February 14, 2023
Happy Valentine's Day! A lot has happened since our last newsletter in December. The County has been struck with torrential rains, floods, landslides, power outages, roads collapsing, and extremely high surf. We have pulled out our chainsaws, fired up our generators, and helped our neighbors. What a month! And a great reminder about why so many of us have taken CERT Basic and continue to practice and learn new skills.

In this newsletter you can find information about upcoming classes for both CERTs and the general public. You can read about one of our activations this month and learn how many neighborhoods kept in touch using MURS radios. You can also meet our new CERT graduates, so determined that they all showed up on Super Bowl Sunday for their final class!

For CERT members we have a number of continuing education classes including group sessions where we will work together on FEMA's IS 100 and 200 classes and a class focused on children's reactions to disasters. We have a sneak peak at the coming CERT National Conference which will be held in the San Francisco Bay Area!

Take care, stay safe.

Joyce Smith, editor
Kudos to the Super Bowl class of 2023!
Staying in Touch When Phones Don't Work
By Dawn Mackey, Bonny Doon CERT

As odd as it may seem, not everyone finds radio use fun and interesting. Almost everyone does recognize the importance of emergency communication. Recently more and more people are finding that the cell phones and land lines they rely on do not always work in an emergency or disaster. This is particularly the case in areas where cell service is not directly available anyway and people rely on technology to create their connectivity. When the power and internet go out, what can they do? This is where neighborhood radio teams come in handy.
Editor’s note: If interested in purchasing a MURS radio, the CERT Auxiliary has radios for sale at a discounted cost.  Currently, the price is $60. Please email the CERT Auxiliary for more information.

Deployment Cooperation
By Karen Corscadden, CERT, ARES, Ham KM6SV

At the very northern edge of Santa Cruz County, off of Highway 1, is an area called Whitehouse Canyon. On Jan 2, 2023, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office (SO) determined that the single road leading into Whitehouse Canyon (Whitehouse Canyon Road) would likely wash out in the next storm. Facing staffing limitations, SO asked for assistance from the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) to notify this area that they were being issued an evacuation order to begin at 5pm on Jan 3.

CERT was, rightfully, concerned that communications would be very difficult in the area. So CERT reached out to Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) for assistance with communications, and also to inquire if we had anyone with a vehicle appropriate for the road that needed to be traversed (4x4).

After getting the request from CERT, and disseminating it to our membership, ARES leadership thought that Equine Evac might have more people with vehicles appropriate for the road. Also, of concern, what if there were animals in the area needing evacuation assistance?

After being contacted by ARES, Equine Evac reached out to contacts that they had in the area and determined that there were indeed some animals in need of evacuation. Specifically one horse and several pygmy goats.

CERT came up with a plan to get a vehicle into the area to deliver evacuation notices. Equine Evac came up with a plan to evacuate the livestock. One horse owner walked her horse over 3 miles to meet the trailer, as road conditions meant a horse trailer could not make it all the way in. And ARES came up with a communications plan to support both activities.

SAVE THE DATE!
2023 National CERT Conference
Registration Fee Required

Below is information we received regarding the National CERT Conference. Several Santa Cruz County CERT members attended the conference in 2019 in San Diego, including Catherine Green, Joyce Smith, Mary Edmund and Doreen O'Donovan (who also attended in Galveston with LizAnne Jensen in 2022). Ask your fellow CERTs about their experiences. It is a great opportunity for training and connections.
June 29-July 1, 2023 in San Francisco, CA
(pre-conference June 26-28. 2023)

The National CERT Association (NCA) is excited to announce that the 2023 National CERT Conference will be held in the San Francisco. California (technically just south of San Francisco), Thursday, June 29 through Saturday, July 1, 2023. (pre-conference training Monday, June 26 through Wednesday, June 28). You can sign up for the 2023 National CERT email list here: Signing up for the email list will ensure that you receive conference updates.

Registration $550, plus $150 for pre-conference training (June 26-28)
Hotel $140/night, Hyatt Regency SFO
A number of reduced-price registrations will be available for CERT volunteers that are covering their own costs to attend the conference. Information regarding the discounted registrations will be available at a later date.
Conference registration will open in early 2023.

