Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 2/8/11

Good morning, here is the news:

*******MIRA MESA*********

Team Meeting— This Thursday, starting at 6:00, my house 10125 Baffin Drive.  If you need driving directions, contact me directly.  Please bring an FRS radio if you have one.  Don't forget to pull it out and charge it before the drill (how about today?)  Bring the manual also if you can find it.  We'll get some practice on the basics; sending, receiving, changing channels etc.  Come anyway if you don't have a radio, you can borrow one for the drill.  Next month we are going to do this out in the field to see how well our radios do, so if you need some practice, or have never actually used the thing, please plan to join us this Thursday.  If we finish early, we will review utility shutoff.  We'll be doing this in my garage, and as always chairs at my place are in short supply, if you have something you can EASILY bring, schlep it along (leave the Barcalounger at home).

*******BATTALION 5**********

Continuing Education—This just posted, but it is coming up soon.  Thursday, 17 February, down at the NTC, starting at 6:00pm.  Family Preparedness with Brian Kidwell. If you've never seen Brian, and even if you have, try to make this one.   His command of the subject material is truly amazing.  We all know that our first duty in a true emergency is to ourselves and our families. This is where you can go to learn what you need to know.  Sign up here:

https://apps.sandiego.gov/ereg/cert/courses.php?grp=Continuing+Education+Opportunities

Trust me, this one will fill FAST.  If you want/need to go, sign up today.  Sponsored by Battalion 6.

Continuing Education—This one has been on the site for some time now, but Beach Team only sign-up.  It opens for the rest of us TOMORROW, so please wait until then to sign up.  Sunday, 20 February, 9am—1pm, down at the NTC.  We don't have much more than that.  It is billed as a "learning exercise" and "not for everyone".  Probably involves rescue techniques, but I'm guessing here, the surprise is part of the training experience.  I really don't think that anyone should be scared by the advertising, but you probably want to avoid this one if you are currently mending a broken leg or something similar.  You don't really know what your limits will be in a real emergency if you don't test them.  Go here to sign up:

https://apps.sandiego.gov/ereg/cert/courses.php?grp=Continuing+Education+Opportunities

Continuing Education, Volunteering and Your Taxes— The first class is already full, if you are waiting on this one, don't.  The open class is 26 March, 9am—11am down at NTC.  Malcolm Gettman, Battalion Liaison, veteran IRS Agent and straight shooter.  Go here to sign up:

https://apps.sandiego.gov/ereg/cert/courses.php?grp=Continuing+Education+Opportunities

DSW Renewals—I made an error in last week's News, the next renewal deadline is end of March, not April.

Occasional Rant—We are wealthy with opportunity this month.  Three solid CE's.  I can tell you that it is hard to set up a good search/rescue exercise, which is why they don't come very often, and much thanks to Beach Team for putting this together (assuming of course that search/rescue is what they are doing).  Has it been awhile since you practiced?  Here's a test, if you have not met our Big Heavy Dummy, or don't know him well enough to have an active dislike for him, you need some training.  Moving on, the benefit of Kidwell's wisdom is priceless, and it is not often that a professional with Malcolm's background holds forth on a subject that can be very important to volunteers.  Either of these guys could make money off of this, but they offer it to us for free.  My message is this, don't think we can keep up this three quality CE's a month thing.   If you don't have enough CE's RIGHT NOW to satisfy the current qualification period, you must consider taking one of these.  Special note for Academy 24 grads, you will need to have two CE's and two Team Meetings by next May, that's coming up SOON, so get signed up and take a class.

I'm Just Sayin—Those of you who read our morning paper The San Diego Union-Tribune probably saw the front-page article about the effect of the brownouts on response times.  Our SDFD is doing a tremendous job in the face of continuing adversity, and I salute them.  The sidebar on the second page of the article identified four incidents, the implication being that the outcomes might have been different if the brownouts weren't in place.  This is unfortunate and disappointing in two ways; first, there is no guarantee whatsoever that any of the outcomes would have changed.  Second, while again there are no guarantees, in some of those incidents the outcome MIGHT have changed if anyone present had taken CPR/AED.  CPR/AED is not a CERT skill, we acknowledge that our mission does not allow us to spend that kind of time with a patient in a mass casualty situation.  However, San Diego CERT does allow CE credit for CPR/AED, as well as Basic First Aid, which is a great supplement to our own wound care training.  You can take both in a single day and get CE credit for each.  These classes aren't free, but I can tell you from my own experience that the quality of the instruction at the Red Cross is very good indeed.  Better still, these classes are given regularly by the Red Cross at their Headquarters just a few minutes from Mira Mesa on Calle Fortunada just off Ruffin Rd.  The brownouts affect all of us, let's try to do what we can to help our Firemen.  I'm just sayin.

