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Community Emergency Response Team
The CERT class is taught by Captain Steve Lazenby
of
the Santa Paula Fire Department.
Click
to hear his introduction.
The Disaster Preparedness
DVD is Now on Sale
To
see a 15-minute sample of this video, or to purchase it, CLICK
HERE
To see an article about the project from the
September,
2008 edition of The Rotarian, CLICK
HERE.
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As a public service, the
Ojai Rotary-West club has
teamed with Walk Your Talk Productions to produce an instructional video
of these C.E.R.T. (Community Emergency Response Team) certification
classes.
It includes important steps to help individuals, families or entire
communities survive and sustain themselves in a full range of emergencies.
The classes are offered by the Ventura County Fire Department.
The program teaches volunteer services in response to threats of terrorism , public health issues and
to disasters of all kinds.
The CERT training program was developed and implemented by the city of Los Angeles Fire Department in 1985,
adopted by FEMA and expanded in 1994 by the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) to CERT training materials applicable to all hazards.
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A house fire
in Ojai on Buena Vista Avenue, 2006. It was started by a single
candle. The occupant, after safely escaping, returned to fetch a
pet and suffered burns. The home was a total loss.
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The classes have been brought to
Oakview by Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett ‘s office in recognition of its importance to
citizens. To sign up for upcoming CERT classes, call Supervisor Bennett’s office at 654-2703.
“I have never tried our fire extinguisher” said past president Alice
Gardner, at left. “Now I feel confident I know how, and more importantly , when to use it!”
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Alexis May
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The Day Fire
approaches Ojai, 2006
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At the completion of the 12-hour course,
graduates are certified.
Even
after getting their certificates, some graduates meet on the last
Tuesday of every month in Santa Paula to review their training.
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Week 1 
CLICK HERE to see a movie of members
learning how to use a fire extinguisher.
Week 2
Emergency medical
treatment. How to make splints, triage tarps.
Week 3 Search
and Rescue. The Incident Command System.
Battalion Chief Gary Hart explained the
operations of the Incident Command system,
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Graduation
One graduate from
Rotary Club of Ojai -
Mike Weaver
Pamela Amrine |
Cathy and Paul
Blatz
Alice and Les Gardner
Luanne Fay
Linda and Rob Long |
David, Angela and
Zachary May
Jade and Ray Smith
Reggie and Joslyn Wood
Stephanie and Don Midgett
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| Ojai-West Rotarians Lou
Torres, and Luanne Fay at Graduation |
Luanne learns how to lift a
pickup with a pry bar. |
Opening
Night for Ojai-West's Disaster Preparedness
Project
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On February 26, 2008,
dignitaries, first responders, and Rotarians gathered to learn about
Rotary-West's new Preparedness Resource.
Our club has been working on this project for a year. 27 attended
the Community Emergency Response Team training sessions, and 17
graduated, including filmmakers Dulanie Ellis and Ray Singer
of Walk
Your Talk Productions, who taped us.
After additional months of editing, the lectures and exercises have been
put on an easy-to-understand DVD that demonstrates how to be ready
for earthquakes, hurricanes, or other unexpected dangers.
Right: Club
Secretary Stephanie Midgett prepares for curtain-up with Club President
Paul Blatz.
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As presenter of
the CERT training program, Fire Chief Steve Lazenby warned, “In a major
disaster, the cavalry just isn’t coming. We have to learn how to take care of
ourselves.” CERT training gives regular folks the knowledge they need to be
safe and help create order out of chaos, to bridge the gap until professional
help arrives.
People
Like You presents the essential knowledge from an actual CERT class.
In easy-viewing chapters, this DVD covers emergency supplies, search &
rescue, medical triage and treatment, preparing for hurricanes, fire,
earthquakes, pandemics, hazardous materials incidents, travel safety and
disaster psychology. The DVD includes the 77-minute film, a 15-minute
“sampler,” and emergency supply checklists for home and car on the
inside covers.
Above: Supervisor
Steve Bennett is introduced by
Captain Lazenby to Ojai Police Chief
Bruce Norris
and Ventura County Fire Chief
Bob Roper, Santa Paula Fire Chief
Kevin Fildes,
and Ventura County Fire Division
Chief
Scott Schuster.
"Captain Lazenby has a great gift for communicating," Bennett said.
"His calm passion just came out. We have 150 citizens in the Ojai
Valley who have been trained. We need more. At the next CERT graduation
ceremony March 8th, we will invite all the graduates to come and network.
We want to co-ordinate, neighborhood by neighborhood, the entire Ojai Valley and
take this to the next level."
Supervisor
Bennett presented free copies of the DVD to Todd Thayer of Channel 6, and
Channel 10, and to HELP of OJAI.
Rotary-West Community Service Director Lou
Torres, seated second from left, explained what our club does for Ojai.
He cited the
Summer Band Concerts and Rotary
Community Park.
Producer
Dulanie Ellis said "I can't tell you how happy I am to see a full audience.
We're going national with this film. We hope that when you see it, you will want
to take the CERT training yourself. We think that every family should have
this DVD and review it once per year."
The premier at the new Theater 150 was well attended. Jim Roberts, front right
is a member of the Ventura Amateur Radio ACS/ARES emergency assistance teams.
Members of VOED, the Volunteer Organization for Emergency Disaster also came.
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Last modified: January 05, 2009
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