it to ensure that everyone gets it.
Thanks,
Terry

Dear CERTs,

Following Hurricane Isabel, Fairfax County experienced a number of difficulties with critical infrastructure, and many families were left less prepared than they needed to be for the loss of water, power, and fuel for several days. Today, Hurricane Irene is a Category 2 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, but she is expected to strengthen over the next 48 hours, and may be classified as a major hurricane tomorrow.

CERT members should begin acting now to prepare themselves and their neighborhoods for the arrival of the storm. While it is far too early to know what, if any, impact Irene may have, the storm is tracking to arrive in the national capital Region by Sunday, August 27th. It's important to start planning now, so that members are not caught off guard because stores may run short of necessary supplies in the period immediately prior to or after the storm's arrival. CERT members can do these things this week:

Tuesday and Wednesday

Make sure you have your issued gear and tools assembled and ready

Wednesday/Thursday/Friday/Saturday-

Find out where the vulnerabilities are in your neighborhood for high water and make a plan for alternate travel routes to safely avoid roads that flood during regular storms, as well as roads that flooded during the storm when Isabel happened, in the event you must evacuate your home.

Consider taking photos of your home and vehicles this week to use in documenting property losses should they occur. Charge your digital camera, and buy batteries if you have a standard camera, for use following the storm's departure

Wednesday/Thursday/Friday-

Stock up on dry goods, bottled water, and essential medications for your family members and your pets. Assemble extra dry, clean clothing so that they are readily available to take with you if you must evacuate, or to have on hand if access to regular services is lost

Thursday/Friday/Saturday-

Check all of your vehicles for proper operating condition and top off your fuel in all of them. If power is lost, gas stations cannot dispense any product, and that could be critical if you need to travel.
All chain saws should be checked and run, and necessary oil/fuel mixes prepared before Saturday to assure they are available when needed. If necessary, chains should be sharpened before the weekend, too.

Wednesday/Thursday/Friday/Saturday-

Develop a family emergency plan that provides for the safety and protection of family members and pets who may be with or without their CERT volunteer once the storm arrives. The website www.ready.gov offers good guidance.

CERT members should consider alternate locations away from the region where they could send their families if needed for better shelter or as a rendezvous point should volunteers become separated from their families.

This may seem like a lot of activity for something we aren't sure will happen, but consider this: A weekend storm landing means some of the infrastructure resources you might need may not be available, or may not open after the storm arrives to be of help; but remember, we still have 3 full months of hurricane season beyond August to prepare for and it's likely that even if this storm misses us, others will not. We can use this as a live exercise.

John S. "Pete" Kirby

Assistant Fire Chief

Centreville Volunteer Fire Department/Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department

BSA Disaster Camporee 15-16 October 2011- Need 30 + CERT 2's --HEADS -UP--

2011-08-19T16:36:00.005-04:00

30 Plus CERT 2 members needed for this BSA Disaster Camporee. Its to be held at the Fairfax county Fire and Rescue Academy on Saturday 15 October thru Sunday 16 October.
Basically everyone will arrive before 9am and a CERT member will be assigned to each scout patrol (8 boys accompanied by 2 adult scout leaders). The boys will be 15 years old or better and have completed their requirement for the First Aid merit badge.
CERT member will assume his team showed up after the disaster and asked how they could help. CERT member will train the volunteer scouts at each station (search and rrescue, logistics, medical, etc.)before the scouts perform the exercise at the stations.
Each scout will earn the Emergency Perparedness merit badge and granduate as a Teen CERT.
The scouts will be staying the night at the Fire Academy, you will not.

A pre Camporee CERT briefing/refresher will be held prior to the camporee. Date and time to be announced.

Please, contact Charles Monts at scouter-cmonts@cox.net. Please, CC Terry at certainlywecan@gmail.com

We also, have the Fire house open houses that same weekend, so please be aware will may need more people for that as well.

If you haven't completed a refresher or other outreach events to satisfy you as current, this would be the events to do that..
September (National Prepredness Month) and October have tons of outreach and events like Capital Shield to support.

Thanks,

A Volunteer Opportunity for you!

2011-08-17T20:32:00.002-04:00

Folks,
This was sent out in an email to all the Fairfax County CERT members this morning. There have been some email issues; so we will repost the email here to make sure everyone gets it.
You can contact Dana if interested at dana.powers@fairfaxcounty.gov

Thanks,
Terry

Dear CERT Member:

How would you like to become a member of one of the Volunteer Fire
Departments in Fairfax County under Fire Corps? Fire Corps is one of
the sister organizations of CERT and falls under the Citizen Corps
Council. The requirements are far less demanding than becoming an
Administrative Member but you could still perform important functions.
The Greater Springfield and Vienna VFDs are looking for trained CERT
members to help with Bingo and other fundraising activities and also
assist with standby events. One of the biggest impacts you could make
would be to become qualified to drive and operate one of their canteens.
They will train you to function as a canteen operator and you could be
dispatched to fire scenes or events to provide food and drinks to
firefighters as they perform their duties. The canteens are dispatched
on two-alarm or greater fires, or incidents that are complex and of
longer duration.

The requirements are that you need to live within a 20 minute drive of
the fire station and will need to complete a background investigation.
You will also need a valid driver's license and a good driving record to
operate as a canteen driver.

