The Obama Administration has said that public readiness is a priority and has taken steps to strengthen the involvement of Americans in their own homeland security. However, officials acknowledge that there is still a ways to go. I present these proposals to help move forward citizen preparedness on a local, state and national level. I hope these suggestions can be a useful addition to the policy discussion and have submitted it to the Federal Preparedness Task Force. As always, I welcome your feedback:

1) CREATE CITIZEN PREPAREDNESS TASK FORCE — The lack of progress to date on public readiness and engagement underscores the need to develop new ways of approaching the issue. DHS Secretary Napolitano should create a Citizen Preparedness Outreach Task Force to assess the current state of public readiness and work on developing new approaches. At present, there is no clear social education analog to civilian emergency preparedness that can be easily pulled off the shelf so it will take some work to develop an effective program. In fact, the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism in its final report recommended the Administration make citizen engagement a priority. But Chairman Bob Graham told me that the ‘WMD Commission’ did not did not find anything suitable it could recommend, and that something new has to be developed.

2) BETTER DEFINE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE “PREPARED” “READY” AND/OR “RESILIENT” — An American Red Cross survey indicated that 93% of Americans are not prepared for disasters. The truth is that no one can be fully prepared, but there is a need to offer the public a clearer definition — including a minimum level — of preparedness. That might include creating a family communications plan and storing tangible supplies but also knowing more about potential threats that every American should know. That doesn’t mean overwhelming people with too much information, but making sure they are at least familiar with some basics. (For example, the first time citizens hear about a ‘dirty bomb’ from government officials should not be in the moments after one has been exploded.) In addition to the content questions, there is also a word meaning issue to deal with as well. The Obama Administration has been emphasizing the concept of societal resilience. Should emergency management officials be talking about citizen resilience in their communities rather than preparedness or readiness?

3) SUPPORT & REPORT ON STATE/LOCAL PREPAREDNESS EFFORTS — Provide adequate seed money for state and local government to bolster civilian preparedness programs and link the grants to performance. Encourage authorities to report publicly on their level of citizen preparedness and create metrics for better measuring civilian readiness. Find interested governors to take on leadership roles and create pilot models in their states. There is a need to employ both “bottom/up” and “top/down” approaches to disaster preparedness combining state, local and community leadership and citizen involvement with federal commitment and focus. Ensure that government authorities can competently respond to disasters but also more strongly emphasize the need for the public and local communities to be prepared and self-reliant, particularly in the first 72 hours after a disaster.

4) HIGHLIGHT & SPREAD MODELS FROM AROUND U.S. & OTHER COUNTRIES — There is a need to help promote and implement best practices from communities around the U.S. and draw, where applicable, particularly from British and Israeli experiences. One model may be the United Kingdom’s National Risk Register, which sets out publicly the government’s assessment of the likelihood and potential impact of a range of different public health, natural and terrorist risks. It is designed to increase awareness of the kinds of risks the UK faces, and encourage individuals and organizations to think about their own preparedness. The Register also includes details of what the Government and first responders are doing to prepare for those emergencies and the role of citizens in those plans

5) USE ‘CARROTS’ TO CHANGE PUBLIC BEHAVIOR – Provide a tax write-off for citizens to buy preparedness-related products as a way to promote participation and to signal governmental commitment. Encourage states to create tax-free periods as is being done in Virginia and Louisiana (and has been introduced in the New York legislature). Also, consider targeting assistance to citizens who cannot afford to prepare. The fact is that when we really want to change social behavior as a nation we do it through the carrot or the stick. The carrot is the preferable tool for this issue, but it needs to be used. And, thus far, incentives (and vegetables) have largely been missing from the preparedness effort, which helps explain the lack of progress. Similarly, preparedness disincentives in the law should be removed (ie. in some places, homeowners who retrofit their homes face higher tax assessments.)

6) BRING IN BUSINESS TO DEVELOP INTEGRATED ‘WIN-WIN-WIN-WIN’ PUBLIC PREPAREDNESS MARKETING CAMPAIGNS– Design and roll out a full service preparedness marketing campaign with help from the private and non-profit sectors. Galvanize business to take on disaster preparedness in the same way they have with disaster response, most notably in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (ie. big box stores, packaged goods manufacturers, bottled water companies, wireless industry). Work with companies in preparedness-related businesses to offer major discounts tied to citizens taking actual readiness steps recommended by Ready.Gov and local emergency management offices.

For example, individuals and families come into ‘big box’ stores with emergency communications plans (or fill them out in the store) and in return they would receive a significant discount on supplies or free products (ie. if you purchase a case of bottled water, you would get your emergency supply thrown in for free). And if a customer signed up to volunteer for CERT or the Red Cross Disaster Services, they would get a bigger discount. Mobile phone retail stores would be excellent settings for preparedness events/trainings to help people register for government emergency text/e-mail alerts. I’d also like to see an event/photo-op with kids teaching their parents about texting and its role in an emergency. Here again, the companies would offer customers extra free text/phone minutes for completing the preparedness step.

7) DON’T BE AFRAID TO TELL THE CHILDREN — Put more emphasis on educating young people on preparedness by piggybacking on other related school-based social education efforts, most prominently fire safety. The challenge is the both the decentralization of the nation’s education system and the already high curricula demands on teachers. Yet, an effective fire education program was implemented in the schools beginning in the 1970’s, and there would seem to be a perfect fit to integrate a preparedness module into that existing program. The federal government should work with state and local officials as well as fire and education officials to determine how best to accomplish that objective.

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate recently suggested expanding the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program for young people. I believe that a decision to expand CERT-type training in the schools would be welcomed on a bipartisan basis.There should be more public briefings on how personal tech would be helpful in an emergency, before the emergency (including how Twitter, Facebook and one’s smart phone can be invaluable). Further, every governmental preparedness web site should add a cell phone and an extra battery (or other power source) to the basic components of their recommended disaster supply kit.  Many private companies are working on applications for citizen emergency communications. Those business efforts need to be integrated with official alerts (ie. the new iteration of the Emergency Alert System) and unofficial citizen-based social media (as well as the news media). Both the content and distribution channels of emergency communications are changing and new models need to be developed.

8 EMBRACE AND ACCELERATE PREPAREDNESS 2.0 – There is a need to better inform the public on the potential of 21st century personal technology to prepare for and respond to 21st century emergencies. We must make Americans more aware of the capabilities of the technology at their fingertips (ie. wireless devices, social media sites) in advance and integrate it into disaster planning and response. The public’s new ability to access and distribute information offers both an opportunity and a challenge to government authorities.

There should be more public briefings on how personal tech would be helpful in a crisis, before the crisis (including how Twitter, Facebook and one’s smart phone can be invaluable). Further, every governmental preparedness web site should add a cell phone and an extra battery (or other power source) to the basic components of their recommended disaster supply kit. Many private companies are working on content and distribution applications for citizen emergency communications. Those business efforts can complement official efforts (ie. the new iteration of the Emergency Alert System) and unofficial citizen-based social media (and well as the news media). One hugely promising initiative is CrisisCommons which over the past year has created groups of volunteers throughout the world to bring technology to bear on disaster response issues.

