CERT ALERT! of interest you would like to see for the next issue. Happy reading! CERT TEAM 29

Transcription

1 CERT ALERT! Welcome to the 21st edition of CERT ALERT! Here is where you ll find the latest news and information of interest to our West Pierce CERT members! Please let us know if there are topics of interest you would like to see for the next issue. Happy reading! March 2016 CERT TEAM 29 Congratulations CERT Class 29! CERT 29 demonstrated remarkable comprehension and skill during the CERT drill on Saturday, March 5th. Everyone in this group is highly capable and will make for a great asset. Thank you for your strong work and welcome to the CERT community! 1

2 Attention! New Policy in Effect Attention all CERT members! To keep your CERT ID current and up to date, you MUST attend at least: Two CERT trainings OR One CERT training AND one CERT function as a volunteer T-Shirt Orders Place your order for CERT T-Shirts now! Contact the CERT Coordinator by (Corbin.Richmond@westpierce.org) or by phone ( ) to receive a T-Shirt order form. Order forms due by 4/14/16! ZeeMap To access the CERT ZeeMap, visit &y= &z=4 and input the password WPCERT (all caps) to view. 2

3 Recent CERT Events Annual CERT Potluck Thank you to everyone who was able to make it to the 2015 Annual CERT Potluck! Everyone shared a smile and a laugh and no one walked away with an empty stomach! Thanks to our many chefs, we had plenty of tasty food to go around. We had a LOT of amazing prizes this year and no one went home empty-handed. We played raucous rounds of Bingo and had a fun CERT trivia game with a holiday twist. Our very own CERT Instructor Brian Bouton and Chief Karl Roth joined in the festivities! What a wonderful way to wrap up our CERT year, surrounded by our CERT family, good food, and laughs all around. 3

4 Recent CERT Events Quarterly Training On January 27th, special guest speakers Michaela, Shawndra, and (our very own CERT member) Diane, from the Washington Animal Response Team (WASART) came out to teach us how to handle animals during a disaster. We learned valuable information, such as making emergency muzzles and leashes using simple rope or webbing. We also learned about the body language and warning signs that animals use to communicate to us, how to approach stressed animals safely, and more. If you are interested in learning more about WASART, visit (Hand-outs from the WASART presentation) 4

5 WPFR Experiences Fire System Inspections I had the opportunity to tag along with one of our Fire System Inspectors, Captain Matt Owens. As a Fire System Inspector, it is Matt s job to inspect fire alarm and sprinkler systems in businesses. He also looks for anything blocking fire exits, appliances plugged into power adapters, or any unsafe conditions. If Matt finds an issue he works together with the business owner to make the place more safe. Matt is very good at what he does and he has been doing it for a long time. He told me that now he looks at fire sprinklers without even realizing it! He is passionate about what he does and it shows. One of Matt s assignments iswestern State Hospital. It is such a big place that it takes a year to inspect everything. Matt and I went room by room, hallway by hallway, inspecting every sprinkler and smoke detector we came across. The most common sprinkler has a glass tube holding a colored liquid (usually red) and inside the liquid is a small air bubble. When the liquid is heated, the air bubble expands and breaks the glass vial, releasing the plug holding back the water in the pipes. Fire sprinklers are NOT made to put out a large fire, but to slow a small fire before it can spread too quickly. After our inspection, we met with the man in charge of keeping the fire systems working at the facility. Matt shared his inspection notes and together they worked on deciding how best to make the facility safer. It was nice to see the cooperation and collaboration that went into keeping everyone at the facility safe. Going with Matt was an eye-opening experience and a lot of fun. I will never look at fire sprinklers the same ever again! -AmeriCorps/CERT Coordinator Corbin Richmond 5

6 WPFR Experiences Ride-Along with Station 20 Crew Introduction Fire Departments will usually allow someone to ride along with a fire crew for a day to show the public what firefighters do on a daily basis. Luckily for me, I was allowed the opportunity to do just that with the crew at WPFR Station 20. I was able to tag along and see just how much good work our guys do for our community every day. In my short 12 hours, we barely had time to sit down for lunch. EMS Calls During my short stay with the crew of Station 20, I went with the Paramedics on 5 different calls. Did you know that about 80% of the calls that Firefighters respond to are medical calls? Not only do they have to train to fight dangerous fires, but they also have to have extensive medical knowledge. That is why all of the Firefighters at West Pierce Fire & Rescue are trained as Emergency Medical Technicians. Some go even further and are trained Paramedics who respond to calls in Medic Units. Fire The call went out over the radio for Engine 20 to respond to a fire in the Central Pierce jurisdiction. Central Pierce Fire & Rescue were already on scene, but because of the mutual aid agreement between West Pierce Fire & Rescue and Central Pierce Fire & Rescue, they help each other out on specific types of calls when more personnel is requested. We could see the smoke from miles away as we approached. When we arrived, Central Pierce firefighters were hooking hoses up to a nearby fire hydrant and just about to enter the house. Engine 20 crew geared up and got ready to charge in behind them. The fire was put out quickly and the house was ventilated by a well-coordinated effort between all of the crews on scene. Luckily everyone got out of the house before the fire spread too quickly. 6