If you are looking for ways to become more involved and are interested
in exploring this option, please send me an email to that effect. I
will compile a list of interested CERT members to forward on to the
volunteer chiefs from each station. I have listed the address of the
two stations below so that you can see if you meet the criteria.

Vienna VFD
400 Center Street,
Vienna, VA 22315

Greater Springfield VFD
South 7011 Backlick Road
Springfield, VA
22150

Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Dana

Dana Powers
Management Analyst II
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department
Office of the Volunteer Liaison

The Indiana State Fair Incident

2011-08-16T14:14:00.004-04:00

Thanks Mary for bringing this to my attention! This article was taken from an Emergency Management blog. GO CERT!!I don't know if these were Indiana CERT members that this article talks about as civilian responders, but it sure sounds like it.

The Indiana State Fair Incident
August 15, 2011

This past Saturday night, an outdoor stage collapsed at the Indiana State Fair, killing five and injuring approximately 50 spectators. The stage had been setup for a Sugarland concert and there had been severe weather passing through the area with very strong winds that subsequently resulted in a catastrophic failure of the stage and canopy. Even though this incident is still being investigated, there are several important lessons learned that emergency management professionals can immediately recognize and apply.

Simply stated -- this incident highlights the very fine line that we, as a society, walk between normal days and normal accidents. Charles Perrow describes “normal accidents” as the unexpected interaction between component failures in a system. In this incident, the interaction between the environment (severe weather) and technology lead to a very unexpected event -- a Black Swan Event, if you will.

As I watched and listened the events unfold via social media and public safety radio communications, there were several lessons learned that were readily apparent but here are the three most important for us to remember:

•The first responders were civilian bystanders and they did an amazing job. These people took immediate action, helped the injured, rendered first aid, and reported valuable information into “the cloud”. Each and every one of them should be commended for their selfless actions in a dangerous and chaotic scene. As emergency planners, we must recognize the importance of civilian responders in large scale disasters -- support them!•Social media played an unbelievable role sharing information. From across the country and sitting behind my computer screen, I had pictures and videos of the incident before the news media reported anything. I knew what collapsed and where, I had approximate numbers of people killed and injured, and where they were transported. I knew approximately many patients went to each hospital, which hospitals were on divert, and which hospitals were still accepting patients -- all via social media! If you have not embraced social media for emergency management use, you are only hurting yourself. Social media is an amazing resource when used appropriately and provides near real-time information on dynamic incidents -- use it!
•We cannot become complacent and fatigued when it comes to the planning process. I am not saying, however, that this occurred here but this incident should act as a reminder that we must be prepared for worst-case scenarios through exercising, collaborative planning processes, dynamic, bi-directional information sharing (both vertically and horizontally), and excellent preparedness capabilities. Like it or not, as emergency services we are all on the same team -- act like it.
Unfortunately, incidents like this happen and will continue to happen despite our best efforts to limit their occurrence and consequences. Bottom line -- thank civilian responders but give them the training and resources they need to stay prepared, embrace social media as the resource we know it is and use it, and stay open-minded when planning for the consequences of vulnerabilities and risks.

Then check this link out:
http://plcert.typepad.com/cert/2011/08/indiana-state-fair-stage-collapse.html

Refersher classes completed

2011-08-14T15:37:00.009-04:00

The last of 4 refresher classes was completed August 10 at the Fire & Rescue Academy. The four classes were 2 disaster scenarios, infection control and traffic/crowd control. The turnout for the Wednesday traffic/crowd control class was well attended with over 40 students.

Did you miss out on your annual refreshers? You can still qualify this year by helping out at our outreach events, the new upcoming classes or the final exercise.
Contact our outreach coordinator to see how you can help out.

Fort Belvoir Community Hospital needs volunteers for" Day in the Life exercises", Thursday August 18th.

2011-08-12T12:34:00.004-04:00

Folks,
If you have the time, this could be a fun and interesting exercise to participate in.
Terry

by Fort Belvoir Community Hospital

Be a part of history in the making!

Fort Belvoir Community Hospital is looking for 50 more volunteers to be fake patients during an exercise.

The goal of the Day in the Life exercises is to test patient safety, evaluate processes and indentify any issues requiring resolution before day one.

FBCH needs volunteers ages 20 to 90. Individuals can be active duty, retirees, civilians, friends and family.

Day in the Life exercises will occur Thursday Aug. 18.

Volunteers may go home after their scenario is complete. Each scenario will end intermittently throughout the day. The mock scenarios will test systems at the new hospital and involve most departments at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital.

No clinical procedures will be performed on volunteers.

Breakfast and lunch will be available for purchase.

If interested in volunteering please provide your first name, last name, email address, age, sex and dates in which you are able to volunteer to Debra Spivey at Debra.d.spivey@amedd.army.mil

Fairfax County CERT Steering Committee Meetings

2011-08-10T19:13:00.002-04:00

The Fairfax County CERT Steering Committee's next two meetings, August 16th, and September 20th, will be held in the Government Center, Conference Room 7.They will start at 1900 hours.These meetings are open to the public. All Fairfax County CERT members are most welcome.