That's all for this week, questions, comments, drop your Team Leader a note.

-Steve

Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 2/1/11

Good morning, here is the news:

******MIRA MESA********

Team Meeting— Thursday, 10 February, my house 10125 Baffin Drive, near Jade Coast and Camino Ruiz.  Unless there is a serious objection, let's start at 6:00.  We'll finish promptly at 7:00.  Bring an FRS radio if you have one, and the manual (yes, yes, the little book of instructions that came with it).   Take it from me, these little critters with their digital displays and multi-step menus aren't all that intuitive, which is REALLY unfortunate.  I thought first time I turned mine on I'd at least be able to figure out how to change the channel.  I did eventually, but it took way longer than I'd have in an emergency.  So we'll get some practice in.   This is a setup for our radio drill next month.  For those of you who were not with us last year, you start from your own residence, or some set point in Mira Mesa.  One of us will go to the rally point and declare a controlled net (more on that later) at a pre-agreed upon time.  If you can hear the controlled net announcement, when it is your turn you will report your assigned call sign and your general location.  You may be asked to relay a message from someone who can't hear the announcement.  If you can't hear the announcement, you get in your car, drive half way to the rally point, pull over and try again.  Might as well start this tirade now, I don't want anyone operating a radio while driving.  When you get to the rally point, we'll plot your original location and the point at which you joined the net.  This will give us some general idea of our coverage.  Last year when we did this, it was pretty impressive.  I want to see if we can duplicate that.  If you don't have a radio, let me know, other Team Members have spares.  OK, back to our meeting next week.  If we finish early, we will review utility shut-off procedures.  This always gets short shrift in Academy, we'll review safe electrical, gas and water shutoff and the reasons for shutting them off (or not).

*******BATTALION 5********

DSW Renewal—Please take a moment to check the expiration date on your card.  If you need to apply for renewal in this period, you MUST get your training records in to our Team Leader immediately.  Leadership has until Friday to submit renewals.  Those of you who graduated from Academy in the last year need to think about getting two CE's and two Team Meetings under your belt within one year of your graduation.  Work with your Team Leader.  Do not rely on your Team Leader to keep your records and remind you when renewal is due, it is the responsibility of each of us to keep our own records and know when we must renew.  Renewals are processed every other month, so if you miss this one, your next opportunity is end of April.

Continuing Education, Volunteering and Your Taxes— The first class is already full, if you are waiting on this one, don't.  The open class is 26 March, 9am—11am down at NTC.  Malcolm Gettman, Battalion Liaison, veteran IRS Agent and straight shooter.  Go here to sign up:

https://apps.sandiego.gov/ereg/cert/courses.php?grp=Continuing+Education+Opportunities

Continuing Education, Incident Command System Online Training— I made a couple of errors in last week's announcement.  The last course is 800b, not 800a.  So the full list of classes is:

100b

200

700a

704

800b

Also, San Diego CERT will count classes you took back to 1 January 2005 If you can produce a certificate of completion.

St. Patrick's Day Parade— Another error I made last week, we have plenty of people who want to do this.  It is in for approval now, so not a done deal yet.  Pencil in 12 March (Saturday) if you are interested, we'll have more soon.

That's all for this week, questions, comments, email your Team Leader.

-Steve

Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 1/25/11

Good morning, no News email last week, so I have some catching up to do:

*****MIRA MESA********

Training Hours Due—By the end of the week.  Even if you told me earlier in the month, take a moment to remind me, it is very important that we get your training logged in the month you took it.

Team Meeting—Thursday, 10 February, my house 10125 Baffin Drive, near Jade Coast and Camino Ruiz.  Unless there is a serious objection, let's start at 6:00.  We'll finish promptly at 7:00.  Bring an FRS radio if you have one, and the manual if you can put your hands on it.   Come anyway if you don't have one, we'll have some to share.  We will go through a static exercise of setting up a controlled net, and all of us will get a little practice communicating.   This is a setup for our radio drill next month.  If we finish early, we will review utility shut-off procedures.

******BATTALION 5******

Training Hours Due—Please turn in any training or volunteer hours to your Team Leader by Friday, your Team Leader needs a chance to compile the training report.

