Volunteering - Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAMS (CERT)

For this post, I'm sharing the volunteer activity I do these days - Community Emergency Response Team or "CERT" for short.  It's what I feel is my civic duty as an American. I also feel that I have a duty to my fellow humans to be ready to help in a disaster.  If Godzilla or zombies destroy my peaceful little hood, I'm ready.

PV CERT!

Why I Volunteer for CERT

No one likes to think about disasters, but ignoring the potential for one doesn't make it go away.  Here in Los Angeles we have wild fires, earthquakes, mudslides, and the potential for tsunami, HAZMAT and terrorism disasters.  We can't ignore that.  What's worse, most of these things have little to no warning.  Since I feel I have to be prepared for these things, I volunteer with my local CERT team. 

If your hometown turned into this after a disaster like the tsunami in Ofunato, Japan, how would you get water, first aid, or rescue trapped loved ones?  CERT members learn how to become part of the solution after a disaster. And classes are free!

What CERT Members Do

During a disaster, such as a major earthquake, EMS will be busy, VERY BUSY.  Here in my neighborhood we will not expect to see any emergency services for 3 days.  During those 3 days, CERT members tend to wounded, do urban search and rescue, triage, HAM radio operation, and basically hold the fort until the pros arrive.  It can mean the difference between life and death for many.  CERT was developed by the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACFD) back in 1985. (You can find a short history here.)  


SO basically, if there's a wildland fire, earthquake, flood, zombie uprising, you name it, CERT springs into action and assists local Emergency Management System (EMS).  

CERT members, in green, learn a bit of everything, even how to use a fire hose. 

What CERT Members Learn

Here's a course curriculum as taken from my local CERT website:

• DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
  Introduction to disasters, impact of disasters on infrastructures, and the role of CERT volunteers
• DISASTER FIRE SUPPRESSION
  Fire chemistry and basic fire suppression, identifying and reducing potential fire hazards, firefighting resources and techniques, as well as a discussion on hazardous materials
• DISASTER MEDICAL OPERATIONS 1
  Treatment strategies for life-threatening conditions and the principles of triage
• DISASTER MEDICAL OPERATIONS 2
  Head-to-toe patient assessments, establishing treatment areas, treatments for burns, lacerations, fractures, sprains, and other injuries (this is basic information . . . NOT a first-aid class)
• LIGHT SEARCH AND RESCUE (SAR) OPERATIONS 
  Search and rescue priorities and resources, size-up techniques and rescuer safety, lifting, cribbing, and victim removal
• DISASTER PSYCHOLOGY AND TEAM ORGANIZATION
  Post-disaster emotional environment, the Incident Command System, and decision-making and documentation
• TERRORISM
  Risk and threat analysis, types of terrorism weapons, and travel and terrorism
• COURSE REVIEW AND SIMULATION
  Simulation will either be a hands-on drill utilizing newly learned skills or a table-top exercise.

(I do admit I sat in class and imagined the edits to the syllabus if zombie or monster attacks were considered a threat by FEMA.)


To become a CERT member, you will have to take the CERT training from a sponsoring agency like an emergency management agency, fire department or police department in the area where you live or work. (See this link to Citizen Corp's CERT page to search for a CERT group in your area, or to start a group if you have none.  The link is also listed below.)


Training schedules for CERT can vary.  Mine was every Thursday night for 8 weeks from 7PM to 9PM.  It made a long day for me, but I felt the training, (which was FREE, btw), was worth it.

Our Instructors

Our instructors and evaluators were members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACFD) who gave us their time after putting in long days.  (I can't stress upon anyone how amazing these guys and gals are.  You have to be made of something amazing to fight fires and then spend an evening teaching people when you're dead-dog tired.) 

What Happens at Meetings 

The regular meetings in my town are bi-monthly, held on Thursday evenings from 7PM to 9PM.  We have speakers from the FBI, Sheriff's Department, LACFD, FEMA, etc., or practice anything from the curriculum above.  There is usually coffee and food.  We train and catch up on administrative stuff.  If we have a speaker, there is usually a slide show and a Q and A session.  

Our local CERT group is one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) in Southern California and meetings are usually packed.

On certain occasions several CERT teams will train together in day or weekend long simulations.  My fellow Californians may have seen local CERT folks in action during our state-wide Shakeout drills.

Battalion Chief Larry Collins, LA County Fire Dept

Urban Search & Rescue (USAR), a typical CERT instructor and special guest.

Last Thursday our guest speaker was Battalion Chief Larry Collins, LA County Fire Department Urban Search & Rescue (USAR).  Chief Collins deploys all over the world,
wherever and whenever LA County Fire Department Urban Search & Rescue and Incident Teams are called to respond. In 2011 he accompanied members of the California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2) to Japan to assist with tsunami relief efforts.   (I almost went on this trip with them as a combat videographer, but was told they didn't need videographers at the last minute.  I missed an opportunity to document what I trained to do.  Bummer.  My still camera counterpart was able to go, however, and it's his images of the tsunami destruction you see on this post.)  