Metro CERT Training and Final Metro CERT exercise

2011-08-08T18:10:00.002-04:00

Metro CERT training has been scheduled for the following dates. All training will be held at 600 5th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001.
The training time for each group will be 6pm to 830pm. Meet in the Lobby, of the Jackson Graham Building.
FAIRFAX: September 8, 15, and 22, 2011.
You must be CERT trained and a regular rider of Metro and will need to attend all three sessions of this course. It is also advantageous to have taken the NIMS/ICS 100, 200, and 700 training. Please send me an email with your name, date of birth, and SSN if you would like to sign up for this course. If you are uncomfortable sending this information in an email, please feel free to call me.

Also, all METRO CERT members are invited to a final voluntary METRO CERT exercise. The annual training exercise will be held on, Saturday, October 29, 2011, at 3500 Pennsy Drive, Landover, Maryland 20785. The training time, 9am to 12 pm.

Dana Powers
Management Analyst II
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department
Office of the Volunteer Liaison
703-246-4683

National Preparedness Month

2011-08-08T13:34:00.004-04:00

As part of the Community Preparedness Webinar Series put on by the Citizen Corps, on Tuesday, August 9, 2011, at 2pm there will be a webinar entitled, "National Preparedness Month Update" where you can learn about the recent updates to their website and the additional tools that have produced to help support National Preparedness Month.

Click here for more information on the webinar.
The webinar library has several topics available for on-demand listening.

National Night Out

2011-08-03T08:25:00.002-04:00

WOW!! We had four events that had CERT static displays at last night. Boy, was it HOT!! Burke Target, I hear was THE place to be last night. Middleridge had a great turn out, but our CERT table was too close to the band. At Lake Braddock the turn out was good and had 8 sign-up for classes. Their association president was very interested in having a CERT class in their community. A fellow CERT from class 23, lives in Lake Braddock and came by the CERT table. He was excited to learn that we are growing and forming local teams.
At the last minute we added Blake Lee community to our outreach effort. Thanks Jim Miller!!
Any pictures of the events from last night out there?? Send them to us and we will post them. ICs from the events last night, please email me with an after action report, would like to thank the CERT members that came out to support this Outreach event.

Would you be interested in this activity?

2011-07-28T21:06:00.004-04:00

Folks,
Our FRD volunteer liaison, Jeffrey Katz has asked me to pass this along to the CERT membership.

"We're gauging interest for current CERT members in good standing to run/staff canteen units (under the fire corps banner) at fire station #22 (Springfield) or at fire station #02 (vienna). If a CERT member is interested in possibly doing this, please have them email me at jeffrey.katz@fairfaxcounty.gov "

If you are interested in doing this (and if there is enough interest), please email Jeffrey with your name, email address, your CERT class number and a good phone number.

Thanks,
Terry

Urgent request - 4-H Fair Outreach Event 6-7 Aug

2011-07-25T10:33:00.004-04:00

We haven't received but three responses to the June 29th announcement.
We are in desparate need of volunteer to staff the CERT Outreach display and booth. \

This is a two-day event: SAT 9am -9 pm, and SUN 9am - 5 pm. We should have at least a two-person CERT representation during the core hours (11am - 3pm) each day.This is an outdoor event (under a canopy) near the stage area - expecting over 13,000 visitors.We have been given a prime location!

The 63rd Annual 4-H Fair and the Frying Pan Park Farm Show has requested CERT program participation as a special County program exhibitor.

We have not been asked to provide any 'operational support.' We will, however, be prepared to provide 'first aid' and demonstrate some CERT field medical treatment if the opportunity arises.

This community outreach event is very important and will provide high exposure of the CERT program and emergency preparedness to another segment of the community.

We will be emphasizing September as Emergency Preparedness Month.

Contact James, Outreach Coordinator and Event IC at 703-978-2035 or 703-887-1421 (c) as soon as possible.

"A Time to Remember. A Time to Prepare," Encourages Americans to Take Simple Steps to Prepare for Emergencies

2011-07-21T17:16:00.000-04:00

FEMA Encourages Americans to Participate in September’s National Preparedness Month
Eighth Annual National Preparedness Month in September: "A Time to Remember. A Time to Prepare," Encourages Americans to Take Simple Steps to Prepare for Emergencies

WASHINGTON - The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Ready Campaign, in partnership with Citizen Corps and the Ad Council, today announced the launch of new web tools that will make it easier for individuals and organizations throughout the nation to join the 2011 National Preparedness Month (NPM) coalition and pledge their support to help prepare their families, businesses and communities for emergencies of all kinds.

The eighth annual NPM will kickoff this September, using the slogan: "A Time to Remember. A Time to Prepare." The campaign seeks to transform awareness into action by encouraging all Americans to take the necessary steps to ensure that their homes, workplaces and communities are prepared for disasters and emergencies of all kinds.

"As we move forward with planning for this year's events and activities, we also recognize that this September marks the ten year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks," said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. "By doing what we can to ensure that our communities, and our nation, are prepared to respond and recover from all types of disasters and hazards, we honor the memory of those who were lost that day."

Individuals and groups can now register to become NPM coalition members by visiting http://community.fema.gov. Once registered, members have access to a toolkit that includes suggestions for activities and events, templates, articles, banners and customizable materials. Coalition members also have access to an events calendar allowing them to post and promote preparedness events, share success stories, and participate in national and regional discussion forums to engage with fellow coalition members and FEMA representatives.

