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The City of Saratoga CERT organization hosted a six-hour dedicated animal shelter drill in the multipurpose room of the Joan Pisani Community Center on Saturday, 25 February 2023. The class and drill were conducted by three instructors from the City of Sacramento Fire Department CERT Animal Response Team, led by chief instructor Kathy Winkelman, and assisted by team instructors Robert Ross and Steven Mata. The drill built upon the “schoolhouse” presentation and tabletop exercise covering animal behavior in the post-disaster environmental, animal emotional stress, animal response and rescue, and animal sheltering, which the same Sacramento FD CERT Animal Response Team taught last summer on Saturday, 25 June 2022.

This 25 February 2023 full-activity drill focused upon the following areas:

• Animal Intake protocols, paperwork, and activities. The instructors discussed and demonstrated the use of all forms and procedures required to establish the animal intake table at a field animal shelter. Drill attendees acted as either receiving animal shelter staff or clients dropping off their pets for sheltering. The protocols to properly – and expeditiously – process pets for sheltering were heavily emphasized, with many “real world injects” added to keep this part of the drill very lively.

• Planning and physical establishment of the simulated field animal shelter. Drill attendees demonstrated for the instructors how to plan for the layout of a simulated field animal shelter, with received animals properly positioned within the available space to alleviate as much stress as possible on the sheltered animals and to set up a logical flow of activities within the shelter. Attendees physically assembled a large number of animal cages, and outfitted the cages with necessary supporting items for the sheltered animals. They further discussed how the animal shelter would be properly staffed, and the individual responsibilities of all animal shelter management personnel and workers.

• All paperwork and forms required to properly run a field animal shelter were explained in detail, so that drill attendees gained a firm understanding of the complexities of running an animal shelter and the necessary paperwork safeguards required to document all shelter activities. 

Survey feedback from all drill attendees confirmed that this was very well-received training and that participants gained a newfound appreciation of the complexities involved in the planning for, standing up, and execution of animal sheltering responsibilities and activities.

1. Tuesday, 04 April 2023: 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
(On-line class)
CERT Response: Access and Functional Needs

Description of class instruction: No two disasters are ever the same; yet, virtually all incidents disproportionately affect individuals with access and functional needs (AFN) (i.e. people with disabilities, older adults, children, limited English proficiency, and transportation disadvantaged).

In this presentation you will learn more about specific needs and the tools that some residents use, have on hand, or purchase themselves, to assist them during a disaster. Understanding the harsh reality of planning ahead for individuals in need, in 2008 California established the Office of Access and Functional Needs (OAFN) within the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

The purpose of OAFN is to identify the needs of individuals with disabilities and others with access or functional needs before, during, and after disasters and to integrate them into the State’s emergency management systems.

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2. Wednesday, 14 June 2023: 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
(On-line class)
Zonehaven

Description of class instruction: Zonehaven is focused on Evacuation Management.

The Zonehaven process helps first responders plan, train, and execute live evacuations.

• Pre-planning
• Training + Drills
• Alerting and Community Outreach

Bridging the gap between first responders and community members.

• Instant Alerts
• Clear Communication
• One Reliable Source

Zonehaven is a reliable source for evacuation information and resources.

• Preparation Resources
• Real-time Updates
• Community
  

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3. Tuesday, 15 August 2023: 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
(In-person class held at the Santa Clara County Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Office at 16795 Lark Avenue, Suite 104, Los Gatos, CA 95032)
Medical Operations (“Med Ops”)

Description of class instruction: This is an initial CERT actions review and skills application class. Skills for this CERT Refresher will focus on the CERT member’s ability to:

• Organize team mobilization.
• Establish a plan.
• Establish a Medical Treatment Area staffed with a Field Medical Treatment Manager.
• Conduct medical treatment under simulated post-disaster conditions.
• Provide appropriate medical treatment and reassess regularly.
• Provide treatment area manager with updated reports on the status of victims.

Important Items to Bring:

• Issued personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Flashlight or hardhat headlamp
• CERT Field Operations Guide (provided in your CERT Academy class if you do not have one).