We learned CA-TF2 is a specially-trained and equipped 70-person Urban Search and Rescue Task Force consisting of Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters and paramedics rescue specialists, emergency room physicians, structural engineers, heavy equipment specialists, canine search dogs and handlers, hazardous materials technicians, communications specialists, and logistics specialists.  They have seen the disasters CERT members train for, and they are our best instructors.   Chief Collins was able to show us how tsunami SAR differs from earthquake SAR.  In Southern California, we are at risk for both, so this was great training. 

Northridge Earthquake Damage 1994.  Damage in earthquakes is different from the damage in a tsunami or hurricane.   We train for those differences.
(I was in this quake.  I remember feeling useless and helpless.  I don't feel that way after CERT training. I'm part of the solution now.)

Last Thursday at our CERT meeting we learned that SAR operations focus on the scour line areas of a tsunami-ravaged area.  The scour lines on the hills in the background of this image are where we will find any number of survivors, not the basins as pictured in the foreground, and that affects our target search areas.

In addition to Chief Collins, Captain Blaine Bolin, the new commander of LA County Sheriff's Lomita Station, introduced himself and discuss the Department's commitment to CERT and Disaster Response. He also spoke about other volunteer opportunities at the Sheriff's Department.  CERT members work closely with law enforcement officials during disasters so they are often at our meetings.  (Captain Blaine briefly discussed volunteering at the local Sheriff's Department, which I will talk about in another post coming soon.  Stay tuned!)




LINKS TO CHECK OUT!


Citizen Corps 
http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/ 


LA County Fire Department
http://fire.lacounty.gov/

LA County CERT 

http://fire.lacounty.gov/ProgramsEvents/PECERT.asp

Basic CERT Curriculum

http://fire.lacounty.gov/ProgramsEvents/CurriculumBasicCert.asp

CA Task Force 2

http://fire.lacounty.gov/SpecialOps/TechOpsCA-TF2.asp

WHY, WHAT and HOW to Volunteer

That's ME!  Volunteering as an SCA Volunteer Interpretive Park Ranger at the Grand Canyon National Park, South Rim.  I'm pretty sure that was the Fossil Walk.  I was given a room, a uniform and a food stipend every other week.  They paid my travel costs to and from the canyon.  Other volunteers were retirees and college students.

This is VOLUNTEERING!

WHY volunteer?

Here's a list I made off of the top of my head in under 3 minutes:

• To be part of something bigger
• To keep depression away
• To keep PTSD away
• To gain experience for your resume
• To stay busy when you're in between jobs
• You have more freedom than a regular job
• Make friends
• Do something cool
• Network
• Free stuff (t-shirts, admission to an event, etc...)
• Experience for college bound teens
• Flexible post-retirement work for senior citizens
• It's the right thing to do for your community and country

These are just a few reasons. I'm sure there are a million more.

I've been volunteering with different organizations since I was a freshman in high school.  It has been a large part of my life since then, even if I never realized it.  It wasn't always an option that was readily apparent until I had a burning desire to work at the Smithsonian Institution and figured I'd have to wait until college to get a summer job there, doing something mundane like working in the cafeteria.  My step father, who was a volunteer at the National Gallery of Art at the time, suggested I volunteer at the museum.  It had never occurred to me to volunteer.  I walked into the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (my favorite) and simply asked, "How do I become a volunteer here?"  That was it!  That's all I needed.  Just ask.  That question started what I am sure will be a lifetime of giving a little time here and there to be a better person, and leave this world a better place than when I came into it.

Russ England and I at the headwater of one of the tributaries of the Umpqua River in Oregon.  Russ and I were Stream Surveyor volunteers for the BLM in 1992.  We walked through virgin forests all day, measuring stream quality and attributes.  It was such a peaceful job.  Perfect for a discharged Veteran who is wanting a quiet reintegration.
Again, an SCA position with full room and board, a food stipend, and travel expenses paid to and from the position.

This is VOLUNTEERING!

Here are the jobs I've done as a volunteer*:

Mission Volunteer in Saltillo, Mexico - St. Alphonsus Catholic Church
Discovery Room Docent - Smithsonian Institution NMNH
Naturalist Center Docent - Smithsonian Institution NMNH
Folklife Festival Volunteer 1992 - Smithsonian Institution
National Zoo Volunteer
Interpretive Park Ranger Grand Canyon National Park - Student Conservation Association Volunteer
Stream Surveyor for the Umpqua District BLM -  Student Conservation Association Volunteer
Library Volunteer - Burbank Elementary School, my son's school at the time.
Assistant for "Food For Thought", a cooking show - WCNY PBS, Syracuse, NY
Botanical Surveyor - Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Gardens
Tough Mudder  2011 SoCal Volunteer - I wrote numbers on people.  That was pretty fun, actually.
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) - I'm still doing this.  I consider it a civic duty.