Continuing Education, Volunteering and Your Taxes— We have our own expert, Malcolm Gettman, Battalion 1 Liaison, IRS Agent, and seriously good guy.  The first class is already full, if you are waiting on this one, don't.  The open class is 26 March, 9am—11am down at NTC.  I don't know much about this myself, which is not a good thing, but you might have qualified deductibles as a result of your volunteer work.  Get the straight story from Malcolm.  He knows what he is talking about.  Right now I don't.  Go here to sign up:

https://apps.sandiego.gov/ereg/cert/courses.php?grp=Continuing+Education+Opportunities

Continuing Education, Incident Command System Online Training—FEMA's Emergency Management Institute (EMI) offers a series of online self study courses for learning the Incident Command System (ICS, note, with their obsessive need for leaving no acronym untouched, it would appear that the Government is migrating ICS to the all new and better National Incident Management System, or NIMS.  We'll keep you posted on this).  The thinking is that pretty much all emergency personnel should be trained in the fundamentals of operating ICS, so that people from different agencies and groups can be slotted into the ICS structure as needed during a disaster.  Accordingly, the following courses are now required for all San Diego CERT team members:

100b

200

700a

704

800a

You can access these courses here:

http://training.fema.gov/IS/NIMS.asp

There is no signup on the CERT web site.

Yes, I said required.  Here is the good news:

·         You have all year to do this (although you probably want to take them all  fairly close to each other and soon)

·         All five courses are good for 2 CE credits if you take them going forward from now.  Three courses are good for one credit.

·         If you took any of the equivalent courses since January 2008, they will count toward your requirement if you can produce the certificate you received.  Yu will not get credit for volunteer hours or a CE for courses you already took, but those course will help satisfy the five-course requirement .

Bottom line, you can satisfy an entire year's CE requirements online with this deal.  Send certificates for completed courses to your Team Leader.  You might want to accumulate all five and send them in a batch.  I know that there will be questions about this one, please address them to your Team Leader.  I will try to handle all of them in one batch in next week's email.  And, I'll be sitting down to take my first course this weekend.

UCI Study—Researchers at the University of California, Irvine are conducting a study on disaster response, and they would like CERT team members to participate.  The following is from researcher Alexander Gerard Bretaña:

The Study:

The majority of the research done on disaster response is within the context of large nonprofit organizations.  More specifically, studies tend to take a closer look at the interactions between organizations.  Other studies focus on volunteers within the community who collaborate with each other outside of an organizational context.  What I aim to study is the role of volunteers within organizations and their communication/collaboration techniques as  well as their technology use out in the field of disaster/emergency response.

Sample Questions:

Can you tell me about the last time you were out in the field with the CERT?

  

·  Where did you go?

·  What were you doing when you got there?

·  How did you learn about the situation and its details and who told you?  Can you tell me how your role during the situation changed, if at all?  What determines whether or not your role(s) or responsibilities change during the event?  Do you go into a situation knowing that your job will change based on the changing environment or do you have a set plan of what to do?

What different technologies did you use?

  

·  In what ways was this technology helpful for the work you were doing?

·  In what ways was this technology inadequate/insufficient for the work you were doing?

I've also attached a study information sheet that all interview participants are required to read before taking part in my study. It's nothing big - a 2 page summary of some protocols and details. If anyone needs to reach me, they can e-mail at this address (abretana@uci.edu) or call me at (310) 986-3339. Thanks again!

OK, I'm back, there is no obligation, if you want to help  these folks out, I'm sure the research will be worthy.  We have copies of the flyer, if you want to see one contact your Team Leader.

St. Patrick's Day Parade—Hopefully you all saw the email last week.  Looks like we didn't get enough interest to go forward.  Darn shame.  I will find out where we are wit this, and post an announcement if we are doing it.

That's ALL for this week, teach me to miss one.  Questions, comments, contact your Team Leader.

-Steve

CERT National Newsletter Q1 2011

Dear CERT Community,

The CERT National Program Office is pleased to bring you the first 2011 quarterly "CERT National Newsletter."  This is an exciting edition and features an informative story on Haiti CERT’s response to the devastating earthquake a year ago.  Also, be sure to read the stories on promoting CERT in your community, a rodeo in Guam that refreshes disaster readiness skills, and how a “disability” is a special skill in disguise.  Click on the following link to read and download the newsletter: http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/newsletter.shtm

We hope you enjoy this newsletter. If you know of others who would be interested in receiving CERT National newsletters or CERT updates, please have them subscribe at the following website:  http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/subscribe.shtm

Thank you.