9) FIND POLITICAL, CELEBRITY PREPAREDNESS SPOKESPEOPLE – During the time that I have covered the topic of citizen emergency preparedness, one of the most surprising things I’ve found is that there is no major elected official who has taken the lead on the issue. It’s surprising for a number of reasons: natural disasters and terrorism dominate the headlines and will continue to for the foreseeable future; citizen preparedness is pretty much an unassailable, bipartisan, patriotic and community-building topic; and even the smallest interest in Washington has at least one political champion (but not public preparedness). And, with much to do, there is a great opportunity to have a positive policy and political impact. To some in the readiness community, the absence of star power on the issue has been one reason for the lack of public attention. Though celebrities have been eager to participate in fundraising efforts after catastrophes like the Haiti effort), there is no big star who is singularly identified as a spokesperson for emergency preparedness.

10) GIVE THE PUBLIC MORE INFO SO THEY CAN BETTER PREPARE & PARTICIPATE – There is a need to better inform the public when it comes to disaster preparedness so they can not only ready themselves and their families but also be part of the policy debate. Let me mention two areas briefly:

a) Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD): In its report, the WMD Commission argues that the incoming Administration should make an effort to inform and engage the public on the subject of WMD’s. I agree. And, I suggest officials consider starting that process by defining (or redefining) what a WMD actually is. At present, it is most common to define a WMD for the public as a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (or “CBRN”) weapon.

The Commission report, however, focuses primarily on the dangers of biological and nuclear terrorism, both of which could be absolutely catastrophic. By contrast, a chemical or radiological (better known as a ‘dirty bomb’) weapon could be very serious but would likely not cause as much lasting damage. In fact, both a chemical and radiological attack would likely be a one-shot event seriously impacting those directly near the event, closer in result to a ‘traditional’ terrorist bombing. A nuclear bomb or biological incident, however, could have wide and long-lasting ‘mass destruction’ impact to humans, property and the society itself. We don’t want the public — and the nation as a whole — to overreact to some threats and underreact to others.

b) Risk: I think it may be one of the most important homeland security subjects for both the government and the public, because it highlights some of the tradeoffs involved in determining how to allocate the nation’s security resources and the role of risk management in making those decisions. This is a debate which should include the public. Right now, Americans aren’t engaged in the discussion over the security, financial, logistical and time tradeoffs involved in our own homeland security.

We need to introduce risk management into homeland security which would lead us to ask and answer important questions: What improves our security and resiliency? And what can be done at a reasonable social and financial cost? Those answers should come not only from policymakers but with the guidance of the public itself.

The public should be asked: How much risk do you want to pay for? How much inconvenience do you want to deal with? These are dilemmas we deal with everyday in our lives; we need to bring that same approach to homeland security and disaster preparedness. FEMA’s Fugate has since his days in Florida made the point that natural hazards turn into natural disasters because of man-made decisions on development, including ubiquitous golf courses: “You can tee off in Tallahassee and play through to Pensacola,” he likes to say.  ”Unless the public understands we need to change where we develop and live, it won’t matter.” It is up to elected officials to present those choices, including building codes, levies and insurance incentives.

11) ‘SEE AND SAY’ SOMETHING MORE – Build upon the initial success of ‘See Something, Say Something’ -type citizen information campaigns by providing the public with more specific guidance on how to assist law enforcement and, without giving away sources and methods, offering more feedback on the information they have provided. Law enforcement officials are concerned about societal complacency nine years since 9/11, but have not determined how to communicate to the public a more candid – yet calm and balanced – picture of the threat and how they can best help. The Department of Homeland Security is expanding “See Something, Say Something” nationally, which is a positive development. However, there is still a need to better explain to citizens their role, particularly at a local level. One important question is how much of what new information and training given to law enforcement about terrorism prevention should also be provided to the public.

12) MEDIA SHOULD COVER PREPAREDNESS AS WELL AS DISASTERS – While the press does wall-to-wall coverage on natural disasters and has covered practically every aspect of terrorism story closely, it has largely overlooked advance public preparedness. By contrast, during the Cold War, magazines ranging from Life to Modern Farmer dedicated entire issues to civilian readiness. Obviously, the press’ role is not to serve as a publicity arm of the government, but it is a topic that deserves more attention. And without more media coverage, it will be difficult to break through to the public. One great example of the press as a unique asset is the list of preparedness tips and lessons learned from the disaster survivors that was collected by the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

13) GOVERNMENT PREPAREDNESS OUTREACH NEEDS TO BE FAR MORE INTERACTIVE — Right now, if a member of the public has a question about the preparedness process, there is nowhere to go. And, as someone who does a lot of public outreach on street fairs, radio or in community meetings I hear a lot of questions from average citizens about emergency readiness — ie. Shouldn’t buildings have mandatory emergency drills? Shouldn’t everyone have a solar charger in your ‘go-bag’ to be able recharge a cellphone or radio? Shouldn’t you have an evacuation family meeting spot outside of the City in case there is major disaster? In case of an emergency, where should we go for information? The emergency management community on a national, state and local level must overhaul its public information operations to be able to address those questions directly and lead the public through what can be a challenging process to undertake.

14) ‘DO ASK, DO TELL’: MAKE “PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY” MORE CENTRAL TO PREPAREDNESS MESSAGING — Instead of telling people to prepare because it is a responsibility (you need to do this), government has used a softer ask when it comes to trying to get the public to prepare. To me, the it is time to try to do more “telling” and less “asking”. I don’t believe the government should be afraid to explicitly tell the public that each of us can either hinder or help relief efforts by what they decide to do before and during a disaster. And, that it’s up to each of us to choose.

If indeed preparing for disasters is a responsibility of citizenship (which I think it should be), then it should been positioned that way. PSA’s saying that people are imperiling the lives of first responders and their fellow citizens, particularly the vulnerable (ie. the elderly, disabled) not to mention your own family might be treated with a little more urgency. Another potentially useful messaging approach was suggested to me by former Miss Utah Jill Shepherd who used citizen preparedness as her pageant platform. It can (and should) be included in the preparedness pitch that readying yourself and your family for disaster at home is a way civilians can contribute to the nation’s resilience and complement the work and sacrifice of those serving in the military. Preparedness may be the most important contribution most citizens can make to their nation’s security. Not only will civilians likely be the first on the scene of a major emergency, but the nation’s response will only be as strong as the readiness of the weakest link. We have entered the ‘pro-am’ preparedness era where the government needs to hand off some responsibility and the public needs to take it.

15) INTEGRATE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS INTO OTHER COMMUNITY ISSUES — Emergency preparedness is an important issue, particularly during crises. However, it has a better chance of becoming ingrained into American society if it is viewed as part of other preparedness topics that are a more central part of Americans daily life, including public health (immunization), security (Neighborhood Watch), infrastructure and climate change, part and parcel of just being ready for any situation.

For example, the global warming campaign can and should be a model for civilian emergency preparedness in a variety of ways. The two efforts are complementary and should be linked closer together in the public’s mind — and actions. In both, society is being asked to mobilize in order to avert or mitigate potential disasters, and both are part of strengthening the nation’s general national resilience. Yes, global warming has some skeptics, but so does emergency preparedness — ironically they are often not the same people which may conveniently add to its complementary synergy.

16) EXPAND EMERGENCY DRILLING OPPORTUNITIES TO PUBLIC –Increase chances for citizens to participate in disaster drills, which would help people focus on the issue and work through the key questions everyone should ask before a disaster (ie. How will you get information and communicate with your family? Do you know the emergency plan of your children’s school?). Most every top homeland security/emergency management official I have interviewed has told me that broader public disaster exercises would be helpful in a number of ways, but there has not been a concerted effort to expand drilling opportunities to the public.