(*All of these look great on resumes and make you stand out from the rest of the herd when applying for a job.!)

Volunteering at Tough Mudder 2011, SoCal.
I received free parking, lunch, a t-shirt, and wrote numbers on the craziest people I've ever seen.  I even tried to paint one. :)

This is also VOLUNTEERING!

WHAT types of volunteer jobs are there?

As you can see from my list above, volunteer jobs come in a wide variety.  Some are light-hearted and easy.  Others are serious and difficult, but equally rewarding.  Some are short - hours, in duration, and some are years.  What almost all of them share is the lack of a real paycheck.

Here's what you should consider before you look for a volunteer position:

• What do you want to do? 
• What is enjoyable to you?
• How much time can you spare?  Hours a week? A month? 1 day this year?
• How far do you want to travel?
• Do you want to work alone or with others?
• Do you want to work in the United States or overseas?

For example,  if you are a college student with summers off, no family or military commitments, and really love Civil War history, there are several volunteer positions open right now at battle fields up and down the east coast that provide housing, food stipend and travel to and from home.  They provide training as well. 

If you are a senior citizen, retired military, and feel a sense of duty to the Armed Forces, but only have a few hours a week to spare, volunteering at the VA Hospital as help desk person or at the local military base Retiree Affairs may be the thing for you. 

These volunteers, mostly retirees from the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Southern California, conduct whale surveys.   They meet at the Pt Vicente Interpretive Center on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and count whales that swim up and down the coast.
The data is used by thousands of scientists!

This is also VOLUNTEERING! 

In this economy, WHY would anyone volunteer?  

Well, for starters, some volunteer jobs will provide food, clothing and housing.  YES, you can get all that as a volunteer.  Most of those jobs are the longer term, jobs, obviously, but how can you pass up an opportunity like that if your job is, say, "Interpretive Park Ranger at the Grand Canyon"?  (This was my summer volunteer job after college, which provided room, board, and uniforms at no cost to me.)

You get free stuff!  When I volunteered at "Food for Thought" cooking show in New York, guess who came home with amazing food that night?  This gal!

You can also add amazing experience to your resume!  This is a biggie, folks.  Look at my list up there.  That's job experience and a character reference all in one!  These jobs set you apart from the boring folks.  It shows you are not an idle person.  You are doing something constructive with your time!  What manager wouldn't want that kind of person on their team?  Huh?

It keeps depression away for many, many people!  You are staying busy.  You have somewhere to go.  You have a task to complete.  There is not nearly as much pressure (usually) as a regular job.  If you are lucky enough to volunteer for a humanitarian-type cause, you see how you are helping people and, trust me, that feels AMAZING.

So, HOW do I get started?

It's so simple to take that first step, it's scary.

I added links to several volunteer websites below and on the side of these blog pages.  Some are national, some are overseas.  Simply perusing the sites is the best first step.

If you are desiring to volunteer in the local area, walk in and ask.  Just ask.  If you are unsure if that place is the right fit for you, tell them you want to try it out first.  More than likely, you will revceive a warm welcome and thank you for whatever time you were willing to give.

Some great volunteering sites to get you started.

Student Conservation Association

Habitat for Humanity

Americorps

Habitat for Heroes

CERT - Community Emergency Response Teams

United We Serve

Volunteers of America

Smithsonian Institution

USAID Student Intern Programs

Volunteer.Gov for Natural and Cultural Resource Volunteer Programs

US Dept of Veteran Affairs Volunteer Site

How to Showcase Volunteering on your Resume




If you're getting interested in volunteering, these sites should get you started!

Happy hunting!!

How I Started Volunteering at the Smithsonian Institution - Easy Start and an Amazing Experience

It all started with Raiders of the Lost Ark.  

Yep.  A movie.  My teenage frame couldn't contain the glee that movie imparted.  Aside from the fact that the movie was awesome, it gave viewers a hero that was educated and brave.  He knew other cultures, languages, histories etc...  And he was pretty darn handy with a whip.  All well and good, but the thing that relates Raiders to volunteering is that, after I saw the movie, I wanted to learn about other cultures and histories.  I wanted to walk around a museum, the Smithsonian Institution, and know the difference between Chaco and Chicano culture.  I wanted to be part of that world.

Who wouldn't want to volunteer to hang out with the Dr. Joneses?

My step father at the time was a docent at the National Gallery of Art, in DC.  He suggested I ask the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Natural History if they needed docents.  Truthfully, I never knew they had volunteers.  I saw all of the people behind the museum desks and always assumed they were bona fide employees.  And since I was a sophomore in high school at the time, I also assumed that those 9-5 jobs would have to wait until I was out of college.  Not the case!  This is important. The place you love to visit probably has volunteers also!  All you have to do is ask.  Just. Ask.

