2011 Northwest Citizen Corps Expo Concludes For This Year

This year's expo was a real change-up from last year. We had the Community Emergency Response Team specific classes this year like CERT forms & need for documentation and Communication radios and Hazardous Materials.

The Haz-Mat class used notes written on a large sheet instead of a power point presentation. This showed us how we could make a presentation to a group during a power outage. The communications class discussed HAM radios, GMRS, and FRS (or is it GSR and FSR?). They went over the differences in using them, which ones require a license and how you talk over them. There are several HAM radio operators among the Lakewood CERT members and more are training each year.

The practice drills were more intensive and more realistic this year. They divided us up into teams then "activated" us. Our team included people from Lakewood, Tacoma, and elsewhere. No one should "self-activate", which means don't run off to the next big disaster and say here I am. People showed up in Haiti after the big earthquake and they were just more people to house and feed. If you are not activated by a response group, then they have no idea what training you have and without a background check, most places are going to wonder why you suddenly turned up there. CERT members have been called out here in Lakewood several times. During the fire near the Starlight, many sandbags were used to channel the massive amounts of water away from nearby businesses. CERT members were back at the firehouse filling sandbags as fast as possible.

We were given a map and had to figure out where our area was, then we headed over there. A team of 2 was sent to do a "360" to assess for hazards and dangers not obvious from where we established our "headquarters". Our HAM operator kept in touch with the main command post, telling them how many injured we found and what the situation was. The "victims" this year had serious wounds that were extremely realistic. Unlike last year, we had lots of medical supplies in our packs (all of us).  We treated and transported the injured, then reported  back to the command center. We were sent out a second time (unlike last year) to a multi-story building (where the firefighters train). We sent in teams of 2 to search the building, report back and then retrieve the injured. The stairwells were very dark and it was not easy to find or transport some of the injured down the stairs.

This year we not only had the MST (Medical Services Team) HAM radio operators and treatment center; we also had the Green Cross Traumatology teams.  They gave a presentation on how to watch out for others, telling someone they need to take a break, etc. They study how to counsel first responders during an activation and what to watch for (stress indicators), as well as how to take care of yourself during an emergency.

We all drank tons of water, but the heat still got to many of us.  My pack was way too heavy and my back hurt the next day.  I got used to carrying a heavy pack in the Army and sometimes forget that I'm not that young anymore. I still feel the same inside!

September is National Preparedness month. Are you more prepared now than you were during the last windstorm and power outage? Do you have cans of food that can be eaten without cooking and a manual can opener? Buy some the next time you head to the store. You don't have to buy a year's worth of food in one trip. You can buy a few extra cans of food or bottles of water each grocery trip.