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4. Thursday, 12 October 2023: 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
(In-person class held at the Santa Clara County Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Office at 16795 Lark Avenue, Suite 104, Los Gatos, CA 95032)
Fire Safety and Utility Controls

Description of class instruction: CERT graduates will review their skills in the following:

• Overview of fire chemistry
• Classes of fires and fire extinguishers
• Fire suppression techniques and safety 
• Shutting off of utilities in a post-disaster environment

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5. Tuesday, 14 November 2023: 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
(On-line class)
Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT)/Terrorism

Description of class instruction: This is a CERT actions review and skills application class. Skills for this CERT Refresher will focus on Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) and Terrorism Awareness.

• Review of hazardous materials
• Terrorism awareness
• Preparing at home, work, and in your neighborhood for either HAZMAT or terrorist incidents.

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6. Tuesday, 05 December 2023: 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
(In-person class held at the Santa Clara County Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Office at 16795 Lark Avenue, Suite 104, Los Gatos, CA 95032)
CERT Mobilization

Description of class instruction: This is a CERT actions review and skills application class. Skills for this CERT Refresher will focus on the CERT member’s ability to:

• Organize team mobilization
• Conduct scene size-up
• Treating life-threatening injuries in a simulated field environment.
• Establish appropriate field medical treatment areas.
• Methods to safely transport victims to appropriate field medical treatment areas.

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The calendar year-2023 Countywide CERT Skills Day will take place on Saturday, 21 January 2023 at the City of Cupertino’s Quinlan Community Center located at 10185 N Stelling Road, just to the east of Cupertino Memorial Park. The event will start at 8:00 a.m. sharp with an event briefing and administration of the Disaster Service Worker – Volunteer (DSW-V) oath. Event check-in will be available starting at 7:40 a.m. The four refresher skills that will be covered in detail are:

   (1) Incident Command System planning and execution

   (2) Radio communications protocol

   (3) Field medical operations and triage

   (4) CERT light Search and Rescue skills

Notes:

A participation gift will be provided to all participants who register for the event no later than 15 December 2022.
A free lunch will be provided to all participants who register for the event no later than 31 December 2022.

Parking for the event:

There are a total of 136 City of Cupertino parking spots in two lots at/near the venue. There are 88 spots in front of the Quinlan Center, with access either from N Stelling Road or a side driveway located on Alves Drive. There are an additional 48 spots in a lot located down Alves Drive, on the back side of the Quinlan Community Center. This second lot is also referred to as Parking Lot 1 of Cupertino Memorial Park.

In addition to the dedicated parking lots, event participants can also park curbside on the following streets: Alves Drive, to the south of the Quinlan Center, or on Christensen Drive, to the north of the Quinlan Center.

As we are anticipating on the order of 200 total event coordinators/instructors, CERT drill participants, and BSA Scouts and their parents who will be assisting with the event, parking can be anticipated to be very, very tight. It would be extremely beneficial if event participants could “carpool” as, again, parking will be limited. The event will “kick off” at 8:00 a.m. “sharp,” so it is best to get there early to secure parking if you do intend to drive to the event and find parking.

Event check-in will be either at tables located in front of the main Quinlan Center entrance (facing N Stelling Road) in good weather, and at tables inside the main lobby entrance in poor weather.

Registration timeline (and to reiterate):

A participation gift will be provided to all participants who register for the event no later than 15 December 2022.

A free lunch will be provided to all participants who register for the event no later than 31 December 2022.

Event registration will close on 14 January 2023.

Event Registration:

Please use the following link to register for the event, which also provides further amplifying detail on the event itself: 

https://scc-cert.org/skills-day

This event will be an incredibly beneficial refresher training opportunity after our having been hindered in conducting in-person training opportunities for the past two and a half years due to the restrictions imposed by the COVID pandemic. I am certain that you will find this event a great way to “clear the cobwebs” on skills essential to performing our role as volunteer first responders in the Saratoga community in the post-disaster environment.

