City of Saratoga Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

Cox CERT Division

Meeting Minutes

Meeting held on Monday, 13 May 2019 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. at the home of Lori Stafford.

Saratoga Cox CERT Division meeting attendees were the following:

  1. Debbie Ellis
  2. Jack Griswold
  3. Kevin Marques (19 May 2019 CERT Academy graduate)
  4. Peter Melhus
  5. Chuck Rader
  6. Brad Silveria
  7. Lori Stafford
  8. Lyle Topham
  9. Jeff Walker

Discussion items:

  • The results of the Monday, 06 May 2019 Cox CERT Division FRS radio check-in drill were discussed. A total of three divisional members were successful in establishing direct two-way communications with the simulated CERT Incident Command Post (manned by Chuck Rader as drill Net Control) at Kevin Moran Park. These were Tom Baker, Peter Melhus, and Brad Silveria. Three members checked in via relay through Peter Melhus. These were Jack Griswold and Debbie Ellis in Saratoga Woods, and Kevin Marques in the central Brookview neighborhood. Peter was initially located for relay at the intersection of Titus Avenue and Bellwood Drive. He then repositioned to Titus Court.

The next monthly FRS radio check-in drill will be conducted on Monday, 03 June 2019, at 7:30 p.m. Brad Silveria will act as Net Control for the June drill, and will again be positioned at the simulated ICP in Kevin Moran Park. To further experiment with FRS relay operations, Peter Melhus will position himself at the intersection of Miller Avenue and Brockton Lane.

  • A review was conducted of all upcoming CERT-related training, refresher courses, and exercises. 
    • The Saratoga-sponsored CERT Academy is still in need of credentialed Saratoga CERT members to assist with the Academy “final exam.” Volunteers should report to the Joan Pisani Community Center at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, 19 May 2019.
    • Planning is just about completed for the upcoming joint City of Campbell Hamann Park CERT Division/City of Saratoga CERT six-hour field training exercise. Specifics of the exercise were discussed. Isabel Barrios, the lead exercise coordinator from Hamann Park CERT, is asking all prospective Saratoga participants to sign up ASAP on the Eventbrite event sign-up/RSVP posting.
    • The two SCCFD CERT Refresher training courses scheduled for June 2019 were discussed. These are: HAZ MAT and Terrorism on 04 June 2019 (7:00 to 9:00 p.m.) at the Quinlan Community Center Social Room in Cupertino; and CERT Damage Assessment on 20 June 2019 (6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.) at the Saratoga Prospect Center Grace Building.
    • The American Red Cross Shelter Operations Simulation exercise is now “hard scheduled” for Saturday, 22 June 2019. The simulation will be held at the Saratoga Prospect Center Friendship Hall building from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The exercise will build upon the training that a large number of Saratoga CERT members underwent in the earlier ARC Shelter Fundamentalsclass. As the exercise extends over the lunch hour, participants are asked to bring a “brown bag” lunch to the event.
  • Training was continued from the Cox CERT Division Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). Training topics included:  
    • CERT apparel, identification, and personal protective equipment
    • CERT incident command: what it means and the responsibilities of the CERT Incident Commander and Deputy CERT Incident Commander
    • The establishment and operations of a CERT incident command post.
    • Additional staffing requirements to fully man a CERT incident command post, and the responsibilities of these other ICP members.

Training topics for the next monthly divisional meeting include:

  1. Post major-magnitude earthquake field triage
    1. Establishing, staffing and operating a field medical treatment area/site.
    1. CERT and spontaneous unaffiliated/untrained volunteers (SUV’s)
    1. CERT interaction with vulnerable community memberes

ACTION ITEM(S)

  • Chuck Rader to meet with Crystal Bothelio in regard to the benefits and actions required to secure 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizational status for the City of Saratoga CERT program.
  • Chuck Rader to talk to Michael Taylor/Crystal Bothelio about setting up a “special time” for upcoming Saratoga CERT Academy graduates to get their Disaster Service Worker – Volunteer (DSW-V) identification cards prepared and issued by Lori McKenna, City of Saratoga Building Division Office Specialist.
  • Chuck Rader to talk to Tom Baker, Uma Challa, and Reshu Jain about the need to assess the status of the high-voltage electric transmission lines along the Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way as part of their post-major magnitude earthquake neighborhood assessment. Extreme care should be exercised when carrying out this task.
  • Chuck Rader to work with the other Saratoga CERT divisional leads on a one page “next steps” document for dissemination to newly-graduated Saratoga CERT members having completed a SCCFD-sponsored CERT Academy course.
  • Chuck Rader and Brad Silveria to work together to identify the best date and time for a Cox CERT Division member “meet and greet” with newly graduated Cox Division Academy members. The location is presumed to be in Kevin Moran Park.

CARRY-OVER ACTION ITEMS FROM THE FEBRUARY DIVISIONAL MEETING:

  • Chuck Rader to research the role the Santa Clara County Office of the Medical Examiner-Coroner and federal DMORT resources have in addressing the deceased after a major-magnitude earthquake.
  • Chuck Rader to research the possibility of using Church of the Ascension Catholic Church and Congregation Beth David Jewish Synagogue as inclement weatherCERT medical treatment sites.
  • Chuck Rader to continue discussions with the City of Saratoga on establishing a “subset” cache of immediate response CERT materials and equipment on the grounds of Kevin Moran Park.

NEXT COX CERT DIVISIONAL MEETING:

        Wednesday, 19 June 2019, from 6:00 p.m. to approximately 7:45 p.m.

        location: TBD – Anticipated to be the Saratoga Prospect Center Grace Building

          meeting room