By hosting events, promoting volunteer programs and sharing emergency preparedness information, coalition members can help ensure that their communities are prepared for emergencies. Becoming a coalition member is easy and free, so register now to get started. Nearly 2,000 coalition members have already joined this year's campaign.
While NPM is held each September, FEMA's Ready Campaign promotes individual emergency preparedness at home, in the workplace, and throughout America's communities throughout the year. Ready is a national campaign, produced in partnership with The Ad Council, designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to all types of emergencies, including natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks.

The Ready Campaign's websites (ready.gov and listo.gov) and toll-free numbers (1-800-BE-READY and 1-888-SE-LISTO) provide free emergency preparedness information and resources available in English and Spanish. Additionally, through FEMA's partnership with the Ad Council, public service announcements are available to increase the American public's involvement in preparedness.

###

Opportunity for Actors

2011-07-20T20:07:00.004-04:00

On August 31 Fairfax Fire and Rescue is conducting a shooter scenario incident and is looking for victim/actors of all ages (youngsters too!!!!!!). Of course we would like parent involvement on the younger victims, so this should be a family affair. The drill will be from 0800 to 1500 (3pm)and will be held at Walt Whitman Middle School. This will be primarily an EMS event but firefighters will also be utilized. This will be an awesome summer event, so don't miss it. INTERESTED? Of course you are. Contact Jessica Spear at Jessica.Spear@fairfaxcounty.gov to sign up and all the details.

CERT management committee meeting July 19th, 7:00pm

2011-07-16T09:15:00.002-04:00

Folks,
The CERT management committee will be meeting Tuesday night, July 19th at 7:00 pm. The meeting will be held at the fire academy.
The management committee meeting is (as always) open to the Fairfax County CERT membership.

Terry

Greetings from the new guy, CERT is looking for eager volunteers

2011-07-08T14:10:00.003-04:00

Hi folks!

By now you have seen the email in your inbox labelled "new CERT structure". You read it and it piqued your interest, I'm sure. Well, it's going to get even more interesting. And exciting!

By the way, for those who don't know me-I'm Terry. I'm a graduate of CERT 14, and had the honor of being Fairfax County CERT's first volunteer PIO. I got to serve for 3 years in this (at the time) new and (definitely!!) exciting position,and I got to watch the program grow like a flower. But, work got in the way and I "retired" in March of last year to pursue business interests.(IE after a year of being laid off, then suffering for a while in a lousy hourly job I got a good job again.......) I was asked to come back recently to help move our program to the next level.
As your CERT volunteer coordinator, I'm basically your new CERT "chief cook and bottlewasher". I am the person who receives requests from the fire and rescue department (FRD) Office of the Volunteer Liaison and our CERT trainers Mike, Steve and Rich. My job is to disseminate the various requests to the appropriate CERT task coordinator. I get to monitor, mentor, manage and ultimately approve the task or activity results or plan accomplished by the task coordinators. Then I run the results of that activity to the FRD and CERT trainers for final approval. In effect, I'm your connection between the volunteer CERT coordinators (and the CERT membership) and FRD entities, as well as the CERT trainers.

The next level of CERT involves a few different aims and goals, as you can see below.

1. To build a cadre of volunteer CERTs that will help make and implement decisions to make our program better. This cadre is the CERT commission; you got a copy of the coordinator job descriptions in the announcement email. These coordinators are tasked to manage various aspects of the program, with fire department guidance. These coordinators are experienced CERT members; they "know the ropes" and will help lead the program to greater heights. They are good at what they do!

2. To develop usable, useful, semi autonomous CERT teams in Fairfax County. The initial planning for the teams has already started, our teams coordinator Susy, her assistant Bob and the teams section chief Jack have come up with a geographical layout for teams in the county. This team layout works well for both emergency and non emergency CERT team duties. Attached is a copy of the map for proposed team areas. The teams will operate in your communities, folks; in both non emergency and emergency functions as needed.

3. To develop the structure and leadership for each team within the county. Our CERT teams section chief and I, along with the fire department volunteer coordinator and CERT trainers will be working on this. Ever thought about leading a CERT team; not just in drills but in real life? When the requirements are done, we will be advertising for team leaders.

4. To have a "go to" person for each function relating to teams in the county-this is your CERT commission. Each coordinator is a leader, and knows the duties of their job functions well. Each one can be a valuable source of advice and help to each team, and each team member.

5. To build the presence of CERT in Fairfax County. We all know the CERT program rocks!! Now it's time to show others just how well we "rock". Through outreach, action and activities.

6. To do more stuff! CERT is a valuable resource of trained people within Fairfax County. We can help with many different operational duties within our team boundaries. Not just setting up a CERT booth and talking CERT-how about helping with traffic at local events within your team area? Or running first aid tent duties? Running safety patrols? Or delivering doctors and nurses to hospitals when snow has made a mess of the roads? CERT IS going to "do more stuff".

7. The most important thing-to CERT train as many people as we possibly can. We have all been through the training; we know just how valuable it is. We want to be able to offer even MORE people CERT training. Look for opportunities to take CERT train the trainer courses so you can become a CERT basic trainer; come out and help at the academy classes. Remember, each person we CERT train is one less helpless victim in a disaster..........