Sincerely,

CERT National Program Office
Community Preparedness Division
Federal Emergency Management Agency

A Gift Idea For CERT Teams

A Gift Idea For CERT Teams: "

Check out the CERT VAULT (Vehicle Attached Utility Load Transporter) available on Amazon. Is it cool? Definitely! Is it useful? Of course! Is it expensive? You bet!

"

Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 1/11/11

Good Morning, here is the news:

*******MIRA MESA*********

February Team Meeting—The Tenth falls on a Thursday.  I mentioned in a previous News that we would probably be doing a radio drill as we did last year.  At last night's meeting (thanks to all who attended, I think everyone improved their wound care skills) it was suggested to me that we really needed a little review on our radio communications skills before we try this. So let's plan on doing the February meeting in my garage where we will review proper radio procedure, then I think we'll do the utilities shut-off review I promised a few months ago and didn't get to.  If you think you can make this meeting, but don't have an FRS radio, please let me know in the next few days, I can get one for you to borrow for the drill.

Upcoming Meetings—In March the Tenth falls on a Thursday.  We should probably do the radio drill, but Daylight Saving Time does not fire up until the following Sunday, so it will be dark.  I'm giving this some thought.  Comments/suggestions invited.  Moving on to April, we have a Sunday to work with, and it's been awhile since we did a rescue skills review, so I guess we should plan for that.  Many of you know what that means;  Big Heavy Dummy is back!  My joy knows no bounds.  I do not like Big Heavy Dummy.  I'll see if he's available, not surprisingly (to me anyway) his schedule is usually pretty open.  Please try to make this one if you can, we don't get much practice with rescue techniques.

******BATTALION 5*********

If you did NOT get the all-hands announcement about the two upcoming CE's, contact your Team Leader immediately. I'll repeat the announcement here:

Upcoming CE—With tax season upon us, you should understand how your volunteer work with CERT may or may not have an effect on your taxes.  SD CERT Liaison Malcolm Gettman is a veteran IRS agent and a great guy.  He's scheduled two sessions on Saturday, 19 February  (11:30am—1:30pm) and Saturday 26 March (9:00am—11:00am) to talk about volunteering and filing your 2010 tax return.  Go here to sign up:

https://apps.sandiego.gov/ereg/cert/courses.php?grp=Continuing+Education+Opportunities

The first session is already full, but you can get on the waiting list.  If you want to go to the second one, don't wait!  You just don't get this kind of good advice from someone so well qualified.

Volunteer to march in the Martin Luther King Day Parade—Never been in a parade?  Here's your chance. The parade is this Saturday 15 January.  We don't know exactly when we will step off, so block your calendar from 9 until Noon to be safe.  The parade route basically circles Petco Park, I estimate it at just over a mile total.  A parade like this is HUGE exposure to an audience that doesn't know us, if would really like to help CERT and you love parades, give this a shot.  Remember, you'll be walking, good shoes, dress for the weather, BRING WATER and have a good time!   Sign up here:

https://apps.sandiego.gov/ereg/cert/courses.php?grp=Team+Trainings/Activities

Battalion 6 Community Meeting—I blew it on this one, should have had it in last week's News.  Battalion 6 is trying to get more interest from their Community, so they've scheduled some time at a Community Meeting tomorrow night 7pm, at 511 S. 47th Street, San Diego, CA 92113.  This appears to be the Mount Erie Christian Academy, good picture on Google Maps if you want to check it out.  Looks like 805 South past the 94, off at Imperial, left on Imperial, then right on 47th, maybe 2 blocks to the Academy.  The emphasis will be on explaining how CERT aids the Community, both in personal/family preparation as well as learning how to help in the time of need.  If you have some time tomorrow night, and want to help B6 just by being there in support (you probably don't have to say anything) then please take the time to help out.  Thank you.

That's all for this week.  Questions, comments, contact your Team Leader.

-Steve

Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 1/5/11

Good morning, here is the news:

******MIRA MESA**********

Team Meeting—This next Monday, January 10, 5:30-6:30pm.  A local company, ProfitLine, is allowing us to use a conference room in their corporate headquarters for a meeting.  Their offices are at 9920 Pacific Heights Blvd., Ste. 200.  That's the big glass building on the Northwest corner of Pacific Heights Blvd. and Mira Mesa Blvd.  From Mira Mesa Blvd, turn North onto Pacific Heights, then left at the first light, then an immediate left into the parking lot.  Take the elevator to the second floor.  We'll have some sort of signage in the lobby.  Try to be prompt, the lobby doors lock automatically and the elevator is card-access only after 6:00.