17) DETERMINE BEST USE OF CIVILIAN DISASTER VOLUNTEERS – Craig Fugate said recently that FEMA would be reevaluating the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). I think that as part of that review government and non profit officials should be looking at how best to recruit and deploy disaster volunteers. Post-9/11 and Katrina — as well as with international incidents such as Haiti — there has been great interest among the public to be involved in crisis response. A key question is how that asset should be managed. Should it be the government? The Red Cross? Other non-profits and faith-based institutions? Business? Or a combination of the four? One hugely promising initiative is CrisisCommons which over the past year has created groups of volunteers throughout the world to bring technology to bear on disaster response issues.

Fugate said that FEMA is considering major changes in the CERT program, including creating a shorter training course which could be offered to more Americans and significantly expanding training for schools and other youth groups in order to better imbed preparedness into society for the long-term. I’ve always felt that CERT training is less about the skills you learn and more about awareness about the community and the various emergency authorities (and identifying citizen crisis organizers in advance). To me, CERT is just basic citizenship training for the 21st Century, which I think every American should get a chance to receive. I might suggest that the smaller reduced curriculum be called something along the lines of “Citizen Resilience Training”.

18) ESTABLISH AN OFFICIAL PREPAREDNESS DAY — Create a National Preparedness Day to focus public attention before disasters, including briefing citizens, conducting drills, and filling emergency kits. A helpful model is Japan’s Disaster Prevention Day held on September 1st, the anniversary of the catastrophic 1923 Tokyo earthquake. Earlier this month, 670,000 Japanese participated in emergency drills around the country. China, since its 8.0-magnitude 2008 Sichuan Province earthquake, has also held two national disaster prevention days with nationwide drills.

If we as a nation feel it is really important for the public to develop emergency plans, it would be far more effective if everyone was doing that at the same time — rather than asking individuals to do it on their own. This ‘preparedness day’ would also be the time that we all asked the questions about planning then practiced and updated those plans. It would be useful for both responders and the public. I might suggest September 11th be made the U.S.’s official Day. It would seem to be appropriate to honor the memories of those who died by action, particularly something aimed at making sure America is never as unprepared again.

19) CREATE CITIZEN PREPAREDNESS OFFICE – Establishing a national citizen preparedness/resilience office to highlight and help coordinate efforts around the U.S. and ensure citizen preparedness remains a priority. Right now, there is not an identifiable place in the federal government that has responsibility for coordinating the public’s role in preparedness. Work with American Red Cross to create an effective advocate for the general public on emergency preparedness in the same way disabled and pet groups have done for the disaster needs of their communities over the past several years.

20) BUNDLE CITIZEN PREPAREDNESS PROPOSALS TOGETHER INTO “CITIZEN PREPAREDNESS INITIATIVE” – For too long, well meaning public preparedness efforts have gotten lost or have been ignored by the public. That’s in large part because they have not been packaged and presented as being specifically directed to citizens. But if the government would assemble these small disparate proposals listed above into an overall citizen preparedness package it would have a better chance of getting attention and gaining some traction. Ultimately, making inroads on citizen preparedness is less a matter of money than it is of focus and attention.

First, I handed out preparedness ‘goody bags’ to passersby in Manhattan’s Columbus Circle after stuffing the packages with other members in an impromptu assembly line. In each bag was a READY New York pen, hand santizer and info pamphlets. Most folks walking by our tent were interested in getting the bags maybe in part because of the increased awareness related to Hurricane Earl heading up the Eastern Seaboard.

Putting together preparedness bags.

Then, handing out the READY New York ‘goody’ bags in Columbus Circle.

After assembling and handing out the bags for a couple hours in Manhattan, I went to downtown Brooklyn where the City’s Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Bruno was announcing some new initiatives for National Preparedness Month, including a Facebook application to help New Yorkers locate family in an emergency. I was asked to stand with Bruno, the Fire Commissioner and officials from the Police Department, Red Cross and the Ad Council to represent CERT during the event.

Participating in a National Preparedness Month press conference in downtown Brooklyn.

After the press conference, I went over to a camera tent where OEM was interviewing/auditioning citizens for a preparedness public service announcement. In all, a full CERT day.

Auditioning for a READY New York public service announcement.

The questioner urged Fugate to move CERT from the Department of Homeland Security to FEMA’s jurisdiction. Fugate  was able to answer, with smile, “Done,” noting that he now oversees the program which trains citizen teams to assist during emergencies. That answer was easy. However, Fugate knows that determining and then making the necessary changes in CERT to make it most useful for FEMA, local authorities, the citizen volunteers and the nation will not be as simple.

Fugate said that FEMA is considering major changes in the program, including creating a shorter training course which could be offered to more Americans and significantly expanding CERT training for schools and other youth groups in order to better imbed preparedness into society for the long-term.

The CERT program faces a good news/bad news situation, according to Fugate. There are just not enough emergencies in which the civilian teams can take part in. Without activity, it is difficult to keep the citizen volunteers energized, interested and trained.

“Here’s the problem,” he explained, “People say I’ve taken all this training and there are no disasters. Well that’s good thing.” Maybe for the nation as a whole but not for the strength of the CERT program. (The C-SPAN video of Fugate’s speech is here.)

FEMA and local emergency management officials have to answer, in Fugate’s words, “a perennial question we run into: after CERT training, what’s next?”

And more importantly what’s next for the CERT program as a whole?

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate talks about the CERT program at the Red Cross’ Emergency Social Data Summit on Thursday.

As Fugate correctly diagnoses, there is need for some changes in the program. Right now, in most places there is just not enough work for CERT’s to do. It is a theme that I also hear from members around the nation who contact me through the blog, and I see from my own experience as a CERT here in New York City.

But while CERT teams are not getting enough business, Fugate is bullish about a larger market for preparedness training among the general public.

“We’re looking if there are ways we can take the CERT training and break it up. A lot of [business and social] groups have approached us and said we think this is really great but attention span of our audience won’t get you there. [At present, the CERT training is 20 hours, usually taught over 10 weeks.] But if you could give us 2-4 hours and we could give you our group what could you put together for us in that time that would empower and train people not necessary not to the level of CERT.”

From my experience both serving and reporting on CERT, the idea of spreading its resources out more broadly through the community for adults and kids makes a lot of sense.

One question is how the government should organize this new horizontal model of citizen preparedness training. What should stay under CERT? Should these new ideas (shorter training for adults, kids) be put in another high profile civilian volunteer preparedness or resilience program?

I’ve always felt that CERT training is less about the skills you learn and more about awareness about the community and the various emergency authorities (and identifying citizen crisis organizers in advance). To me, CERT is just basic citizenship training for the 21st Century, which I think every American should get a chance to receive. I might suggest that the smaller reduced curriculum be called something along the lines of “Citizen Resilience Training”.

The overarching philosophy of CERT is terrific: take advantage of citizen’s desire to want to help in crises and their ability to be useful. I believe that interest is even more robust since 9/11, Katrina and with other threats on the horizon. (The rapid  growth of the CrisisCommons citizen technology initiative over the past year is just one example of how much public interest there is to assist in emergency situations.)

An extensive survey done by the Citizen Corps (which oversees the CERT program) found that almost two-thirds (64%) of Americans say they would be willing to take a 20-hour training class to assist their community recover from disasters. The 64% figure was striking to me, because it points out an interest of many Americans to become more knowledgeable in emergency preparedness/response. That’s not to say that two-thirds of the population want to join the CERT program, but it does seem to indicate that a lot of Americans would be amenable to some sort of disaster education/training — particularly it was held in their workplace, house of worship, social club, etc.