As your CERT volunteer coordinator I promise to work day and night to achieve these goals. Our program is great and getting greater! But you know we can't do it without your help, your advice, your suggestions. Your feedback is important; CERT is YOUR program. Have an idea, have some advice; got a great suggestion? Send it to me at certainlywecan@gmail.com and I'll make sure it gets to the right coordinator. We're open-open for the business of emergency preparedness and open to new ideas!

Finally, we're looking for CERT members to fill a few vacancies in the CERT commission structure. These positions are unpaid, purely volunteer positions. These slots are open to CERT basic and CERT 2 class graduates; experience in the role is not necessary. Drive, tenacity, willingness to learn and lead; and the desire to make Fairfax County CERT the best program in the state and the country IS required........... If you want to get in on the ground floor of helping lead our CERT program, this is a perfect opportunity to learn and grow in (and with)the program.

We're looking for people in the following roles:

Assistant Operational role event coordinator
Assistant Outreach Coordinator
Assistant volunteer PIO
Assistant CERT Teams section chief
(The Teams section chief in the email that went out shows it as an open position. This is incorrect; this position has been filled by Jack from CERT 4)

Interested? Please contact us at certainlywecan@gmail.com with your name, position desired, your CERT class number and tell us a bit about yourself. Tell us about the contribution you would like to help make to the program! We'll get your "resume" to the appropriate coordinator and go from there.

Folks, Fairfax County CERT is a great program. We have grown to the point of taking CERT to a new level of professionalism, expertise and ability. We have the opportuntity, Through all of our efforts we can make this program grow even larger!

Thanks,

Terry
Fairfax County CERT
CERT volunteer coordinator

4H Fair and Frying Pan Farm Park Show (Outreach Event) August 6-7

2011-06-29T08:22:00.003-04:00

Fairfax County CERT has been requested to have a CERT booth/display at the annual 4-H Fair at the Frying Pan Farm Park on Saturday (9am -9pm) Aug 6 and Sunday (9am - 5pm) Aug 7th.

This is an interesting opportunity to reach out to another part of the community in a venue different than Celebrate Fairfax or Frostival.

We will need to staff the CERT exhibit area with at least 2 people throughout the day, possibly in 3-4 hour shifts.

Asking for someone to be in-charge of the overall event on Saturday and Sunday to coordinate with the host and make sure we are putting our best effort into this.

Will be setting up under a tent. Free parking pass available. Details forthcoming.

Contact James, OUTREACH Coordinator, for more information and to reserve a time slot.

National Night Out (August 2nd)

2011-06-29T08:05:00.004-04:00

Fairfax County CERT has been asked to provide static CERT displays/booths at community NNO events the evening of August 2nd (Tuesday) 6:00 - 9:00pm
(Middleridge, Kings Park and possibly Burke).

We will also have "ride-alongs" with several District Police stations that visit several communities throughout the evening with McRuff and several police vehicles.

These are all great opportunities to show CERT capabilities to the community associations, neighborhood watch, and build a relationship with the FCPD personnel.

Please contact Steve, our new operational role event coordinator at RiStph@aol.com ,or James (OUTREACH coordinator, at outreach@fairfaxcountycert.org) if you are interested in participating as a ride-along or at a venue in your area. From past experience this is a great evening to mix with the citizens on their turf and talk up the capabilities of the CERT program here in Fairfax County.

Victim Oppurtunity in Fairfax June 24, June 27th and June 30th.

2011-06-19T20:05:00.001-04:00

This opportunity is open to all Fairfax County CERT basic and CERT 2 class graduates.

The City of Fairfax Fire and Police Departments will be conducting training exercises for their joint Rescue Task Force (RTF) on June 24, 27, and 30. The RTF is comprised of police and fire/EMS personnel who provide immediate medical aid to those injured in a shooting. This program was developed in response to previous active shooter events like Columbine, Northern Illinois University and Virginia Tech. In those incidents many victims may have survived had they received life saving care sooner. The RTF program allows potential life saving care to be administered before the area is safe. RTF members can enter a building, render aid, remove victims while other law enforcement work to neutralize the shooter.

This is a truly heroic group of individuals that deserve all of the support we can offer. You can help by volunteering to role play at several upcoming training events. 20 volunteers are needed on each of the following days from 8am until 1pm: Friday, June 24th; Monday, June 27th; and Thursday, June 30th. The trainings will take place at a location central to the City of Fairfax and lunch will be provided. Those interested in participating must be comfortable in a stressful environment, as police and fire personnel will be wearing ballistic protection, carrying fake firearms, and treating volunteers as victims during the exercise.

To sign up, please email your availability to Matt Lyttle, Emergency Response Program Manager at Volunteer Fairfax, at mlyttle@volunteerfairfax.org. Matt will pass along additional information and answer questions as needed.

This is a chance for the community to help those that keep us safe every day. Let’s show our support!

June OEM Emergency Preparedness newsletter now available

2011-06-17T20:08:00.001-04:00

The June Emergency Preparedness newsletter from the Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management is now available online:

For past issues of the newsletter, or to refer a friend to our newsletter page, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/oem/outreach/newsletter.htm.

For more information about outreach and public education, and the latest news about emergency management, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/oem/outreach/.

Thanks for reading the Emergency Preparedness newsletter. Please let us know if we can be of assistance.