Warm regards to all,

Chuck

I. City of Campbell CERT “Great ShakeOut” Field Skills Training Day: Saturday, 22 October 2022

      The City of Campbell CERT hosted a seven-hour field skills training day at Marijane Hamann Park on Saturday, 22 October 2022, to which Saratoga CERT was invited to also participate. Skills presented at the event included Incident Command System (ICS) planning and execution using a table-top game, field medical operations and crush syndrome, setting up an Incident Command Post mobile ham radio site, damage to residential utilities and how to identify associated risks and secure/turn-off these utilities, and an introduction to disaster psychology. The utilities skills area was taught by our very own Jeff Walker of the Cox CERT Division. The event culminated in the Campbell Police Department explaining and demonstrating their new aerial drone capability as well as providing tours of their Mobile Expeditionary Operations Center, a large-size bus vehicle configured as a mobile command post. A general-purpose fire engine of the Santa Clara County Fire Department (SCCFD) was also on-hand to demonstrate its capabilities and for the SCCFD firefighters to answer questions from CERT event participants. Saratoga CERT participants included Vivian Mills of the West Valley CERT Division, Chuck Rader of the Cox CERT Division, Susan Schwaderer of the Argonaut CERT Division, Steve Steps of the West Valley CERT Division and Jeff Walker (instructor) of the Cox CERT Division.

II.   City of Saratoga Neighborhood Watch Dinner held at the Joan Pisani Community Center Multi-purpose Room: Monday, 07 November 2022

      The City of Saratoga hosted a dinner for Saratoga Neighborhood Watch leaders on Monday evening, 07 November 2022. Davina Morgan-Witts, our Argonaut CERT Division lead, attended the dinner and presented an overview to dinner attendees of the purpose, organization, and anticipated use of Saratoga CERT in a post-disaster environment. Her discussion resulted in a number of attendees approaching her with interest in attending a future Santa Clara County Fire Department CERT Academy class. Well done to Davina for her great representation of Saratoga CERT!

III.  City of Los Altos Festival of Lights Downtown Parade: Sunday evening, 27 November 2022

      The City of Los Altos requested assistance from all CERT programs in the Santa Clara County region for CERT members to provide “mutual aid” support for their annual Christmas Festival of Lights Parade held on the streets of downtown Los Altos. CERT participants were teamed up with a ham radio operator and positioned at strategic locations along the parade route, with the task of monitoring the parade and attendees for any medical emergencies, accidents, or lost children incidents. A total of five Saratoga CERT members answered the call to participate, and had a very fun time in so doing. Saratoga CERT participants were one of our new CERT Academy graduates and Cox CERT Division member, Benedict Chua, along with Cynthia Darrow (and her son) from our at-large CERT team, Chuck Rader of our Cox CERT Division, Diana Steps of our West Valley CERT Division, and her husband Steve Steps who carried out ham radio duties for the event. The event went down without a hitch and our participation was greatly appreciated by the Los Altos and Los Altos Hills hosting CERT organizations.

New CERT Academy graduates who have affiliated with Saratoga CERT:

We had two Saratoga residents who attended the Fall 2022 Santa Clara County Fire Department CERT Hybrid Academy session and who graduated during the final in-person class Skills Day held on Saturday, 05 November, at the City of Campbell Community Center. These are Benedict Chua, who resides in the central Prides Crossing neighborhood of the Cox CERT Division, and Rebecca Feng, who resides in the Greenbrier neighborhood of the Cox CERT Division. Welcome to both Benedict and Rebecca for their desire to help our community through active participation in the Saratoga CERT program!

Register online for the spring Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) hybrid academy hosted by Santa Clara County Fire. Learn about disaster preparedness and gain the skills needed to help your family and neighborhood during an emergency. Online academy classes are scheduled every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. from February 2 through March 30, followed by self-paced computer-based training, and an in-person skills training on March 12 and April 2. 

— from “Saratoga Source” newsletter, emailed 2022 January 28

This flyer is an announcement of general disaster preparedness and home safety training classes that will be conducted by the SCCFD for any Santa Clara County residents during the first half of 2022. Note that these are “geared” for the general public and not specifically targeted/presented for active CERT members. However, with that said, there is good information here for Saratoga CERT members as well. 

As most of you are aware, there have been no CERT Academy classes (i.e., in-person or remote) held since the late winter/early spring of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The only training that has been provided since that time is on-line Zoom CERT refresher training classes for registered/actively credentialed CERT members. Gracie Hernandez (Santa Clara County Fire Department CERT Senior Program Specialist) has now announced that two “hybrid” CERT Academy training classes will be conducted in the spring and fall of CY-2022. Please see Gracie’s “CERT Hybrid 2022 Flyer.” 

If it has been many years since you attended the CERT Academy classes and have not been able to stay current with SCCFD refresher classes conducted during 2020 and 2021, then you might consider signing up for one of the two hybrid classes. The classes will incorporate 2019 FEMA-mandated changes to the Medical Ops section of instruction. 

