Clovis CERT How the Cadre Was Built

Citizen Volunteers Quality vs. Quantity Meaningful “Stuff to Do” Capitalizing on Volunteer Interest or innate skills sets It’s not just about disasters It is about partnerships

CERT Community Benefits: –Year round support through volunteer programs –Reduces burden on first responder services by promoting mitigation and preparedness measures –Creates well trained, better informed, and better prepared citizens to take care of themselves and others during times of crisis -- allowing first responders to address the most critical needs

Fire Extinguisher Training Farmers Market –Collaboration with Chamber of Commerce.. FREE! –Eight Friday evenings from June – September –Public Information re: CERT and fire extinguisher training for kids

Heat Wave Support Staffed for 5 nights from 5 – 10pm in collaboration with Senior Services Division Results –Provided relief for 15 people displaced by the extreme heat –Made over 160 phone calls to special needs citizens to ensure they had adequate cooling and were staying hydrated

Downtown Electrical Parade 12/03/11 12 Members in collaboration with PD –Assignments: Traffic control, parade route crowd control, barricade placement, transport to PD Command Center

Sand Bagging Staffed for two nights in collaboration with Public Utilities –1/3/08 – 19 members –1/4/08 – 12 members –1600 bags created over two nights –Assignments: filling, loading, distribution to residents, traffic control

Mass Care/Shelter Trailer Support for 200 Blankets, Cots, Care Kits Supplied consistent with ARC requirements and MOU drafted for deployment out of area by ARC

Emergency Assistance Unit CERT personnel trained in collaboration with ARC On-Scene Victim Support –Clothing –Child essentials Hydration SCBA bottles

Emergency Assistance Unit

2010 Total Volunteer Hours = 8,689 Teen CERT program graduated 42 students at CART Responded to 4 house fires with EAU support Graduated 30 basic CERT members 12 personnel certified in CPR/AED Provided $200 scholarship to one Teen CERT graduate Performed 5 training exercises Rehabilitated arson destroyed playground StormReady Certification – 1 st in the Valley (1/14/08) in collaboration with NWS –10 CERT members trained as part of certification Station 1 Opening (1/26/08) –Public Education Booth Joint MCI Exercise w/ Sacramento CERT (4/19 – 4/20) 22 Presidential Service Awards for members with 1,000 hours of service Victims –12 for an MCI drill October 2007 –10 for evacuation drill 3/26/08 CERT graduates come back to design and proctor full- scale exercises at the end of every subsequent CERT class

How/Why does it Work? Strong Leadership Team comprised of volunteers that hold each other accountable Disaster Services Supervisor gets out of the way Sense of Community is already strong in Clovis COLLABORATION WITH OUR LOCAL PARTNERS –Be creative –Think about joining forces and blurring boundaries