At this meeting, we will review our wound care skills.  I will get some of the training kits used in Academy, so we will have plenty of rolled bandage and probably some splinting materials.  Feel free to bring your own materials if you want to try them out.  If you have ordered materials online or have a local source for First Aid materials, please bring that information to share.  We'll try to conclude promptly at 6:30.  When you have a few moments, take a look at your manual, starting at page 4-15, lots of good information there.  Please be prepared to be a practice victim as well as a rescuer, we'll most likely pair up to practice.  Full PPE is not required, but I'd like to see everyone wear gloves, it's a different experience when you have to wrap a wound gloved, and we all need to practice that way.  We are going to keep the pace really fast, just as we would in a real situation when many patients need our help, and we can't spend a lot of time with anyone.  Hopefully we'll have time to do head-to-toe assessments also.  I'll see you here.

February Team Meeting—In February, the tenth falls on a Thursday.  I think we will do an FRS radio drill similar to last year's drill.  For those of you who weren't with us, it works like this; instead of going to our rally point, you will start from your own home.  Promptly at 5:30, we will set up a controlled net on our watch channel, Channel 7 (I'll have more about all of this later, don't worry about it).  If you hear the announcement, you will attempt to respond with your general location.  If you cannot, then you drive half the distance to the rally point, pull over in a safe location and try again.  When we all get to the rally point, we will map out the contacts and try to determine our coverage.  Last year, most of us were surprised at how good it was, based on our previous experiences.  So we'll see if we do that well this time.  If you don't have an FRS radio, and want to participate, let me know by email, some of us have spares we can loan.

******BATTALION 5**********

Upcoming CE—This course is now full.  I guess there was a bit of pent-up demand for a CE.  This course is conducted by Tom Beasley and Susan Coniry, survivalists and authors of "Ready or Not, a Disaster Survival Handbook".  Please Note: If you have taken this course for CE credit  in the last 12 months, you cannot take it again for CE credit.  If you missed out on this and want to go, get on the wait list, they might take a few more.  This Saturday, 8 January, 10-12 down at NTC, probably in 89B.  Go here to get on the wait list:

https://apps.sandiego.gov/ereg/cert/courses.php?grp=Continuing+Education+Opportunities

Upcoming Academy, register for notification—we don't have dates yet, but if you know someone who is interested in joining CERT, have them visit our web site:

https://apps.sandiego.gov/ereg/cert/register.php?id=283

and sign up to be notified when the Academy opens for registration.  I can't emphasize enough how important this is, people are much more likely to take action when the opportunity presents, and there is a sense of urgency.  You probably know that the last few Academies filled up, so please urge your candidate to get on the notification list, send them the link I posted above in an email if possible.

Occasional Rant—We make a lot of personal equipment recommendations in CERT.  Starting with Academy, we get good advice about things we could obtain that would make us more effective when we must deploy to face an emergency.  I want to be very clear about this, these suggestions are just that, suggestions.  You are not required to purchase any of this equipment to participate as CERT.  When you come to a drill, you need to bring your Go-Bag and your Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).  When you deploy you also need to bring whatever you need to sustain yourself for at least a full 24-hour day (medications, water, food etc).  I don't want anyone to think that they are less valuable to us as CERT because they don't show up with a bus full of equipment.  So, if you want to get basic medical supplies, an FRS radio, whatever, feel free  to ask for advice at your team meeting before you buy, and know that we need you and your training in any case.

That's all for this week, I'm sure we'll have much more as we all get used to this whole idea of 2011.  Questions, comments, contact your Team Leader.

-Steve

Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 12/28/10

Good morning, here is the news:

******MIRA MESA*******

January 2011 Team Meeting— Meeting is 10 January, which is a Monday.  Let's start at 5:45 and see how that works, we have some new people who have to travel a ways to get here.  We'll end promptly at 6:45.  I'm going to have another try at our Rec Center, I've done a bit of research, and we may have a way to go.  I should know today if we can use it for the January meeting.  If we can't, I'll either defer the meeting for another month, or maybe we'll do the FRS radio drill I was planning to do in February.  One way or the other, the way the weather has been, I don't think we'll plan for an hour meeting in the park.  As always, if you know of a nearby community room or some such that we can access after business hours, please let me know, I'll follow it up.