----------------------------------------------
Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management
Tel: 571-350-1000 / TTY 711
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/oem

Register for the Community Emergency Alert Network
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/cean

Emergency Information Web Page
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/emergency

Late Breaking Outreach help Request

2011-06-14T14:51:00.002-04:00

Folks,
We just got a last minute, late breaking request to have a CERT display at SAIC McLean's personal preparedness fair on Tuesday, June 21st from 11am to 2pm. The flyer for the event, with the event details are below.
We're asking if there are any CERT members out there who would like to staff this event. This is great outreach event to work; SAIC is a very large defense contractor and their employees are very in tune with the emergency preparedness message CERT promotes.
If you are interested in working this event, please contact James , our outreach coordinator ASAP at jsobecke@verizon.net or outreach@fairfaxcountycert.org .
Come out and "talk CERT" to the community!

CERT in Action from the Citizen corp website

2011-06-08T13:54:00.002-04:00

https://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/certinaction/index.shtm

here is a sample:
CERT in Action!
Oregon CERT Activated to Prepare for Tsunami
When the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami struck Japan on March 11, 2011, residents of the coastal Oregon town of Astoria were concerned that a tsunami wave would also strike their area, which lies near the mouth of the Columbia River. Bracing for the worst, area fire department personnel advised people in low-lying areas of the possible inundation zone to move to higher ground. The Astoria CERT was activated at 5:30 AM to stage a relocation center for anyone who responded to these warnings.

A dozen CERT members from Astoria and neighboring towns Lewis and Clark reported to a local elementary school to set up a tsunami shelter. They brewed coffee and prepared food for the firefighters who had been up all night trying to warn people to relocate, as well as for citizens who came to weather a possible tsunami wave. The CERT staged these activities from its "CERTmobile" a former ambulance that not only has food-preparation space, but also holds emergency equipment, including chainsaws, generators, floodlights, traffic signs, and radios for all law enforcement and amateur radio channels. The CERT coordinators kept in constant contact with amateur radio operators observing conditions along the coast.The CERT members staffed the post until it became clear later that morning that their area would not be hit by the tsunami, although parts of the southern Oregon and northern California coasts were damaged.

"We were really, really fortunate that the waves were minimal," said Dorothy Davidson, who, with her husband Bill, shares leadership of the Astoria CERT. However, Davidson noted that the tsunami had an unanticipated benefit for her team: her CERT events have been unusually well-attended since March. "A horrible situation turned out to be a blessing," said Davidson. "It reinforced the idea that a distant event could affect [local residents]."

Even though the tsunami did not reach her community, Davidson was glad her CERT was ready in the event of a tragedy. "We're calling people at 5:30 in the morning, and they actually come; that says a lot," noted Davidson. "That's volunteerism at its best."

Disasters can get personal..Tornadoes in Western MASS

2011-06-02T07:25:00.003-04:00

Tornadoes hit my hometown (Westfield, MA) last night. Neighboring cities of Springfield and West Springfield had deaths from the tornadoes that touched down there.
http://interactives.wwlp.com/photomojo/gallery/424/20/tornado-damage/tornado-damage/

CERT at the Fair Oaks Ambulance Chase AND Viva Vienna

2011-05-30T09:58:00.007-04:00

Hi folks,
This weekend a number of Fairfax County CERTs participated in two large operational role events-the Fair Oaks VFD 5k Ambulance Chase and the Viva Vienna festival.
The CERTs were course marshalls during the 5k run; keeping the runners on the proper course and maintaining route safety. James from CERT 32, our outreach coordinator was the IC for this event. Great job folks!!!!!!!!!

At Viva Vienna, CERTs are helping with event security, doing safety patrols and telling others about our great CERT program, through the use of a very large outreach display and CERT's talking to the public about the program. Charles from CERT 12 is doing a great job at this event; thanks to all of those who are participating!!!!!!

Looks like fun, doesn't it? It IS fun-and serves a hugely useful purpose to the community. Ever said, "Gee I wish I could do something like this". If your'e a Fairfax County CERT member, YOU CAN!!!
The nice thing is that there are two more events coming up where CERTs CAN help-the Herndon Town Festival, which takes place next weekend; and the Celebrate Fairfax festival which comes up the weekend of June 10-12th. CERT members will be helping with many duties at both events; including child registration station duties, lost child operations and first aid station support.
If you are interested in helping at either upcoming event; contact the IC's for the events. I'm sure they would enjoy the help; I'm sure you will enjoy working the events!

For the Herndon Festival, contact Lani from CERT 4 at onyxarcher@cs.com .

For Celebrate Fairfax, contact Robin from CERT 29 at robinjenks@yahoo.com

Thanks and a big "YOU ROCK" to those who helped at these events.

Terry

Volunteers needed for the Fair Oaks VFD Ambulance Chase 5k run!

2011-05-21T09:37:00.002-04:00

Fair Oaks Ambulance Chase Run, Saturday May 28
at the Fairfax County Government Center
12035 Government Center Parkway Fairfax, VA 22035

We will be providing race course safety and traffic control at key points of the race.

We need at least 8 CERTs to be at the Government Center at 7:30am for a short “traffic control” class and task briefing.

The only CERT gear needed is your helmet (and FRS radio if you have one)

We will use the Fairfax County CERT lime yellow traffic vests, these will be issued at to you at the site.