Now, there are some communities around the U.S. where CERT teams are more fully engaged with activities than others. When I asked readers last month for their thoughts on CERT, Paul Garth from an Ojai, California team said it was up to the members themselves to go out and find things to do, which his group had. To some extent, Garth is right that CERTs themselves should try to develop ideas, but it can also be difficult because they are usually dependent on government emergency officials.

One question is whether the expectations for CERT service be more clearly delineated. There are no ‘cuts’ for anyone who passes the training, and then there are some members who go to every meeting and assignment and others who never show up. It can be difficult to keep a cohesive, engaged group going when some of the team — particularly when it involves sensitive emergency activities — are not fully committed.

It might make sense to have a better-trained CERT civilian group along the lines of another Citizen Corps program, Medical Reserve Corps, which is comprised of volunteer medical personnel. That might make government officials more comfortable in integrating CERT volunteers into its activities like a police auxiliary.

Fugate’s idea of broadening CERT-type training may be most useful when it comes to a younger generation. He believes that if the nation really wants to change social behavior on preparedness it needs to do so with the younger generation — who are not only more impressible than adults but are more likely to influence their parents and will also have a more long-term influence.

It would also be an opportunity to include preparedness into the curriculum in the schools where Fugate believes a culture of preparedness has the best chance of becoming imbedded. One useful historical model is the commitment to school-based fire education after the 1974 publication of the national “America Burning” report. In some cases, youth preparedness/CERT training can piggy back on these existing classroom programs.

Fugate mentioned that there are some excellent CERT programs for young people in parts of the nation. I recently wrote about interesting youth initiatives sponsored by READYColorado and the Colorado Division of Emergency Management, including the creation of a teenage ‘Social Media Response Team’ to help the authorities and the public during disasters. Eastern Michigan University has also taken leadership in developing Teen CERT programs in a number of states

I believe that a decision to expand CERT-type training in the schools would be welcomed on a bipartisan basis. In an interview I did with former Bush Administration Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff last year he agreed that a key to creating a long-term prepared nation is to focus on schools and kids. In the discussion, he sketched out two suggestions  – a “minimum” and a “maximum” approach. The “minimum” would be “to get the fire management and emergency management people to come together to create a program to be exported to the schools on basic preparation.”

Chertoff’s “maximum” option is that there be a more substantive course developed for U.S. schools on planning and preparation, which would include teaching “basic skills”. It would almost serve as a very limited albeit useful national basic training.

“If you’re not going to have a national service then as part of graduation from high school there should be a course over a period of time that teaches you the kind of basic things you might need in an emergency,” Chertoff says, adding “It’s going to do two things. It’s going to create a cadre of more capable people, but it is also going to demystify the process of preparation. Most people are intimidated that they don’t know how to do it. They’re afraid of being embarrassed.”

As FEMA officials examine what to do with CERT going forward, I imagine they will be undertaking an analysis of the future need and demand. Though it is a very well-intentioned idea — and I have really enjoyed and learned from my CERT work — there may well be that there a limit to what moderately trained part-time volunteers can really do in the official emergency services world. Maybe the bulk of CERT volunteers who are willing to commit just to the basic training and limited participation would be better to be transferred to the disaster services unit of Red Cross chapters from around the U.S.. which is busier with fires and local emergencies.

I recommend that FEMA  should also reach out to some CERT team leaders/members in communities around the U.S. as government officials do not always know what is going on within the CERT teams (as this blog post from state emergency management official Mark Chubb underscores).

To me, civilian CERT members can best serve the community by being, in Fugate’s words, preparedness “ambassadors” providing information and guidance to their neighbors. When it comes to citizen preparedness, there is a real need for explanation and modeling, and CERT members can be hugely helpful in part as emergency management offices don’t always have the time always the inclination to do so. Further, the growth of social media platforms underscore the value of friend-to-friend, peer-to-peer education both before and during emergencies.

I received a thoughtful e-mail last year from the State of Florida’s former CERT coordinator Bill Firestone who served under Fugate in which he elaborates on the value of the “ambassador” role.

While it’s very unlikely that most CERTers will participate in a mass casualty triage or perform in pairs in fire suppression, CERTers will talk to their neighbor, participate in their children’s schools, attend neighborhood activities. Consequently, they can reach out to people that government and non-profit preparedness messages cannot reach or it is too expensive.

In my role as a “CERTer”, here in Florida, I am reaching out to neighbors and talking to them about the network of non-profits in disaster and the importance of knowing what services and assistance they can provide before and after disaster. Here in hurricane-prone Florida I have begun to send along the url for information about the importance of completing an SBA loan application and how that is tied to receiving additional disaster assistance. Most of my neighbors that have incurred damages to their house have been told about the low-interest loans following disaster, but not aware of the other benefits to completing the application.

If you have any thoughts on FEMA’s reevaluation of CERT, I’d love to hear them.

Handing out preparedness information at a Manhattan street fair with my own youth CERT in training.

According to its website, “National Night Out” is designed to: heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs; strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

NYPD 19th Precinct Commander Matthew Whelan with a very happy to be back CERT member.

CERT team members along with their Haitian students

Herman Schaffer, the NYC team leader, kept an interesting journal of the experience and posted it on the City’s Office of Emergency Management’s Facebook page (photos are here.) Below is an excerpt:

We have just under 100 trainees today, including 18 women. The trainees are organized into two companies, A and B, each with four sections. Each section is composed of 14 people, including one Rapid Responder. These Rapid Responders had previous leadership roles in the camp and manage all administrative duties in their sections, like taking attendance, selecting volunteers, moving groups from one place to another, taking questions, etc. Their assistance allows the fire and health trainers to focus purely on instruction.

The class portion is conducted with two instructions using a PA system to speak to all 100 students seated in bleachers. The practical sections are broken down by sections (14 people). Each day, every trainee gets an MRE (Meals Ready-to-Eat) for lunch. I had to bring my own sandwich today, because the MREs are too salty for me.

On June 8, we trained the volunteers in fire safety. The course was interrupted by an hour-and-a-half monsoon and we had to move into two large tents to finish the classroom portion. When the storm passed, we practiced putting out different types of fires: five charcoal fires, one wood fire, and one plastic fire. The plastic fire helped highlight the different health threats and firefighting techniques required by various fires. The trainees felt empowered by the lesson and decided to collect all the plastic trash in the camp to reduce the threat it could add to fires.

The full journal can be read here.

During rain storms, CERT classes were forced inside

A Haitian trainee receives fire safety guidance from two CERT instructors

Last month, I wrote a post, “As 25th Birthday Approaches, Is It Time To Reevaluate CERT’s Role, Management, Training, Resources, Etc.?”, discussing the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program (which I participate in here in New York City). I was prompted to write it by another post on the blogHomeland Security Watch in which Mark Chubb, a “senior civil servant in an emergency management agency,” recounted discovering the frustrations of the CERT members he met with in Virginia. He concluded the post with this caution to his fellow preparedness officials about the program:

The opportunity cost of ignoring volunteers in exchange for making investments in hardware and software rears its ugly head sooner or later. Eventually, disgruntled if not disorganized volunteers will, as ours did Monday night, remind you that the liveware — the people and relationships that make up a community — are assets to be invested in not just protected or neglected.

In the comment section of my original post (3rd one down), Paul Garth, a CERT member from Ojai, California and organizer of the OjaiOK drill, took exception to what he read about his Virginia colleagues. Garth’s overall point:

“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.”

