It has been the volunteers in our community that have initiated and organized a viable response community in Ojai by involving other organizations including the local ham radio club and Red Cross groups.

My response may came over as hard-line – I’m not going to apologize, so hopefully I inspire some conversation and action. Southern California is preparing for (at some future point) a potential 8.4 Magnitude Earthquake (over 15 times stronger than Northridge (1994), with over 4 minutes of shaking). Either indulge in complaining or come up with an action today that leads toward self-sufficiency.

My response:

Multiple things going on in this article, which makes it a challenge to respond to concisely.

“He was struck by some of the frustration and even anger about the lack of support, guidance and gratitude that some of the participants expressed”

We are told repeatedly in CERT Training that, “the Cavalry is not coming”. Professional First Responders will immediately focus on Utilities (downed power lines, gas leaks, water breaks, fires, high-profile locations — hospitals, senior homes, etc). Eventually, they will show up at some point for the rest of us. In 1985, CERT was devised so that the community would be self sufficient after a major disaster and therefore not be dependent on support and guidance.

If someone is frustrated and angry, then my question is, “what are you going to do about it?”. Success for any volunteer organization requires a bottom-up grass-roots approach with local membership providing continual positive energy and infinite new ideas being generated. FEMA and the Los Angeles FD can only create the concept of CERT and give moral support — the rest is up to us.

“Team leaders receive little additional training and no formal mentoring. Anyone who receives training is welcome to play or not play according to their individual willingness to do so.

“That’s right — it’s up to each local community to figure out the best program that makes sense for their specific situation. Start with the fact that you will get no immediate support after a major disaster and now need to figure out what infrastructure (teams, equipment, communications, etc) that you think you’ll need to respond with when something happens. If you think that someone is going to do this thinking for you after CERT graduation, then you weren’t paying attention.

Regarding H1N1, “For starters, people were reluctant to step forward. This sort of mission was not what they had in mind when they signed up for training. Others expressed concern that they would be exposed to the disease and might become ill themselves or transmit the illness to someone in their household who was otherwise vulnerable. And still others found it difficult to accommodate the commitment in already busy schedules crowded with other obligations.”

I can understand why someone would think that providing support for H1N1 clinics would be out of the scope of CERT, and maybe even imagine that they’re being asked because of perceived free labor, but…

When Ventura County Public Health asked Ojai Valley CERT for H1N1 Clinic support, we decided to re-frame how we could positively position the opportunity to our volunteers (including Ham Radio and Red Cross). First of all, we put the idea (including various job descriptions and time-slots) out to our respective groups and we get what we get (Note: We got a large number responding). Everyone knows that volunteering is a personal choice and cannot be expected – each individual needs to answer their own questions/concerns. The benefits we saw as a group was an opportunity to:

-Implement an Incident Command System
-Involve Ham Radio to create communication networks between all groups inside/outside the clinic, including parking lot and Ham Radio Shadows.
-Figure out parking lot logistics — get people across parking lot lanes safely.
-Get a message recorded onto our AM1610 station
-Red Cross volunteered with paperwork for people coming for vaccinations

What’s important is to know how the initial call was made to me for volunteer support. A representative from Ventura County Public Health specifically reached out to me for support because of prior events that we had been involved with. We had created a perception in his mind of trust and reliability and that’s why a call was made, period.

The opportunity put into practice various communications and logistics components that we all learned from. The community also saw that we were out in the frigid cold helping out and that sent a good Public Relations message. Each time we show up to an event we get an opportunity to shake hands with senior First Responder officials, and get to chat about our various programs and ideas. It’s all about building relationships.

I think what’s really going on here is that unpaid volunteers need a different form of recompense for effort – it’s called: appreciation and recognition. The challenge is that, from personal experience, Professional First Responders have a certain disdain for volunteers because there is a perception that we are unprofessional, could be a liability, and may even be eyeing their jobs. What has to come first is the local volunteer groups earning the respect of the Professional Responders by creating innovative community events and ideas and showing that we can truly be self sufficient after a major disaster, and even provide a valuable service to First Responders by giving actionable data to them — eg stats on Immediate, Delayed, Minor, etc. I’ve found clear evidence that First Responders are capable of showing appreciation and recognition to volunteer groups AFTER we earn their respect.

“CERT marks its 25th year, it is time for the Agency along with local partners to take a new look at the program for its next quarter century.”

I disagree. It’s up to each community to take on full ownership for their own program and shape it to what makes sense for their unique situation. After a major disaster, the response from government/first responders will be severely delayed, and the community will be required to support each other with self-sufficiency. The time to develop these relationships is now, before the next disaster strikes.

If CERT Groups are either vacillating, or are looking for a dynamic communications and emergency preparedness/awareness exercise which involves the community, volunteer groups and official agencies, then check out http://okdrill.org. My posture is this — if you take a look at this web-site, and don’t implement these basic structures, then get ready to wait it out while the government eventually shows up and therefore continue complaining. The alternative is magical self-empowerment within your community. Your choice.

CERT needs new guidance, fresh energy, and a revised reason for being.