We will be finished with our duty at 11:00am

James, our outreach coordinator is IC for the event– please contact directly at 703-887-1421 or email at outreach@fairfaxcountycert.org

James

NOAA hurricane outlook indicates an above-normal Atlantic season

2011-05-19T15:01:00.000-04:00

The Atlantic basin is expected to see an above-normal hurricane season this year, according to the seasonal outlook issued by NOAA's Climate Prediction Center - a division of the National Weather Service.

Across the entire Atlantic Basin for the six-month season, which begins June 1, NOAA is predicting the following ranges this year:
• 12 to 18 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which:
• 6 to 10 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including:
• 3 to 6 major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of 111 mph or higher)

Each of these ranges has a 70 percent likelihood, and indicate that activity will exceed the seasonal average of 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes.

"The United States was fortunate last year. Winds steered most of the season's tropical storms and all hurricanes away from our coastlines," said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. "However we can't count on luck to get us through this season. We need to be prepared, especially with this above-normal outlook."

Climate factors considered for this outlook are:
• The continuing high activity era. Since 1995, the tropical multi-decadal signal has brought ocean and atmospheric conditions conducive for development in sync, leading to more active Atlantic hurricane seasons.
• Warm Atlantic Ocean water. Sea surface temperatures where storms often develop and move across the Atlantic are up to two degrees Fahrenheit warmer-than-average.
• La Niña, which continues to weaken in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, is expected to dissipate later this month or in June, but its impacts such as reduced wind shear are expected to continue into the hurricane season.

"In addition to multiple climate factors, seasonal climate models also indicate an above-normal season is likely, and even suggest we could see activity comparable to some of the active seasons since 1995," said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.

NOAA's seasonal hurricane outlook does not predict where and when any of these storms may hit. Landfall is dictated by weather patterns in place at the time the storm approaches. For each storm, NOAA's National Hurricane Center forecasts how these weather patterns affect the storm track, intensity and landfall potential.

"The tornadoes that devastated the South and the large amount of flooding we've seen this spring should serve as a reminder that disasters can happen anytime and anywhere. As we move into this hurricane season it's important to remember that FEMA is just part of an emergency management team that includes the entire federal family, state, local and tribal governments, the private sector and most importantly the public," said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate.

"Now is the time, if you haven't already, to get your plan together for what you and your family would do if disaster strikes. Visit ready.gov to learn more. And if you're a small business owner, visit http://www.ready.gov/business to ensure that your business is prepared for a disaster," added Fugate.

Hurricane impacts are not limited to the coastline; strong winds and flooding rainfall often pose a threat across inland areas along with the risk for tornadoes.

Next week, May 22-28, is national Hurricane Preparedness Week. To help prepare residents of hurricane-prone areas, NOAA is unveiling a new set of video and audio public service announcements featuring NOAA hurricane experts and the FEMA administrator that are available in both English and Spanish. These are available at http://www.hurricanes.gov/prepare.

Zombie Apocalypse is just one of the hazards we prepare for

2011-05-19T11:57:00.001-04:00

There are all kinds of emergencies out there that we can prepare for. Take a zombie apocalypse for example. That’s right, I said z-o-m-b-i-e a-p-o-c-a-l-y-p-s-e. You may laugh now, but when it happens you’ll be happy you read this, and hey, maybe you’ll even learn a thing or two about how to prepare for a real emergency.

A Brief History of Zombies
We’ve all seen at least one movie about flesh-eating zombies taking over (my personal favorite is Resident Evil), but where do zombies come from and why do they love eating brains so much? The word zombie comes from Haitian and New Orleans voodoo origins. Although its meaning has changed slightly over the years, it refers to a human corpse mysteriously reanimated to serve the undead. Through ancient voodoo and folk-lore traditions, shows like the Walking Dead were born.

A couple dressed as zombies - Danny Zucco and Sandy Olsson from the movie Grease walking in the annual Toronto Zombie Walk.
In movies, shows, and literature, zombies are often depicted as being created by an infectious virus, which is passed on via bites and contact with bodily fluids. Harvard psychiatrist Steven Schoolman wrote a (fictional) medical paper on the zombies presented in Night of the Living Dead and refers to the condition as Ataxic Neurodegenerative Satiety Deficiency Syndrome caused by an infectious agent. The Zombie Survival Guide identifies the cause of zombies as a virus called solanum. Other zombie origins shown in films include radiation from a destroyed NASA Venus probe (as in Night of the Living Dead), as well as mutations of existing conditions such as prions, mad-cow disease, measles and rabies.

The rise of zombies in pop culture has given credence to the idea that a zombie apocalypse could happen. In such a scenario zombies would take over entire countries, roaming city streets eating anything living that got in their way. The proliferation of this idea has led many people to wonder “How do I prepare for a zombie apocalypse?”

Well, we’re here to answer that question for you, and hopefully share a few tips about preparing for real emergencies too!

Better Safe than Sorry

Some of the supplies for your emergency kit.
So what do you need to do before zombies…or hurricanes or pandemics for example, actually happen? First of all, you should have an emergency kit in your house. This includes things like water, food, and other supplies to get you through the first couple of days before you can locate a zombie-free refugee camp (or in the event of a natural disaster, it will buy you some time until you are able to make your way to an evacuation shelter or utility lines are restored). Below are a few items you should include in your kit, for a full list visit the CDC Emergency page.