*****BATTALION 5********

Continuing Education 8 January—This is showing closed on the web site, I think it was supposed to close for Battalion 2 only sign-up, then open for the rest of us.  It looks like the "open for the rest of us" part did not happen, no surprise since it would have happened the evening of December 23rd.  Maybe Battalion 2 really did fill the classroom in 89B, but I rather doubt it.  I have an inquiry in, but many people are off this week, so we may not get any action until next Monday.  If you want to go, keep it on your calendar, I'll let you know as soon as I have some answers.   PLEASE don't send emails to our leadership, let me follow up.

That's all for now, questions, comments, contact your Team Leader.  Have a safe and Happy New Year!

-Steve

Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 12/21/10

Good morning, here is the News:

*****MIRA MESA*********

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE ON TEAM MIRA MESA—It is my great privilege to work with such a dedicated group.  I look forward to bringing you new opportunities to sharpen your skills and be better prepared in 2011.  And of course I hope someone gives you eye protection that fits and doesn't fog up.

-Steve

*****BATTALION 5*********

Comment—I can't remember when I have seen rain exactly like this in my 30+ years here, slow and steady for days.  I think we all know that it's very likely a large patch of dirt will move somewhere.  That said, in a progressive emergency such that this would be (if it happens) professional emergency assets will be able to handle the situation.  So the chances for a CERT callout are remote to non-existent.  However, it is our duty to be ready, so I ask that each of us read and implement the next drill.  Read on.....

Battalion 5 Readiness Exercise—Today I ask that each of us seriously consider the possibility of a callout for a situation most of us never expected; flood or major mud slide.  Take a few minutes to actually pack that three-day bag we keep talking about.  Yes, pull the bag out and do this.  Check to see that you have portable food and water for at least 24 hours, and any medications you will need for three days.  Throw some extra rain gear in there.  Is the footwear you were planning to wear at least water resistant?  Time to do something about that if it is not (yeah, yeah, this guy's got a thing about boots, I know).  How about the bag you put everything in, any water resistance there?  Might need a couple of extra trash bags to address that.  Last, check that Go-bag and make sure it is ready to go.

Again, this is just a personal drill, give it  a try and see how it comes out, plan to deal with any issues you find.  Let's all hope that once again we don't need it.

Now might be a good time for this reminder; you CANNOT DEPLOY as CERT in a progressive emergency without an explicit order from your Team Leader, which he cannot give until he gets one from me or my boss.  THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO EXCEPTIONS.  No matter how much you want to help, please don't do it.  Rest assured we stay on top of this stuff, if CERT is deployed, you'll know.  As always, what you do as a private citizen is your affair, but when you put on that helmet and vest, it has to be under orders.

Continuing Education—Urban Survival Seminar, Saturday, 8 January 2011 down at the NTC, from 10am—12noon.  Beach Team is sponsoring, so they get first priority on sign up.  Signup for the rest of us commences on 12/23.  The classroom is large as you know, so there shouldn't be any problem.  Please note that you cannot take this for CE credit if you took the class in the last 12 months.

I recommend this class, the speakers are highly entertaining, and the information is very valuable.  Don't forget the potato, they aren't kidding about that.

Go here for signup:

https://apps.sandiego.gov/ereg/cert/courses.php?grp=Continuing+Education+Opportunities

Occasional Rant—I have been following a discussion thread on a CERT Linkedin group for the past several weeks.  The original title is "Has CERT lost it's focus?".  There are over 70 responses so far, and it seems to be gaining momentum.  I'm not surprised that people struggle with this.  Our mission is similar to that of a Peace time military organization; we train relentlessly to fight a war that we hope doesn't happen.  It is easy to take the eyes off the prize, especially if you live in parts of the country where earthquakes, tornadoes, wildfires or whatever are not likely.  We don't have that luxury (okay, tornadoes are rare) and still I know it is difficult to give up nights and Saturdays for training.  In this coming year, I encourage you to focus on being ready.  I and your Team Leader will focus on helping you to be ready.  That's plenty of focus.  Isn't it?

Happy Holidays!

-Steve

Winterize your Emergency Kits

Winterize your Emergency Kits: "

Now is the time to check all your battery operated devices such as flashlights, radios, gps, etc. Make sure their batteries are fresh and no corrosion has occurred. Collect additional fresh backup batteries for all your battery operated devices. Review your emergency clothing. With winter approaching its time to ensure you have adequate protection from the elements; good waterproof and insulated boots, gloves, hats and appropriate coats for your region. To support potential evacuations, make sure your cars are winterized with adequate antifreeze, windshield washer fluid and additional heating devices as required by your locale. This is also a good time to test fire your emergency generator to ensure rapid starts during power outages.