  • Pre-Conference Training including Train the Trainer in English and Spanish
  • CERT Exercise, Rodeo, and Hands-on Training
  • Main Conference Plenary
  • Second Day Plenary
  • Breakout Presentations
  • Networking Activities
  • Challenge Coin and Conference T-shirt

Thanks for the summary Catherine! For more information, click here.
Stop the Bleed Training - Open to ALL!
What stops bleeding?
In STOP THE BLEED you’ll learn three quick techniques to help save a life before someone bleeds out:
1. How to use your hands to apply pressure to a wound
2. How to pack a wound to control bleeding
3. How to correctly apply a tourniquet.
Three simple techniques learned with life-like training aids that “bleed” will empower you to assist in an emergency and potentially save a life.
Class limited to 16 participants
Sunday, March 19 or
Saturday, April 15
10 til noon

This class is open to CERTs and non-CERTs alike. Per CERT Auxiliary policy, proof of Covid vaccination is required. Covid booster(s) required to remove mask inside.

Upcoming CERT Basic class
When the Next Disaster Strikes Will You Know What to Do?
Search and Rescue practice
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Basic Training Course prepares you to help yourself and others at home and in your community in the event of a catastrophic disaster such as a wildland fire or an earthquake. Because first responders will not be able to help everyone immediately, CERT training can help you stay safe, save lives, and protect property.  You will learn what to do on your own, in your neighborhood, and how to help others as part of a CERT team. During the class, through lectures and hands-on practice, you learn about topics such as:
  • Disaster Preparedness
  • How CERT Operates
  • Disaster Medicine and Triage
  • Disaster Psychology
  • Fire and Utility Safety
  • Simple Search and Rescue
  • Terrorism and CERT. (No, we do NOT respond to Terrorism)

Our next class will run over 3 weekend days: Saturday, March 18, Saturday, March 25, and Sunday April 2nd in Live Oak. For more information and to sign up, CLICK HERE. Then choose the tab for the In-person March/April class. Don't forget to click on Submit after you have entered your information.
Advanced Trainings for CERTs
IS 100/200: Let's Work on These Together!
Struggling to complete the Santa Cruz County CERT-required FEMA IS-100 and IS-200 courses?

We are trying an experiment with a different way of completing these required courses. The FEMA course slides will be projected on large screen and as a group we will complete the required course. This offers students a chance to ask questions and get additional information to have a clearer understanding of the Incident Command System (ICS). 

Students bring their personal computers and will then take the required test independently. It is required that you set up a FEMA Student ID prior to attending. Go to https://cdp.dhs.gov/FEMASID to set up.

Location: Central Fire #1, Live Oak
Presenters: Mary Edmund, CERT Auxiliary Director
JoMarie Faulkerson, Deputy Operations Chief

Click here to register. Then click on the IS 100/200 tab.
Don't forget to click on Submit after you have entered your information.

Disaster Psychology for Children
Children and adolescents are not little adults. When a disaster strikes, children and adolescents are at risk of experiencing extreme stress. They are less likely to understand what is going on, have any idea of how to stay safe, and they are less likely to feel as if they have any control of what is going on. Because of this, children and adolescents are at greater risk of experiencing trauma when a disaster happens. In this presentation, we will discuss some ideas about how to support children and adolescents in case of a disaster.

When: Monday, March 27th, 7 - 8:30 pm
Location: Via Zoom. Link will be sent upon registration
Presenter: Laura Vroman, LCSW and La Selva Beach CERT

Click here to register. Then click on the Disaster Psychology for Children tab. Don't forget to click on Submit after you have entered your information. 
Portable Solar Batteries - Pros and Cons
solar_panel_family.jpg
Portable solar batteries are useful in emergencies when conventional power is lost. These convenient power sources can be re-charged using portable solar panels, a wall outlet, or an automobile lighter socket. The presenter will share experiences with 500, 1000, 1500 and 2000 Watt-hour batteries from a typical manufacturer. These setups will be available for attendees to inspect while their features and limitations are discussed.

When: Sunday, May 21st, 1:30 to 3 pm
Location: Seacliff area, specific address will be provided in reminder notice.
Presenter: John Horvath, Seacliff CERT

Click here to register. Then click on the Portable Solar tab. Don't forget to click on Submit after you have entered your information. 

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Help Wanted!
The CERT Auxiliary is looking for someone interested in assisting and eventually taking over the job of managing the Continuing Education classes for Santa Cruz County CERTs.

This person should have experience with our Continuing Education program, having attended a number over the years, have familiarity with CERT policy and procedures, and have a willingness to volunteer their time to strengthen the CERT program.
In Memoriam
We lost two of our CERTs this winter. Caroline Elam of Scotts Valley CERT and a Ham radio operator K16LJN, and Will Roblin of the Seacliff Team. One of Caroline's CERT support activities was through her role as a Board member of Highland Park Senior Center, helping us use the facility for our November CERT class.

Our condolences to Caroline’s and Will's families and friends. They will be missed.
We are dependent on grants and donations to keep the program running. Please consider a donation! We thank you in advance.