From different perspectives, Chubb and Garth both describe both the promise of and the challenges facing the CERT program. I know it’s a topic of interest to readers of this blog. (And is timely as CERTs are being deployed to assist in the oil spill response effort).

So, as the program approaches its 25th Anniversary, I thought I would ask my fellow CERT members for their feedback on the program: How is it going? What’s working? What isn’t? How could it be improved? Is there a message about CERT program you’d like to communicate to other teams around the U.S., FEMA, elected officials or the general public?

I will post the responses on the blog and will ask FEMA leadership for their thoughts as well. Either email me at jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com or write in the Comment section below. Thanks.

A CERT training session in Apple Valley, California

The team has been teaching the CERT program to classes of 40 to 50 people over a 10-day period. The lessons are based on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s national CERT curriculum which has been been modified to meet the needs of Haiti’s population. Witt Associates has been working with the J/P Haitian Relief Organization and the UN Development Programme to bring the CERT training to Haiti.

The 12-member New York City team is comprised of: 4 Haitian-Creole speaking firefighters instructing CERT trainees in fire suppression and light search and rescue; 2 FDNY EMS personnel teaching first aid and triage;  2 Health Department employees running courses in public health; 3 OEM staff members assisting with course instruction and manage the team; and 1 senior CERT instructor serving as an adviser and helping manage the team. There will be a disaster simulation for the trainees along with the graduation. It is the first time CERT has been taught there.

Herman Schaffer, the NYC team leader, has been keeping an interesting journal of the experience and posting it on the City’s Office of Emergency Management’s Facebook page. An excerpt is below:

June 9th: Training is going better than expected, primarily because of high levels of organization at Camp Petionville. We have just under 100 trainees today, including 18 women. The trainees are organized into two companies, A and B, each with four sections. Each section is composed of 14 people, including one Rapid Responder. These Rapid Responders had previous leadership roles in the camp and manage all administrative duties in their sections, like taking attendance, selecting volunteers, moving groups from one place to another, taking questions, etc. Their assistance allows the fire and health trainers to focus purely on instruction.

The class portion is conducted with two instructions using a PA system to speak to all 100 students seated in bleachers. The practical sections are broken down by sections (14 people). Each day, every trainee gets an MRE for lunch. I had to bring my own sandwich today, because the MREs are too salty for me.

On June 8, we trained the volunteers in fire safety. The course was interrupted by an hour-and-a-half monsoon and we had to move into two large tents to finish the classroom portion. When the storm passed, we practiced putting out different types of fires: five charcoal fires, one wood fire, and one plastic fire. The plastic fire helped highlight the different health threats and firefighting techniques required by various fires. The trainees felt empowered by the lesson and decided to collect all the plastic trash in the camp to reduce the threat that it could add to fires.

The St. Charles County Citizen Corps website describes its educational program for teens:

Four Boy Scout and two Girl Scout troops participated in the emergency preparedness and response training at Indian Camp Creek Park in northern St. Charles County. The specialized training provided students the skills necessary to perform under pressure by developing multi-functional response teams that supplement community emergency services during major disasters. The St. Charles County Teen Community Emergency Response Team (TEEN CERT) program is made up entirely of volunteer citizens and is more than 230 members strong.

While many people will respond to others in need without any training, one goal of the TEEN CERT program is to help these citizens do so effectively and efficiently without placing themselves or others in unnecessary danger. With the mandatory 20-hours of training, students learn to manage utilities and put out small fires, and treat the three medical killers by opening airways, controlling bleeding, and treating for shock. TEEN CERT also trains students how to provide basic medical aid, search for and rescue victims safely, organize themselves and spontaneous volunteers to be effective, and collect disaster intelligence to support first responder efforts…

In Indianapolis, at the Operation Safeguard Academy, according to the IndyStar.com:

…the 46 participants — ages 12 to 18, representing 17 area schools — are learning about survival, medical training, terrorism awareness and fire control. One of their main objectives is to take care of younger children in disaster situations, when parents might be overwhelmed with larger problems.

The camp, a collaboration involving Park Tudor School, Ball State University, Marion County Emergency Management and others, is meant to make the teens not only better responders, Fletcher said, but better leaders.

“They act as the catalyst for their families,” she said. “Most of us have had a child who goes home and says, ‘We had someone from the fire department come. We have to do a fire safety drill.’ . . . There’s nothing like a kid to put pressure on you to make something happen.”

Teenagers train as part of Operation Safeguard Academy

The Citizen Corps Volunteer page was created by Andrew Levy, a friend of this blog, who authors his own Neighbors Helping Neighbors blog. The page is active and growing and is a good resource for Citizen Corps members. It gives them an opportunity to share experiences, events and best practices, get their questions answered by peers, and help tie together the volunteers working in communities spread throughout the U.S.

The Citizen Corps Volunteer Facebook page can be found at www.facebook.com/citizencorps.

“This will be the first time New York City has ever taught its CERT Program outside of the United States and the first time that such a program has been brought to Haiti,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. “President Clinton, in his role as the UN’s Special Envoy to Haiti, and former FEMA Director James Lee Witt recommended our program to the Haitian government which in turn asked our instructors to lead the first CERT classes in Haiti. We are honored to do it.”

[The Clinton Foundation also just announced through their Twitter feed @ClintonTweet that it had pledged $1 million for disaster preparedness and hurricane safety in Haiti. An article on the donation is here.]

The 12 member New York City team is comprised of:

Four Haitian-Creole speaking fire fighters, who will be instructing CERT trainees in fire suppression and light search and rescue; two FDNY EMS personnel, who will teach first aid and triage; two Health Department employees, who will run courses in public health; three OEM staff members, who will assist with course instruction and manage the team; and; a senior CERT instructor who will serve as an advisor and help manage the team.

The roughly 400 Haitians who will be trained live in temporary shelters at the Petionville Club, a former golf course that now houses more than 50,000 people displaced by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck near Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010. Shortly after the earthquake, the group that will be trained volunteered to serve with the fire brigade at the settlement and received training in fire suppression.

The CERT program in Haiti will be taught to classes of 40 to 50 people over a 10-day period. The lessons are based on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) national CERT curriculum, but they have been modified to meet the needs of Haiti’s population. For example, one lesson will instruct Haitian CERT members about public health issues and drinking water safety.

The concept of developing a CERT program in Haiti came after President William J. Clinton became the United Nations Special Envoy for Haiti in 2009. President Clinton and former FEMA Director James Lee Witt recommended the program to the Haitian government after traveling to the country on series of fact-finding missions. After the earthquake in January, Witt’s firm, James Lee Witt Associates, requested New York City CERT instructors lead the first classes in Haiti. After the first round of training, the curriculum will be evaluated by Haitian officials. The CERT members trained by New York City instructors will then help develop the program in other parts of the country.

The opportunity cost of ignoring volunteers in exchange for making investments in hardware and software rears its ugly head sooner or later. Eventually, disgruntled if not disorganized volunteers will, as ours did Monday night, remind you that the liveware — the people and relationships that make up a community — are assets to be invested in not just protected or neglected.

In the comment section of my original post (3rd one down), Paul Garth, a CERT member from Ojai, California and organizer of the OjaiOK drill, took exception to what he read about his Virginia colleagues. Garth’s overall point:

“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.”

From different perspectives, Chubb and Garth both describe both the promise of and the challenges facing the CERT program. I know it’s a topic of interest to readers of this blog. (And is timely as CERTs are being deployed to assist in the oil spill response effort).