7 WPFR Experiences Ride-Along with Station 20 Crew Cont. Hazmat As CERT members, when it comes to Hazmat it is important for us to stay as far away as possible uphill, upwind, upstream, and make sure no one goes into the hot zone. It takes a lot of training and resources to handle any Hazmat call. A call came in for a business in Lakewood where the employees noted that they smelled Chlorine and were getting headaches and feeling lethargic. The Hazmat Technician on Engine 20 took charge of Operations when we arrived. They called the Pierce County Hazmat Incident Team (PC-HIT), a group of specialized Hazmat Technicians from across the county, to respond. They suited up in special Hazmat suits that would keep them completely sealed and searched the whole building. The scope of the response and the professionalism shown by all involved was beyond impressive. Thankfully, it turned out to be a minor situation, as it was determined to be an over-usage of chlorine from a carpet cleaning company. Summary After almost non-stop calls over 12 hours, it was finally time for me to go home. From the barrage of medical calls, the house fire, and the crazy Hazmat call, I was tired! The professionalism, integrity, hard work, and dedication that West Pierce Firefighters show each and every day makes me feel grateful for the opportunity to work alongside my heroes and personally thank them for all that they do. AmeriCorps/CERT Coordinator Corbin Richmond 7

8 Mark Your Calendar! Need a CERT Course Refresher? You are always welcome to audit a class for a review and be sure to tell your friends about our CERT program. Below is the schedule for our next session in April. Just be sure to inform the CERT Coordinator of your attendance! Volunteers needed for graduation drill on April 23rd! Contact the CERT Coordinator for volunteer opportunities C.E.R.T (Community Emergency Response Team) Spring Training Session April 5 April 23,

9 Mark Your Calendar! 9

10 Mark Your Calendar! Quarterly Training (Medical/Triage Review) Wednesday, April 27th 6:30pm-8:30pm Station 20, Pacific Hwy SW CERT Drill (See Pg. 11 For Details) Saturday, May 7th 10:00am-3:00pm Station 21, 5000 Steilacoom Blvd SW Duck Daze Volunteers Needed! Saturday, June 4th 10:00am-1:00pm Station 31, 3631 Drexler Dr. W SummerFEST Volunteers Needed! Saturday, July 9th 11:00am-11:00pm Fort Steilacoom Park, th Avenue SW 10

11 CERT Refresher Drill Open To All CERT Members! When: Saturday, May 7th 10:00am 3:00pm Where: Station Steilacoom Blvd SW Brush up on your CERT manual, dust off your helmet, and get your gear ready because we are holding a CERT refresher drill! This drill is open to ALL CERT members, but keep in mind that we have limited space for 25 participants, so register now by ing the CERT Coordinator at Corbin.Richmond@Westpierce.org to secure your place. We will also be needing volunteer victims! 11

12 Lakewood Neighborhood Association Meetings Would you like to know more about what is happening in your community? Would you like to be a more active member in your neighborhood? The city of Lakewood allows all citizens to attend monthly Neighborhood Association Meetings. Take advantage of this in your area and really know what s going on. Tillicum/Woodbrook Neighborhood Association Meets: 1st Thursday of each month Time: 6:30 PM Location: Tillicum Community Center (14916 Washington Ave. SW) Lake City Neighborhood Association Meets: 2nd Thursday of each month Time: 7:00 PM Location: Lake City Fire Station (8517 Washington Blvd.) North East Neighborhood Association Meets: 3rd Tuesday of each month quarterly Time: 7:00 PM Location: Lakewood Fire Department (10928 Pacific Highway SW) Pacific Neighborhood Association Meets: 3rd Thursday of each month Time: 6:00 p.m. Location: CenterForce (5204 Solberg Drive SW) See for more information 12

13 Learning Opportunities ICS-100/700/200 Combination Class Wednesday, March 16th Wednesday, September 14th 8:00am-4:30pm Pierce County Department of Emergency Management 2501 S 35th St Suite D Tacoma, WA (253) To Register: ICS-300 Class (Prerequisites: ICS 100, 700, 200, 800)* April July October :00am-4:30pm Pierce County Department of Emergency Management 2501 S 35th St Suite D Tacoma, WA (253) To Register: 13

