Volunteer Opportunities in San Juan Capistrano

“Those who can, do.  Those who can do more, volunteer.”  I am not sure who said that, but I believe it is true.  There are so many opportunities here in San Juan, everybody should be able to find something to spark their passion.  From walking dogs to working at the library or volunteering for the historical society, a wide variety of groups are looking for new members.  One that is particularly close to my heart is CERT.

CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Team and we have been trained in incident command, search and rescues, fire suppression and triage.  What do we do with those skills?  In case of a major disaster, our priorities are to take care of ourselves, our families and our neighborhoods, in that order.  Classes are held twice a year, one in the spring and one in the fall.  This September, we are trying something new.  Classes will be held over two weekends.  For those of you who could not commit to six weeks worth of training, this may be just the class you have been waiting for!  Once you finish the class, additional optional training will be available for you including a variety of first aid classes. 

I originally joined CERT at the end of 2004, I believe. (Class 5)  I was on track to become a manager at work and I thought it would make me a more valuable employee to have this knowledge.  I had stumbled across the course information on the city website while looking up the Summer Nights schedule.  I was not sure what to expect, but I had a lot of fun!  Not only did I learn practical emergency response skills, I have built up my leadership skills and become a more confident person.  I became the safety trainer for my facility, I reacted in a calm manner to medical emergencies and I made our safety program one of the strongest in the company.  That is just me.  Triage training helped one member know what to do when a neighbor stopped breathing.  By opening up the airway and making sure it was stable until emergency personnel arrived got him credit from the paramedics as having saved a life.  Another member credits CERT for saving his life.  When their house caught on fire, he said he would have probably stayed inside and tried to fight it.  With his CERT training, he was able to quickly recognize that the fire was already beyond his skill level and they got out.  When the roof caved in, he knew he had made the right choice!

It also made me the go to person at home.  During my CERT training, I always put triage/medical at the bottom of my interests.  I felt that I did not know enough to be as valuable an asset to CERT as I would be at other functions, but I was better than nothing.  I carry first aid supplies in my vehicle and I continue to take as many of the extra first aid classes as I can in order to change that.  At a family dinner one night, my then 14-month-old nephew started to choke.  Thanks to CPR training taken at CERT, I did not panic.  I always wondered how I would react in such a situation and I am proud of my response.  I said, “I got this people, I got this.”  I calmly got him out of the high chair and dislodged the food.  After that, the rest of the family thought they should take the training as well.  First my dad and brother-in-law went and then my mom and sister.  We now have five trained adults in the family, but whenever anything happens, my niece and nephew still look to me to fix their boo-boos.  I am getting to be an expert at checking for concussions!  (Lucky for the kids, they seem to be hard headed like their Aunty.)  If you would like to learn some new skills, I suggest you visit our website at www.SanJuanCapistrano.org/CERT for details on how to join. 

So far, CERT has not had a massive call out.  We have assisted with base camp at the fires in Irvine a few years ago and when the creek bed was washing out in San Juan, but for the most part we are training and preparing equipment for the day that we do get the call.  If you want something a little more involved, please consider joining ASAP (Associated Senior Action Program).  This is another volunteer program that supports the city’s Police Services on a regular basis (CERT is mostly activated during emergencies).  If you have been at any city events such as Swallow’s Day or Summer Nights concerts, I am sure you have seen them in their smart uniforms.  Whenever I have interacted with them, they are friendly and always look like they are having a great time.  The camaraderie is easy to see and something I think I would love to be a part of some day.

Besides attending a variety of city ceremonies and entertainment events, the ASAPs also assist with Van and Kiosk services.  The Van Patrol issues citations for parking violations, reports graffiti, and makes vacation home checks. The Kiosk booth at the train depot provides visitors with helpful information about the City. If the ASAPs volunteer work sounds interesting to you, you can call (949) 443-6369 for an application and additional info.