So, as the program approaches its 25th Anniversary, I thought I would ask my fellow CERT members for their feedback on the program: How is it going? What’s working? What isn’t? How could it be improved? Is there a message about CERT program you’d like to communicate to other teams around the U.S., FEMA, elected officials or the general public?

I will post the responses on the blog and will ask FEMA leadership for their thoughts as well. Either email me at jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com or write in the Comment section below. Thanks.

A CERT training session in Apple Valley, California

As a result of my reporting as well as first person experience here in New York, the need to reexamine the CERT program has been a regular theme of this blog. Though the CERT is good idea and members have made a definite impact in their communities, it is a resource not being used to its potential. Doing so, however, will not be easy. But in this the 25th year since the program was first conceived by the Los Angeles Fire Department it would seem to be an appropriate moment to take a new look at the program.

In his post, Chubb lays out both the possibilities and the challenges of CERT:

…teams have largely been left to organize and administer themselves. 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. No one is excluded from training due to age, physical ability, prior criminal history, or other limitations or associations. As such, our volunteer corps, although quite diverse, is not necessarily representative of all segments of our community, nor organized to instill confidence in those who do not participate.

From the outset, program managers and volunteers alike have assumed that in the event of a serious emergency, such as a major earthquake, the teams would deploy themselves without need of instructions or assignments from a central command authority. Their training would dictate the priorities and rules of engagement as situations warranted: Assess damage, identify and isolate hazards, organize bystanders and others, render assistance when able, communicate conditions and resource requirements to the nearest fire station, and follow the instructions of emergency responders when they arrive. Until recently, the system managed to get along in spite of itself.

But recently, as the community responded to the H1N1 pandemic by establishing community vaccination clinics, it became evident that things were not working as well as some of us had assumed or perhaps simply hoped.

Chubb says the pushback on the pandemic disclosed other more general concerns from the CERT volunteers:

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.

All of these explanations seemed reasonable enough and were little cause for concern. What we did not expect was a backlash from some quarters that suggested we were taking advantage of our volunteers to provide free labor for something that the government had not adequately prepared for and which they considered could hardly be called an emergency. Others complained that they were being asked to come to the aid of others besides their neighbors since most clinics were organized in poor communities with inadequate access to health care and a high number of uninsured residents. And still others questioned whether we knew what we were doing at all since no one had prepared them for such responsibilities much less organized them to respond to such situations beforehand.

Chubb concludes:

…we as a larger community of emergency management and homeland security professionals and policy-makers have assumed for far too long that volunteer means free. This can be taken one or both of two ways: 1) free as in without cost and 2) without responsibility or accountability. As it turns out, neither assumption is correct.

The opportunity cost of ignoring volunteers in exchange for making investments in hardware and software rears its ugly head sooner or later. Eventually, disgruntled if not disorganized volunteers will, as ours did Monday night, remind you that the liveware — the people and relationships that make up a community — are assets to be invested in not just protected or neglected.

I think Chubb’s post helps explain both the promise of and problems with CERT. Government officials have promoted the program to tap the interest of the public to contribute and assist the authorities, particularly in emergencies. And in a number of ways, it has been successful as teams have been set up in communities across the U.S. But, as Chubb’s report helps show, there is a need to better elucidate what is the role of CERT, and what are the resources, training and management necessary to accomplish that. FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate has repeatedly expressed his enthusiasm for the CERT program. As 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.

In the video, Arteseros encourages citizens to consider volunteering for NERT or CERT because “getting involved is one of the most empowering things you can do.”

LT. ERICA ARTESEROS,  SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT/NERT PROGRAM (ABOVE)

As part of the “Preparedness Weekend,” NYC-OEM handed out readiness information to the the public and the New York Blood Center Van was there to take donations. By the way, I definitely recommend you visit the ship if you’re sightseeing in New York City.

NEW YORK BLOOD CENTER VAN UNDERNEATH THE USS INTREPID; USS GROWLER SUBMARINE IS IN BACKGROUND

“I have been a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member in Cobb County, Georgia since 2004. It all started with my desire to help my family and neighbors to survive a disaster. I started searching on the internet to find out if any volunteer opportunities were being offered in my community, and that’s how I found CERT through Citizen Corps and ultimately Cobb County.

I participated in exercises, drills, training and recruitment opportunities. I took numerous FEMA independent courses in emergency management until I decided to enroll in a formal study program in emergency management. That is when I started the graduate certificate program in emergency management at Georgia State University.

Today that knowledge has allowed me to create a ministry in my church focusing on awareness of emergency management including conducting drills, exercises and training. Through that ministry, I have created vital documents such as emergency operations procedures for church and faith-based schools, continuity of operations plans, and evacuation plans–documents that I am happy to share with my neighbors.

In addition to the purpose of sharing those documents, and in the spirit of cooperation, I have established communication between the church and the Public Safety authorities including, the sheriff, police, fire and emergency management departments in the county. After all how good is a plan if it not shared with those who are there to help you?”

To read more stories of volunteers like Lisbeth R. or add your own, go to http://serve.gov/stories_safety.asp.

I would suggest that the government make the small change from “community” to “citizen”. The new name would more precisely describe what and who CERT is and would underscore the fact that it is completely civilian-staffed. Yes, we do come from the community, but what makes us unique in the disaster preparation/response system is that CERT members are all average citizens with other professions. I think there is also value in making the alteration to help promote the ‘citizen/volunteer’ angle of the CERT program with the public, the media and government. True, this is a small point, but as the program matures I would argue that it is a change worth making, particularly as the initials would still fit.

“I live in Florida and was the State CERT Coordinator for several years and a 25-year history, prior to that, volunteering and as a chapter employee for the American Red Cross. Although I have “moved on”, I still follow CERT, with a particular interest in how urban teams and programs are maintained. In the “resource rich” environment of the urban areas where governments routinely use mutual aid and there is a large number of support agencies and non-profits, it’s extremely challenging to find meaningful roles for CERT volunteers.

In a recent blog post, new FEMA administrator and former State of Florida Emergency Management Director Craig Fugate, in responding to the question on CERT, said he believed that CERTers are disaster preparedness ambassadors. While it’s very unlikely that most CERTers will participate in a mass casualty triage or perform in pairs in fire suppression, CERTers will talk to their neighbor, participate in their children’s schools, attend neighborhood activities. Consequently, they can reach out to people that government and non-profit preparedness messages cannot reach or it is too expensive. I believe that the role of “ambassador” is a good fit for CERT. Your blog shows CERTers participating at tables in neighborhood activities and other outreach to spread the preparedness message and my guess is that the new FEMA director’s words will translate into a direction of encourage that.

In my role as a “CERTer”, here in Florida, I am reaching out to neighbors and talking to them about the network of non-profits in disaster and the importance of knowing what services and assistance they can provide before and after disaster. Here in hurricane-prone Florida I have begun to send along the url for information about the importance of completing an SBA loan application and how that is tied to receiving additional disaster assistance. Most of my neighbors that have incurred damages to their house have been told about the low-interest loans following disaster, but not aware of the other benefits to completing the application.

I am interested in how others, especially in urban areas, how other CERT-trained individuals and teams are fulfilling the ‘ambassador’ role.”

I agree with Firestone. I think he suggests correctly that more emphasis be put on the importance of what Fugate called the “ambassador” role, citizens educating and motivating other citizens. Here in New York City, there has been an effort to do so by offering the type of public speaking and cultural awareness advanced training I recently completed.