This information has been provided for our CERT group’s use courtesy of GetReadyGear

"

Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 12/14/10

Good morning, here is the news.

******MIRA MESA********

Meeting Space—This continues to be a unique issue for us.  To review, our Library has very few evening hours due to budget cutbacks, and those are largely spoken for by groups that have been using the facilities for a long time.  Our Senior Center already supports a large number of groups and cannot take us on (they were very apologetic).  The local shopping malls don't seem to have community rooms (I could be wrong about this, someone correct me).  So we need other ideas, possibly your church or condo has a room we can get to at night or some such.  Please give me your suggestions and a contact if you have one, I will follow up on all leads.

Team Meeting—Monday, January 10, 2011.  If we get meeting space (see above) then I'd like to do wound care review.  Otherwise, we may do our radio drill.  For those of you who weren't here last year, you start this drill at your own residence with your own FRS radio (we have some to loan if you don't have one).  I will go to our rally point, and issue a controlled net broadcast at a preset time (more on controlled net later) over an FRS radio channel.  If you can hear me, you respond with a standard message.  If you can't you drive about half the distance to the rally point and try again.  We do NOT want anyone operating a radio while driving.  We meet briefly at the rally point, plot our reception on a map of Mira Mesa, and break.  It's a short drill, you can learn a lot about communicating over the radio, and you learn something about what FRS can do.  We'll do this in the next several months if we don't do it in January. Don't worry if my description did not make total sense, I will have a lot more when we do this drill.

*******BATTALION 5********

Continuing Education—8 January 2011 (Saturday), time to be determined.  This isn't on the site yet, I heard about it at a meeting.  The date is coming right up, so if you are interested please mark your calendar.  One of the other Battalions is sponsoring a survival training class that many of us have taken.  This course is conducted by Tom Beasley and Susan Coniry, survivalists and authors of "Ready or Not, a Disaster Survival Handbook".  Please Note: If you have taken this course for CE credit  in the last 12 months, you cannot take it again for CE credit.  I will try to get more detail on this, and  will let you know by special announcement when registration goes up on the site.

Occasional Rant—If you still have someone bugging you to give them ideas for holiday gifts, don't forget FRS radios if you don't have them.  I've noticed recently that the selection at our local stores has pared down quite a bit, but you can still get nearly anything online.  For our purposes, the "range" of the radio you buy doesn't make much difference.  Here are some features that most of us agree are useful:

·         Get FRS/GMRS if possible.  You need a license for GMRS, but it is somewhat more capable, and you might one day want the license.

·         Some level of water resistance is useful, but waterproof probably  is not worth it (they can be expensive)

·         Rechargeable is desirable, but if you get rechargeables, be sure they are the kind that have a removable battery you can replace with AA cells.  You won't find to many 110V outlets in the field.

·         We've found that radios that use AA batteries last longer than radios that use AAA batteries.

·         Two radios is a great idea; if you deploy locally you might be able to communicate with your home now and then.

That's all for this week.  Questions, comments, see your Team Leader.

-Steve

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CERT - "NOT IF...WHEN": "

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Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 12/1/10

Good morning, here is the news:

*****MIRA MESA********

Training hours due today—If you have not already turned them in, please get them in to me today.

Team Meeting—No Team Meeting for December.  Next scheduled meeting Monday, 10 January 2011.   Some of you have asked why I don't post these on the web site under Team Meetings.  It's mainly because we don't have a regular meeting place (still working on that), but also it leaves us the flexibility of changing the format /content without having to update the web site every time we do.  Because we have a weekly newsletter that announces the Team Meetings several times, I don't think we need to use the web site to communicate this information.

*****BATTALION 5*******

Training Hours—just a few words about training hours, they are due at the end of every month in the same month when you took the training.  You cannot accumulate a bunch of classes, turn them all in at once and get credit towards your DSW card.  Why are we so wrapped around the axle about this?  Mainly because we regularly apply for grant money for CERT business, and sometimes we actually get some.  Some grant requirements are tougher than others, but in general good grant administration builds a body of documentation that should survive a comprehensive participation audit, and that means a document trail all the way back to your physical signature on a roster.  So help us out with this.  If you have questions, your Team Leader can answer them.