I lived near the Metro in those days and it was easy to hop a train and go to the Smithsonian.  I did just that.  I walked up to the help desk near the giant Mastodon in the Rotunda and simply asked, "How do I become a volunteer?"  Simple as that.

I spent every other Sunday morning as a docent in the Discovery Room, a hands on room for kids.  We showed them activity boxes based on museum exhibits, answered questions, and motivated them to learn more.  I loved it.  And it was fun to play with everything.  But I think what I also enjoyed was the feeling that I was part of the Smithsonian Institution, a world-respected entity that employed real-live Indiana Joneses.   As a volunteer I was allowed to roam the halls before the crowds arrived.  I had the museum to myself, it felt sometimes.  I was part of that world.

Discovery Room Docents teach children about what they see in the rest of the museum, in a language they can understand.

I remained a volunteer in the Discovery Room until I entered college.  When I came back for summer break, I worked as a Naturalist Center docent.

Naturalist Center Docents.

The Naturalist Center is the hands-on part of the museum for older visitors, home-schoolers, college students, people working on projects relating to natural history. Back then it was in the basement of the museum.  (It later moved to a remote locale, but will be moving back to the museum in winter 2012!) It contained cabinets full of specimens and equipment visitors could use.

Each of the Naturalist Center docents, (and there were many) had a project.  My project was creating a primate osteology learning lab - a teach yourself about monkey bones primer.  We already had a human osteology project that was used by several George Washington University anthropology students.  I was helping create its monkey cousin.  This involved labeling specimens using India ink and assigning numbers to each little bone.  My handwriting is still there on those monkey bones, for future generations to decipher.

My monkeys.  I can still remember how the mid sagittal crest on a gorilla impressed me.  That's my sister's leg, btw, pointing to the gorilla skull.  And, of course, there I am looking completely shapeless in that dress.  

None of this work earned me a dime.  What it did was allow me to feel part of something special.  That's not to say I didn't have perks.  I was given private tours of the upper floors, where the curators (the Indiana Joneses) worked.  I attended lectures given by Richard Leaky.  I learned how to distinguish odd bone pathologies by a renowned physical anthropologist, and hold the bones of soldiers that had fallen at Custer's Last Stand in my own hands.  I was also able to add this experience to my resume, which distinguished me from other applicants in many jobs I landed.

I think these things adequately compensated me at the time.

Human bone specimens.
Notice the fracture in the bottom bone, which looks like it might be a femur, given the massive ball joint.  It also looks to have healed while the subject was still alive. It must have been painful to live with.
I learned to read bones as a volunteer.

I loved volunteering with the Smithsonian so much I eventually worked with the Folklife Festival, and volunteered at the National Zoo's herpetology and bird labs.  I would still be a docent there if I lived in the DC area.  I miss it often.  I learned so much about archaeology, anthropology and life science.

The place you love to visit in your neck of the woods probably needs volunteers also!  All you have to do is ask.  I've added a list of websites here to help DC/VA/MD residents get started on their quest, if they are interested in volunteering for the Smithsonian.

How to volunteer at the Smithsonian Institution:
http://www.si.edu/Volunteer

Volunteering at the Museum of Natural History:
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/rtp/other_opps/internship_summary.html

Volunteering at the National Gallery of Art:
http://www.nga.gov/education/volunteer.shtm#docents

Volunteering at the National Zoo
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Support/Volunteer/

Why Volunteer?

This is a short introduction to this blog.

I have had an on-off again discussion with a friend about volunteering.  I kept trying to get him to donate his time to Habitat for Humanity.  I have not been successful.

It occurred to me that I have spent so many years volunteering sporadically here and there, that the notion of volunteering for something was as natural to me as breathing.  It might not be that way for other people. It might not be that way for my friend.  So I decided that showing him and others the benefits of donating your time and experience, through this blog, would be a better way to get people motivated.

I'll be first writing about how I started volunteering at the Smithsonian Institution while I was in high school.  I'll also write about my volunteer experiences now, as a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member here in my town, and all of the groups I've worked with in between.

I'm hoping that I can demonstrate that you don't have to know anything to volunteer.  It's almost always really easy, and the benefits are astounding.  I'm hoping to get my younger friends motivated to donate their time and energy to something of which they can feel a part.  I'm also hoping my older, retired friends will consider volunteering as a way to transmit their knowledge to subsequent generations.  I'll visit volunteer sites and document volunteering in action.  I'll also be posting links and websites that will point folks in the right direction.  Lastly, I hope to share other people's experiences and hopefully be able to document someone's first attempt at giving back to their community.

More to come!  Stay tuned.