Firestone also believes it is key that CERT follow the long-standing volunteer “rule” that the volunteer must see the good from donating his work. There is a laudable effort by New York’s Office of Emergency Management to celebrate members with certificates, events and thanks from the boss. However, I think that designating us as “ambassadors” and increasing our profile in the community and the amount of interaction we have with fellow citizens (usually through public education and other outreach events) makes a lot of sense. A key to CERT (like any volunteer effort) is trying to help provide meaning to the volunteers to sustain long-term involvement, which is what Firestone is advocating for and is also what I try to do on this blog.

p.s. Firestone recommends The Disaster Handbook from the University of Florida’s IFAS Extension as “my favorite disaster preparedness reference”. It has now been put on the web and can be found here.

I recently received my written evaluation. I qualified as a “Solo Presenter” which means I can do public presentations myself as part of the OEM Speakers Bureau. I am very excited about it. This is the writeup I received – Strengths: “Enthusiastic! Speaks clearly. Very knowledgable on topics: OEM, CERT, NYC-specific hazards. Good explanation of CERT. Great reference to the guides.” Weaknesses: “Make sure you keep track of time. The whole presentation should be approximately 30 minutes. Try not to stand in front of the projector. Most of the presentations won’t have the same set-up, so just be aware.” Speakers Bureau Recommendation: “Solo Presenter” Notes: “One of your greatest strengths is that you tell what you know. The presentation is rich with valuable information.”

I look forward to doing these speaking events. If anyone is interested in having preparedness presentation, please fill in this OEM form or email me directly.

The day’s activities began early (after a couple of great homemade birthday cards from my two daughters) with “Rock & Run”  a benefit event in support of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s Survivorship Initiative.  It is tough to beat spending a beautiful Sunday exercising with my family on the New York City waterfront on behalf of a cancer survivorship program. We walked three miles with hundreds of others and then headed for Pier 84 for a picnic next to the U.S.S. Intrepid (and to top it off the Bruce Springsteen tribute group, the “B-Street Band”,  played on the stage). Just a great morning all around.

‘Rocking & running’ (actually walking) with my daughters in New York’s Hudson River Park

Afterwards, I switched out my yellow “Rock & Run” t-shirt into my green CERT uniform to distribute preparedness information at the “Third Avenue Street Fair” on the East Side of Manhattan. Along with my daughter and CERT teammates, I handed out Ready New York Pocket Guides and other emergency information. One item  that was very popular among the fairgoers (particularly  those walking their dogs) was Ready New York For Pets.

Father & daughter tag team distributing preparedness information on Manhattan’s Third Avenue.

1) Cultural Awareness/Psychological First Aid — Among the objectives of this three -hour course is to “provide a heightened awareness to the cultural diversity of NYC and how that relates to being a member of CERT and educate attendees on the psychological and emotional effects of disaster work and how that may affect you, your team members, and the survivors you may assist.” A group of about thirty CERT members from throughout the City heard presentations from two experts from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. One presentation was “Mental Health Implications of Emergencies and Self Care for CERT Responders,” and the other was “Enhancing Cultural Competence in Disaster Response.”

We also broke into groups of five to prepare a scenario and present it to the rest of the class. Our scenario was very timely in light of the H1N1 outbreak as it involved CERT members being asked to staff a Point of Distribution (POD) to give out medicine to the public. The scenario asked how we as CERT members would deal with a request to report to a POD for a 12-hour shift if our husband/wife/partner was out of town and we had three children at home. In our group, we discussed how that would involve a tension between being a CERT member and a parent. Most of us would feel responsible to our family first, but we raised the possibility of finding a neighbor or family member  to babysit our kids or alternatively bringing them to the POD as they would probably need to get the medicine as well.

Scenarios are a great way of putting you into a situation and raising questions that should be addressed in advance. One of the takeaways that came out of our group was that we felt individual CERT teams should be discussing the issue of how members should deal with a situation where they are deployed but might have child care or other domestic responsibilities.

2) Coastal Storm Plan Training: Hurricane Sheltering Orientation For Specialists – This training is done completely online. It is a very interesting exercise for CERT members who might be asked to staff an evacuation shelter in the event of a major storm in the New York area. City officials have developed a comprehensive coastal storm plan which CERT members play an important role. A couple years ago, I participated as a “storm evacuee” during a major hurricane drill in downtown Brooklyn so I was somewhat familiar with sheltering procedure. However, this interactive training offered detailed descriptions of the different responsibilities a CERT member might have during a storm emergency. Throughout the web training, users are given various tricky situations that would come up and asked to come up with the right solution.

3) Ready NY Presenter Training — The third class I completed was focused on training CERT members to offer public preparedness presentations in the community. It aims to “introduce you to the concepts of the Ready New York program such as Knowing the Hazards, Making a Plan, Evacuation and Sheltering in Place, Creating a Go Bag, Creating an Emergency Supply Kit and Staying Connected; Review basic instruction techniques; Give you the opportunity to practice your public presentation skills; Prepare you to participate in Ready New York presentations and events throughout New York City.” Initially, a couple of OEM officials briefed us on the basic Powerpoint Ready New York presentation and offered us some speaking tips. We all were then broken up into groups and asked to present a few of the slides. We will soon be receiving evaluations from the OEM staffers who observed our presentations. I hope to have the opportunity to do some Ready New York presentations in the near future.

As you can see in above photos (taken by my daughters), after completing each of these trainings we were given graduation certificates. First of all, at our ages it’s nice to be called a graduate of anything. But more importantly, these certificates, as I have written about before, are a small tangible recognition that make volunteers feel good about their service and help engender a team spirit among CERT members.

I am standing outside the PATH train station near the site of World Trade Center along with other CERT “victims”.

The New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey hosted the full-scale, multi-agency two-hour exercise to test the City’s and the Port Authority’s response to an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonation on a New Jersey-bound Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) train.

More than 800 emergency responders participated in the simulated response to two explosions on a train in one of the PATH tunnels between the World Trade Center and Exchange Place Station in New Jersey. The exercise focused on the integration of PANYNJ and New York City assets and tested the decision making necessary to save lives and protect the public. Specifically, the exercise tested on-site incident management, search and rescue, mass casualty medical support, intelligence and investigation, and tactical interoperable communication. The drill was modeled after the July 2005 subway bombings in London.

The volunteer ‘victims’ in the drill were CERT members from throughout New York. Last Monday, there was a three-hour “Actors Briefing” in which OEM, fire and police officials gave us an overview of the exercise as well as the do’s and dont’s for volunteers in an emergency drill. We were asked to report to a school near the train station at 5:00am, three hours before the scheduled start of the exercise. After a short briefing from our drill “Controllers”, we were given our official plain white t-shirts, divided into groups and provided “moulage” by makeup artists with varying levels of wounds. I had a pretty severe looking one: a major cut to my forehead caused by piece of glass — which was attached to my face — along with a lot of imitation blood and grime.

CERT members have “moulage” applied to them with varying wounds before the exercise started.

(There were a lot of memorable images from the day for me, but one of them is definitely having make up applied by a man with a gun.) Earplugs and a light sticks were handed out in case we needed it in the tunnel. We were also given a card with our victim profile with details on our “condition” for the role we were playing. These were worn around our neck so the responders could see what our situation was. However, my role was changed before the exercise started. So instead of a 3-year-old girl with 1st degree burns, I became a 45-year-old bleeding man with a piece of glass in his forehead.

