New Photos Posted

New photos have been added to our CERT Photo Album.  Pictures from the April Red Cross Shelter Training class have been posted, along with more photos from the Redwood City/San Carlos Silver Dragon exercise activity.

Garbage Bags – Versatile Addition to Any Kit

Garbage bags, especially the large, heavy-duty 55-gallon type — are exceptionally useful in survival situations. Staying warm and dry is at the top of the list of priorities whenever you’re exposed to the elements, particularly if you don’t know how long it will be until you have access to shelter and heat. Cutting a hole in the top of a large trash bag and slipping your head through it instantly makes it a rain poncho. But that’s just the beginning of the uses of a garbage sack. They can also be used as protection from the sun or, if filled with leaves, as a pillow or mattress or simply as something to sit or lie on that will keep you from getting wet on the damp ground. Garbage bags can also be used to obtain essential drinking water. It can be filled with snow and left to melt, leaving a container full of water or deposited in a hole as a way to catch rainwater.

This information has been provided for our CERT group’s use courtesy of GetReadyGear

EOC Tent Inventory and Repacking

Today (Friday 4/19/13) Belmont CERT Volunteers Bill Patterson and Tim Wong joined volunteers from Belmont PD and Sheriff’s Search & Rescue to help Office of Emergency Services with the inventory and repacking of the Mobile EOC (Emergency Operations Center) Tents.  The mobile EOC can be used by any agency in the County when a large temporary structure is needed.  It’s primary intended use is for a Command Post but can be used, as needed, for other uses such as an emergency shelter.

Message to San Mateo Silver Dragon Exercise Participants

A message from Fire Captain Robert Cook:

Hello Silver Dragon 7 participants,

I wanted to take a moment to Thank each of you for your assistance this year. Thanks to you, this event gets better each year. It was great working with both the San Mateo and Belmont CERT’s together. Our communications were second to none and I can’t think of how we could have made this work any better.

I have a tremendous sense of pride when I look at it and think about what we were able to accomplish in only 2 1/2 hours. It’s your enthusiasm and participation in our CERT program that drives Bill and I and keeps us energized.

I look forward to seeing you all at the next one!

Robert Cook
Fire Captain / Paramedic
CERT Program Coordinator
San Mateo City Fire Department

Safety Tip: ICE in your cell phone

In an emergency situation, paramedics, police and firefighters often waste valuable time trying to figure out which name in a cell phone to call, they must look through wallets for clues, or scroll through cell address books and guess. Many people identify their spouse by name in their cell phone, making them indistinguishable from other entries.

I encourage everyone to enter emergency contacts in their cell phone address book under the name “ICE” (In Case of Emergency).  Alternately, a person can list multiple emergency contacts as “ICE1″, “ICE2″, etc.

PDF of CERT Field Operating Guide Available

I wanted to remind our newer readers that a PDF version of the CERT Field Operating Guide (FOG) is available on this blog using the link at the right.  Keep one handy on your smartphone or e-book reader.

Emergency Food at Costco

Saw this bucket of food at Costco last weekend. Having a weakness for preparedness themed impulse purchases, we tossed it into our cart. Priced at $60, this provides three days of food for two people, and has a 20 year shelf life! A small camp stove w/fuel, plus a water filtration bottle is included. All you need is water and you’re all set.  We’re tempted to open it and survive a long weekend at home with it.

2013 Silver Dragon Exercise

Another Silver Dragon exercise is complete, how nice it was to have glorious weather this year! This time Belmont CERT worked with the good folks of San Mateo CERT while Redwood City/San Carlos CERT had enough participation to staff three field commands. San Mateo was able to simulate the distribution of medication and supplies to over 1700 homes in 2.5 hours, beating the stated goal of 823 homes/hr.
It looked like everyone enjoyed the exercise and I want to welcome any new San Mateo visitors to this blog. Photos of the San Mateo and Redwood City exercises have been posted to the CERT photo album (see links at the right side)

Redwood City/San Carlos CERT Meeting Minutes Posted

The minutes from this week’s CERT meeting are now available for download from the Meeting Minutes link.  Thanks to Robert Lombaerde & Joe Lucchesi for taking the time to educate the team about Ham radio.

Simple Cloth – Multiple Uses

 A fashion statement to some, a bright bandana can come in handy in a wide variety of ways if you find yourself lost in the woods. According to Cody Lundin’s book on survival, “98.6 Degrees,” a bandana has some fairly obvious uses in survival situations, including as a signal to catch the attention of possible helpers, as a sling, or as a hat to protect against the sun. Lundin points out that a bandana is helpful in both hot and cold conditions. Used to cover the neck, a bandana will hold heat in if there is a chill and reduce heat gain when it’s hot. You can also soak one in cold water and then tie around your neck to keep you cool.

What makes a bandana such a wise item to carry around at all times is the fact that its uses go well beyond the obvious. It can also be utilized as a filter to aid breathing in dusty or cold conditions, as a tool for straining water before purification and as a bandage for a wound. Perhaps, best of all, this versatile item is cheap, light and easy to carry. And they can be a great fashion statement too!
This information has been provided for our CERT group’s use courtesy of GetReadyGear