•Water (1 gallon per person per day)
•Food (stock up on non-perishable items that you eat regularly)
•Medications (this includes prescription and non-prescription meds)
•Tools and Supplies (utility knife, duct tape, battery powered radio, etc.)
•Sanitation and Hygiene (household bleach, soap, towels, etc.)
•Clothing and Bedding (a change of clothes for each family member and blankets)
•Important documents (copies of your driver’s license, passport, and birth certificate to name a few)
•First Aid supplies (although you’re a goner if a zombie bites you, you can use these supplies to treat basic cuts and lacerations that you might get during a tornado or hurricane)
Once you’ve made your emergency kit, you should sit down with your family and come up with an emergency plan. This includes where you would go and who you would call if zombies started appearing outside your door step. You can also implement this plan if there is a flood, earthquake, or other emergency.

Family members meeting by their mailbox. You should pick two meeting places, one close to your home and one farther away.
1.Identify the types of emergencies that are possible in your area. Besides a zombie apocalypse, this may include floods, tornadoes, or earthquakes. If you are unsure contact your local Red Cross chapter for more information. Family members meeting by their mailbox. You should pick two meeting places, one close to your home and one farther away
2.Pick a meeting place for your family to regroup in case zombies invade your home…or your town evacuates because of a hurricane. Pick one place right outside your home for sudden emergencies and one place outside of your neighborhood in case you are unable to return home right away.
3.Identify your emergency contacts. Make a list of local contacts like the police, fire department, and your local zombie response team. Also identify an out-of-state contact that you can call during an emergency to let the rest of your family know you are ok.
4.Plan your evacuation route. When zombies are hungry they won’t stop until they get food (i.e., brains), which means you need to get out of town fast! Plan where you would go and multiple routes you would take ahead of time so that the flesh eaters don’t have a chance! This is also helpful when natural disasters strike and you have to take shelter fast.
Never Fear – CDC is Ready

Get a Kit, Make a Plan, Be Prepared
If zombies did start roaming the streets, CDC would conduct an investigation much like any other disease outbreak. CDC would provide technical assistance to cities, states, or international partners dealing with a zombie infestation. This assistance might include consultation, lab testing and analysis, patient management and care, tracking of contacts, and infection control (including isolation and quarantine). It’s likely that an investigation of this scenario would seek to accomplish several goals: determine the cause of the illness, the source of the infection/virus/toxin, learn how it is transmitted and how readily it is spread, how to break the cycle of transmission and thus prevent further cases, and how patients can best be treated. Not only would scientists be working to identify the cause and cure of the zombie outbreak, but CDC and other federal agencies would send medical teams and first responders to help those in affected areas (I will be volunteering the young nameless disease detectives for the field work).

Turn Around, Don't Drown

2011-05-18T20:55:00.003-04:00

With all the flood watches and warning for this area, I thought this would be very good advice.

CERT CON 2011 June 10-12, 2011 is now FREE!!!

2011-05-12T10:25:00.000-04:00

The National Capital Region will be holding a regional CERT conference, hosted by Montgomery County, Maryland, June 10-12, 2011..
If you would like to view the PDF flyer for more info, please email me and I will sent it.. Blogger does not let me up PDF files.

The position for the CERT Coordinator has been posted to the State Job Listing

2011-05-10T06:44:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

The position for the CERT Coordinator has been posted to the State Job Listing.

It can be viewed at http://jobs.agencies.virginia.gov/applicants/Central?quickFind=130400.

Please pass on to anyone who might be interested. It will be posted for one week.

Have a nice weekend!

Linda RubinCitizen CorpS Program ManagerVirginia Department of Emergency Management10501 Trade CourtRichmond, VA 23236-3713
I telework on FridayOffice (804) 897-9789Mobile (804) 840-4771Fax (804) 897-6506linda.rubin@vdem.virginia.gov

It's Better To Be CERT Than SORRY!

Disaster Training Opportunities Available to the Public

2011-05-06T09:18:00.000-04:00

The Community Preparedness Webinar Series presents..
Disaster Training Opportunities Available to the Public
Join us Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 2 p.m. EDT/1 CDT/12 MDT/11 PST
CLICK HERE TO FOR MORE INFO AND TO ACCESS THE WEBINAR
In times of disaster, a trained and informed public is better prepared to protect themselves, their families, their workplace and their neighbors. This webinar will showcase several disaster training resources that are available in communities across the nation. FEMA recognizes that it takes a “whole community” approach to meet the needs of the public before, during and after a disaster. Learn how your community can train and educate its citizens to be better prepared and involved in your community’s disaster response and recovery efforts.
Join us for brief presentations by representatives from the American Red Cross, the Community Emergency Response Team program, ARRL National Association for Amateur Radio (Ham Radio operators), Medical Reserve Corps, Meals on Wheels, HandsOn Network, Fire Corps, USAonWatch Neighborhood Watch program, Volunteers in Police Service, SkyWarn and more!
Sincerely,
The National Office of Citizen Corps

WMATA training or METRO CERT training

2011-05-04T09:57:00.002-04:00

Put this on your calendar Folks!!
We will be holding another WMATA training on September 8, 15 and 22,2011. Also,all METRO CERT members are invited to a final voluntary METRO CERT exercise on October 29. Please, contact Dana Powers if you are interested in the training and/or the final exercise. dana.powers@fairfaxcounty.gov