City of Saratoga Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

Cox CERT Division

Meeting Minutes

 

Meeting held: Wednesday, 26 September 2018 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:20 p.m. at the home of Lori Stafford.

 

Saratoga CERT meeting attendees:

  1. Tom Baker
  2. Kevin Marques (future CERT Academy graduate)
  3. Peter Melhus
  4. Chuck Rader
  5. Brad Silveria
  6. Lori Stafford
  7. Lyle Topham

 

Discussion items:

 

  • The attendees recognized the coordination and liaison work done by Reshu Jain as interim Division Lead for the Cox CERT Division, and thanked her for her contributions to strengthening the operations and administration of the division.

 

  • Divisional leadership assignments and responsibilities were further discussed. A motion was offered to appoint Chuck Rader as the incoming Division Lead, and a hand vote was taken which formalized this appointment. Tom Baker was reaffirmed as the division’s Logistics Lead, and Lori Stafford was reaffirmed as the division’s Medical Lead. The group agreed to consider candidates for appointment as the Division Assistant Lead, with a vote planned for the next divisional meeting.

 

  • A detailed review of all upcoming CERT-related training and exercises was conducted. See the attached chronological listing of events. Flyers defining the dates and locations of CY-2019 Santa Clara County Fire Department CERT Academy training sessions and CY-2019 CERT Refresher classes are now available and are also attached to these meeting minutes.

 

  • Handheld FRS radios should soon become available for all currently- registered active Saratoga CERT members, as well as for all new Saratoga CERT Academy graduates. Once these radios are provided, it was decided:
  1. to make use of and leverage previous training and radio exercise

procedures generated by Morris Jones and other Saratoga HAM/ARES/

RACES members

  1. conduct preliminary radio circuit checks to determine line of sight ranges of transmission/receipt within the Cox Division area of responsibility and exercise communications net discipline
  2. plan and execute a comprehensive divisional field training exercise, which combines anticipated CERT disaster responsibilities with use of the FRS radio links between individual CERT members, to the divisional local command post, and via HAM radio link from the local command post to the City of Saratoga Emergency Operations Center (EOC)

 

  • A review of recommended equipment for individual CERT member’s “go-bag” backpacks was conducted. This was discussed in conjunction with the “rebalancing” of emergency supplies between the various City of Saratoga emergency supply caches at the various staging locations.

 

 

ACTION ITEMS TO COMPLETE BEFORE NEXT DIVISIONAL MEETING:

  • Distribution of flyers for the Thursday, 08 November 2018, PG&E community presentation entitled, “Responding to Gas and Electric Emergencies.” Cox CERT Division team members as needed.

 

  • Give thought to potential candidates for Division Assistant Lead. All members.

 

  • Upon availability, pick up FRS radios from the City of Saratoga Risk Manager’s office. All members.

 

NEXT COX CERT DIVISIONAL MEETING:

Wednesday, 14 November 2018, from 6:00 p.m. to approximately 7:30 p.m.

location: Lori Stafford’s house

 

It is anticipated that this meeting will focus on the planning for a division-

wide field training exercise, which will practice simulated activation

procedures and CERT post-disaster responsibilities (i.e., standing up of a local

command post, neighborhood damage assessment, victim extraction

procedures, emergency first aid/triage, disaster documentation, and FRS/HAM

radio procedures and usage).