K14TG-D Testing Request

We have been requested to monitor our Saratoga CERT radio frequencies for possible interference from TV Channel 14 near Monterey while they are conducting tests from Tuesday October 12 through Friday October 15 from 9AM to 10AM daily.

Those of you in possession of the preprogrammed Baofeng radios please step through each of the channels and note any indication of a signal present by observing the bars in the upper left corner of the display. Those of you with tuneable UHF receivers could check for activity on 466.7, 466.925, 467.275, 467.325 and 469.225 MHz. Try your antennas in both vertical and horizontal orientation.

Do this at your convenience, and preferably at different days and times. Please let me know your results by sometime Friday 10/15/2021 (dlsteinbach@comcast.net).

TV channel 14 occupies a 6 MHz slot from 470-476 MHz. The five frequencies that Saratoga CERT is licensed for are well spaced from that and one would assume that the channel 14 signal from the Monterey Bay area will not cause interference on any of the Saratoga CERT frequencies, but one test is worth a thousand expert opinions.

For you techies, the transmitter antenna is a horizontal log periodic located about 78 miles ESE of Saratoga at a bearing of 128 degrees and at an elevation of 1243 feet. The antenna main lobe is directional and aimed at 340 degrees (we are at 309 degrees). The ERP is 630 watts. From the antenna (SCALA CL-1469) data I’m guessing that the power sent our way would be about 62 percent of that or down about 2 dB.

The following is a summary of the request from the station engineer:

K14TG-LD holds a construction permit from the Federal Communications Commission to build a Channel 14 facility. Channel 14 is immediately adjacent to the upper end of the 450 – 470 MHz Land Mobile Radio (LMR) band, and there is no guard band between the two allocations to help reduce interference. Therefore, prior to beginning to regularly operate its transmitter on Channel 14, K14TG-D is conducting tests to allow you to determine whether any interference is caused to your operations by the K14TG-D Channel 14 signals. If there is interference, K14TG-D will work with you to eliminate that interference.

Testing is planned to start Tuesday October 12th at 9 AM continuing through Friday October 15th. K14TG-D is planned to be on the air each day for an hour from 9AM to 10AM. The schedule may be changed or extended depending on whether interference is found, what type it is, and how extensive it is. Our objective is to provide as much opportunity as possible for you to check for interference.

Don Steinbach – AE6PM
dlsteinbach@comcast.net

Colin Tanner, the leader of the Gilroy CERT organization, will ‘reprise’ his incredibly insightful awareness training on ‘crush syndrome.’ Colin provided this training back on June 28th, at which time approximately ten of our Saratoga CERT members were able to participate along with members from both the Gilroy and Morgan Hill CERT organizations. For this session, Colin will be providing the awareness training specifically for members of Saratoga CERT.

This is an incredibly important – and little known and understood – topic. I would venture to say it is probably the most critical presentation a CERT member can attend, with the possible exception of your foundation CERT Academy training and “Stop the Bleed” training. The length of this Zoom session will be approximately 1-1/2 hours (i.e., 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.)

Colin’s presentation will focus on:(1) What is ‘crush syndrome,’ and what are the symptoms associated with this dangerous, life-threatening condition often seen after major-magnitude earthquakes and/or building or other structural collapses.(2) The ‘chain of events’ associated with crush syndrome.(3) The difference between ‘crush syndrome’ and ‘crush injury.'(4) Response protocols for dealing with a victim who has sustained ‘crush syndrome.’ The role tourniquets have in crush syndrome response.

Zoom invitation for the Crush Syndrome Awareness Presentation

Topic: Crush Syndrome Awareness 
Time: November 18, 2021 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81003244821?pwd=Rlp2Y3dDSFlueEV4TFJIS1RhSzM3dz09

Meeting ID: 810 0324 4821 
Passcode: 214745 
One tap mobile 
+16699006833,,81003244821#,,,,*214745# US (San Jose) 
+13462487799,,81003244821#,,,,*214745# US (Houston) 

Dial by your location 
        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) 
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Meeting ID: 810 0324 4821 
Passcode: 214745 
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdyRWsRLvM

Presenter: Mr. Colin Tanner, City of Gilroy CERT Program Lead