Each of us received a card with our ‘victim profile’.

The CERT team members then all left the school and walked a couple of blocks south towards the World Trade Center site and the PATH train station so we could get into position.

All the CERT members lining up to go down inside the train tunnel for the drill.

We were led by our controllers through the station turnstiles and down into one of the track tunnels. We walked about 200 yards or so on the tracks before going into a small enclosure underneath where Tower 1 of the Trade Center once stood. Our job would be simulating passengers coming off the front of the train after a bomb had exploded. (There were train cars farther into the tunnel where other CERTs were). We waited just off the tracks until the actual exercise began, and the makeup artists dropped in and freshened up our “injuries”. At just about 8:00 the walkie talkies of our controllers indicated that the drill had begun; soon after, we saw the first wave of heavily-garbed emergency responders heading past us towards the train.

After the train ‘explosions’ we watched as the initial emergency responders in special Hazmat suits walked past us on the tracks and towards the incident.

We were then instructed to begin our self-evacuation back up the tracks as simulated smoke was being pumped into the tunnel. Those of us with green tags could walk on their own, while others with yellow tags needed assistance. My CERT team colleague Will Sanchez (one of six volunteers there from my ESNA-CERT team) and I helped carry a woman with a yellow tag along the tracks until rescue workers with stretchers took her the rest of the way.

Firefighters roll CERT victims down the track back to the station.

As we continued on down the tracks other firefighters responding to the scene would stop us, check our tags to see our condition, and ask if we needed help ourselves (which we declined, according to our role). When we climbed up off the tracks and got to station level, the scene was filled with hundreds of uniformed officers from various places. We were directed to a group of paramedics (who asked how we were and then put a tag with our name and condition around our neck) and police detectives who asked us questions about the incident (”How many explosions did you hear?” “Did you see anyone suspicious beforehand?”). Then, we were escorted up  and out of the station to a nearby Post Office garage where paramedics did a final check and a numbers count.

After the exercise was completed, the CERT victims all returned to the School for a wrap-up discussion with OEM Commissioner Joseph Bruno and our controllers from the Fire Department.

OEM Commissioner Joseph Bruno speaks to CERT members after the drill has been completed.

From our perspective as victims, it is difficult for the CERT members to know how successful “Operation Safe PATH 2009″ was for the responders. That will be determined by the authorities in post-exercise analysis in the weeks to come. Though one lesson was already learned before the drill began: after the Air Force One photo fly-over frightened residents of lower Manhattan, the government agencies involved bought television and radio ads and put up posters in the train station and around the neighborhood warning about the drill.

A flier distributed to PATH riders and neighborhood residents last week announcing the emergency drill.

I had participated as a victim in two other major emergency drills — a hurricane exercise held in downtown Brooklyn in 2006 called “Hurrex”, and “Operation Civil Support” which included a simulated bus explosion, a building collapse and a chemical attack in the subway held at the Fire Academy on Randalls Island in 2008. Like those drills, this was a fascinating experience. Being involved helps CERT members better understand the role of responders and citizens in emergencies, and makes us more effective in our communities both before and during emergency situations.

In fact, one of our controllers said at the wrap-up that he hoped being in the drill would make it more likely that we would take a leadership role if we found ourselves in a similar train (or other type of) incident (”Show your training,” he urged). He also suggested that participation in the exercise might lead some of us to think about carrying a small flashlight or a snack/granola bar in our handbag or briefcase. (In fact, as I have mentioned previously on the blog, I think that more citizens should get the opportunity to take part in preparedness drills. It forces you to think about what you would do in advance of an emergency situation which leads to more preparation and better response if something happens.)

One of the major reasons for these exercises is to allow the responders from different agencies to meet each other before the ‘real thing’. (”You shouldn’t be handing out business cards at the scene of a disaster” is a common refrain I’ve heard.) I believe it is similarly important for CERT members, particularly those from nearby areas, to forge relationships in advance as well. And we did yesterday. The agencies involved deserve credit for including CERT in this major exercise. I hope that we were a helpful part of the exercise and will continue to have opportunities to participate in these drills in the future. We were told that this drill was the most extensive involvement by CERT thus far and that our work as victims makes it more realistic and helpful for emergency responders.

As you know, New York City has a number of confirmed and suspected cases of the H1N1 virus. DOHMH, OEM, and many other City agencies are working to coordinate the City’s response, but as always we are relying on you as CERT volunteers to spread the word to your fellow New Yorkers on how to avoid spreading the flu. These include common sense health practices that should be part of your daily routine, but especially when we are in the midst of a public health event:

*Wash your hands thoroughly and often, and especially after being out in public.
*Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your arm – not your hand.
*Stay away from obviously sick people.
*Stay home if you are sick.

Also, DOHMH and OEM have released the Ready New York: Pandemic Flu guide in 14 languages: English, Spanish, Italian, French, Chinese, Russian, Haitian Creole, Greek, Arabic, Bengali, Urdu, Korean, Polish, and Yiddish. Click on the link below to download the guide, and please encourage others to do the same and follow its advice. OEM will have hard copies of the guide available shortly and we will work to distribute copies to your teams so you can distribute them in your communities. 

Thank you from the OEM CERT Team for helping us to publicize this important message.

*Download the Ready New York: Pandemic Flu guide
*Visit the Health Department’s website
*Read more tips on how to stay healthy from the CDC

Members of New York City’s Tribeca CERT Team Handing Out Preparedness Information at the Tribeca Film Festival Fair on Saturday Morning.

The photo below shows me practicing my traffic control skills on Roosevelt Island, located just across the East River from Manhattan, under the watchful eye of a police officer. There is only one main, lightly trafficked street on the island which makes it easier for neophytes like myself to learn proper signaling and positioning.

A police officer instructs me in traffic control on New York’s Roosevelt Island.

One of the takeaways from the corporate execs involved in disaster volunteer programs gathered there was that recognition for employee participation can be very helpful in creating and sustaining these programs. The recognition might be a special certificate, mention in a company meeting or newsletter, or some kind of an award. 

I give New York’s Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Joe Bruno credit for putting an emphasis on these small rewards. Bruno makes sure he gets to every CERT graduation, because he understands the symbolic importance for the volunteers. (In the photo below, Bruno is the man in the suit at my graduation. The other two men are the New York Fire Department lieutenants that ran our training.)

I am holding the ‘graduation certificate’ which I quickly framed.

OEM gave me another certificate for completing a training at the City’s Emergency Operations Center in downtown Brooklyn, which also quickly went into a frame and on my office wall.

I know I’m not the only one who puts these photos and certificates up on their walls (or on their Facebook pages). That’s important in engendering a team feeling and pride among the volunteers. It’s particularly vital for a program like CERT since it is made up of citizens from all over the community who only meet once a month. Integrating these types of incentives into disaster volunteer programs is easy and inexpensive, but offers a great return.

Neighborhood residents, survivors of the accident, CERT team members who responded, local politicians and the media gathered in front of the construction site.

A moment of silence was observed at 2:22pm when the accident occurred.

In the days after the accident, my CERT team, which is based nearby, were activated to help the authorities. We were asked to distribute bottled and hydrant water to area residents whose utilities had not been restored. 

Though our role was an ancillary one — mostly helping to lighten the load on the uniformed responders and the Red Cross — neighborhood residents were thankful to have our assistance and happy to see their fellow New Yorkers pitching in. Little did we expect that there would be another major crane collapse just a few weeks later only 40 blocks north.