Next Academy—The start date on the Notify Me page:

https://apps.sandiego.gov/ereg/cert/courses.php?grp=Team+Trainings/Activities

is not quite real.  It is currently set to 1 February 2011, but we don't really have Academy 26 scheduled yet, and the system requires some sort of date in that space.  So, please continue to send friends and colleagues to this page to register so we can let them know when Academy opens, but also make it clear that the actual start date will be later than the one shown.  I develop web software like this registration system for my alleged living, and I can tell you that there are many good reasons to make the assumption during design that there will always be a legitimate date.  It's not a bug, it just doesn't take this very special case (no date) into consideration.

Occasional Rant—It's been rather brisk the last few days.  Which brings me to the subject of head covering.  Most of us San Diegans know that a hat is an essential piece of gear on sunny days, but it is equally important in cold weather.  The old Mountain Man adage is "If you are cold, put your hat on". We lose about 20% of our body heat from our heads.  A hat can reduce that substantially, and it doesn't have to be a knit cap made from alpaca of whatever, your all-purpose bucket hat can work pretty well.  Ok, maybe not as good as a really good wool cap, but WAY better than nothing, and you don't have to carry two hats.  So, even if you think you look silly in hats, have one on your call-out list, it's essential.

That's all for this week, questions, comments, contact your Team Leader.

-Steve

Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 11/23/10

*****MIRA MESA******

My fellow CERT Team Members—Thank you so much for your participation and commitment this year.  It is a privilege to work with you all.  Have a very pleasant and peaceful Thanksgiving. -Steve

*****BATTALION 5******

Training Hours—Please remember to turn your training hours in to your Team Leader.  They are due before the end of the month, which is sneaking up on us very quickly.  Red Cross instructional classes usually count.

Happy Thanksgiving—I hope everyone has a pleasant and safe holiday.  I am thankful for my association with this great group of dedicated people.  And of course I'm really thankful for a rainy October that made fire season a non-event this year.  I can live with the rain.

Onward!  Questions or comments, drop your Team Leader a note.

-Steve

Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 11/16/10

*****MIRA MESA*******

Our thanks for Bradley Buffett for the excellent talk on loading your pack, and the various possibilities for getting your gear to a deployment.  If you have something you would like to share with the team that would help us with our mission, please drop me a note, we'll schedule some time in an upcoming meeting.

December Team Meeting—The tenth is on a Friday, pretty much the big holiday party night for the month, so we'll take a pass and re-group in January.  In January the Tenth is a Monday.  I'm thinking either wound care or an ICS drill.

*******BATTALION 5********

T-Shirt Survey—I'm sure we've all admired some of the custom t-shirts that show up at County drills etc.  Kelly Witt has assembled an excellent online survey to assess our needs and wants as a group.  Please take a few minutes to go through the survey:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/certshirts

Your answers will be confidential, Survey Monkey is a well-established online survey engine. Please try to vote for stuff that you might actually buy, Kelly wants to take action based on your responses.   If we can put together our buying power, we can get some good deals.  Thanks to Kelly for spearheading this!

Continuing Education—We do not have any instruction scheduled through the rest of the year.  Now might be a good time to invest in a Red Cross course, HAM training  or similar.  These often cost money to register, and not all will qualify as CE's, so if you are at all unsure, ask your Team Leader to check.  Please give us a few days lead time to respond. In general, the Red Cross instructional classes will qualify as CE's. Here are a few guidelines worth repeating:

*  A CE must be at least 2 hours long

*  Instruction should cover or review materials or situations important to our mission

*  There must be some method of recording attendance

*  Any potential CE not sponsored by a recognized agency MUST be approved in advance

*  Training required for employment is not eligible

San Diego CERT tries to be accommodating, and we want everyone to have ample opportunity for education.  Again, if you are in doubt, ask before you invest.

Occasional Rant—Yes, I'm going to get on my soap box about the boot thing again, listen up.  I have seen Brian Kidwell weep openly over the footwear that shows up at some of our drills.  You don't want this.  I'm really just talking about a good quality work boot that provides ankle support.  Prices lately have been excellent, sometime as much as half-off for first quality.  Might be a result of the downturn in the Construction Industry, I don't really know. You can find good boots at Sears, Marshalls, Big 5 and other retailers.  Shop SERIOUSLY  for these, if it doesn't fit don't get it.  As for the whole deal about steel toes, sure they are great if something falls on your foot, and Firemen swear by them.  But let's remember that Firemen often ride around in a big crowd-pleasin truck.  We walk a lot.  Steel toes are heavier, big shock.  So make your own choice for what you can use, if you can haul steel toes around, by all means invest in them.  One way or the other, if you have never tried it you will be amazed at how much easier it is to work a drill with ankle support.

That's all for this week, questions, comments, see your Team Leader.

-Steve