14 Learning Opportunities ICS-400 Class (Prerequisites: ICS 100, 700, 200, 800)* May August November :00am-4:30pm Pierce County Department of Emergency Management 2501 S 35th St Suite D Tacoma, WA (253) To Register: * All ICS Prerequisite classes can be taken online at training.fema.gov/is/crslist.aspx. To find more training opportunities provided by Pierce County Department of Emergency Management, visit pcdemtraining or call (253)

15 Learning Opportunities Looking at How The Big One Will Impact Pierce County Some scientists now say the Cascadia subduction zone is overdue for a large, 9.0 earthquake. Pierce County is in the crosshairs for what s called The Really Big One. You could be at work, at home or school, driving, shopping or out of town. What will this area look like if these forecasts come true? How will overburdened first responders triage the situation? How can you prepare? Learn the facts about the forecast and what you can do before The Really Big One hits. Presentations Held By Pierce County Department of Emergency Management Date Time Where March 14 12:10-12:50pm Pierce County Annex Main Meeting Room 3401 S. 35th St., Tacoma March 14 6:30-7:30pm Gig Harbor Library 4424 Pt. Fosdick Dr. NW, Gig Harbor March 15 12:10-12:50pm County City Building, 7th Floor Rainier Conference Rom 930 Tacoma Ave. S., Tacoma March 15 6:30-7:30pm Puyallup Library 324 S. Meridian, Puyallup March 17 6:30-7:30pm Graham Library th St. E., Gra- March 19 10:00-11:00am Sound View Building 3602 Pacific Ave. S., Ta- 15

16 Emergency Supply Vendors Have you been looking for disaster supplies to supplement/replenish your emergency kits? Below are good resources for finding everything kit/cert related! PrepareSmart, Quake Ready Kit Co., Preppers Warehouse, ProPac, Need disaster-ready meals? Try these vendors. Emergency Essentials, Prepardness.com, Thrive Life, 16

17 Useful Contacts Lakewood Police Department 9401 Lakewood Dr. SW Lakewood, WA Emergency 911 Police Non-Emergency Police Main Desk Abandoned Vehicles Animal Control Hotline City of Lakewood Drug/Gang/Prostitution Tip Hotline Report Copies Traffic Complaints University Place Police Department 3609 Market Place W, Suite 201 University Place WA Emergency 911 Non-emergency number Police Business Line Animal Control Code Enforcement Rachel Adler Emergency Preparedness Coordinator West Pierce Fire and Rescue Facebook: West Pierce CERT Corbin Richmond AmeriCorps/CERT Coordinator West Pierce Fire and Rescue

18 West Pierce CERT Pre-designated Team Meeting Locations and Team Leaders! Please keep a copy of this information in your CERT backpack. If you are away from home and disaster strikes, you will want to know where the nearest team meet up location is! There are open Team Leader Positions available! If you are interested in being a team leader or would like more information about the position please contact the CERT Coordinator at Tillicum George and Judi Vose Tillicum/American Lake Gardens Community Center 14916, Washington Ave SW, Lakewood Nyanza Park Alan Hart Corner of Vine Maple and Whisper Lane Lakewood West We need a team leader First: Public Safety Building 601 Main St, Steilacoom then, go together to: Pierce College-North Parking Lot University Place North Mike Dilay University Place Primary 2780 Grandview Dr. W, University Place University Place Southwest Lance Orloff Cirque Park University Place Oakbrook Darlene Emineth To be determined Lakewood Station 21 Will Copp West Pierce Fire & Rescue Station Steilacoom Blvd. SW, Lakewood Lakeview Bruce Elrod West Pierce Fire & Rescue Station Pacific Hwy SW, Lakewood Station 22A Chris Wolfe Christ Lutheran Church th St. SW, Lakewood Woodbrook Karen Lebeter Mr. Lee s A Woodbrook Dr. SW, Lakewood Puyallup B Joe Fata Sheri s of Willows Pond th Ave SE, Puyallup Puyallup A Kerry Hooks To be determined Springbrook or Pacific Cleave Watterberg 5105 Solberg Drive SW, Lakewood Station 22 B We need a team leader West Pierce Fire & Rescue Station Washington Blvd. SW, Lakewood Spanaway / Orting Lucinda Yerbury To be determined University Place Southeast Will Jenkins To be determined Steilacoom Park Anne Gardner To be determined 18