Saratoga Amateur Radio Association (SARA) was formed on December 15, 1989, shortly after the Loma Prieta Quake. The SARA ham radio club has been in continuous operation for three decades providing a variety of activities for members and support for the Saratoga Community.
We invite all to join us at Friendship Hall on Saturday, December 7th, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of this important group in our community and learn more about ham radio in Saratoga. Details to follow.
County Fire completed their latest academy in Cupertino on 9/28/2019 with a total of 21 graduates. Seven of those graduates are Saratoga residents and have met with Craig to get their starter backpacks and an introduction into our CERT organization and division layout.
I am pleased to announce the launch of 9-1-1 texting services throughout Santa Clara County. This new option will help those who are deaf, hard of hearing, speech impaired and anyone who feels unsafe speaking over the phone. The County operates a consolidated (law, fire and medical) emergency communications center that is staffed by 130 employees, including 80 dispatchers who answer approximately 45,562 calls per month, 62 calls per hour, 1,497 calls in a 24-hour period (491 of them considered urgent or emergency calls), and 546,750 calls per year. Dialing 9-1-1 in an emergency is still the preferred way to request help, and the public is reminded to “Call if you can. Text if you can’t.” Texting is not always ideal because it takes longer than a voice call and does not provide the location of the texter. The service is currently available in the unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County and all local jurisdictions, except for Campbell and Los Gatos, which are scheduled to offer the service by the end of the year.
https://www.sccgov.org/sites/opa/opa/resources/text-to-911/Pages/text-to-911.aspx
Hello CERT colleagues. Thanks to Michael Grodin, who is EMT trained and Red Cross certified, Campbell CERT is offering free classes in First Aid (no CPR) and Stop the Bleed. Please invite your members to attend these classes. Details are shown following.
Steven Teeter
Campbell CERT Program Manager
| Date | Time | Event Description | Cost | Location | Signup Link |
| Wed. 11/6/2019, Wed. 1/22/2020, Mon. 3/16/2020 | 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm | Red Cross Basic First Aid Class (no CPR) | Free ($22 for Red Cross certificate) | Campbell Community Center, Room E-46 | Signup First Aid |
| ———- | ———- | ———- | ———- | ———- | ———- |
| Wed. 11/13/2019, Tue. 1/7/2020, Tue. 2/4/2020, Wed. 4/15/2020 | 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm | Stop the Bleed Class | Free | Campbell Community Center, Room E-46 | Signup Stop the Bleed |
During the Month of September, we shared tips on Nextdoor, Facebook, and Twitter to raise awareness about National Preparedness Month. Being prepared for disasters and emergencies can seem like a big job. Many people do not know where to start, so they may never start at all. You can visit www.saratoga.ca.us/prepareSCC to learn how to prepare for disasters, and here are a few tips to help you get started.
One of the easiest ways to prepare is to sign up for emergency alerts and warnings at www.AlertSCC.org. These free alerts will be sent directly to your cell phone, landline, or email to keep you informed in the midst of a disaster and during recovery.
When disaster strikes, there may be a power outage and gas stations may not. One change you can make immediately is never letting your gas tank go below half full. That way you will always have enough gas to drive to an area with power to get supplies. It is also important to learn how to manually open your garage door so you can access your vehicle.
Do 1 Thing is a 12-month program that makes it easy to prepare yourself, your family, and your community for emergencies or disasters. Small steps every month can make a big difference, such as making a communication plan or building up food and water supplies. To view their calendar and learn what you can do every month, visit www.saratoga.ca.us/Do1Thing
Please join Mayor Manny Cappello and the City Council for the Saratoga State of the City on Saturday, October 5 at 2:00 p.m. at the Joan Pisani Community Center at 19655 Allendale Avenue. Celebrate Saratoga’s recent accomplishments, learn about the current state of affairs in Saratoga, and honor the residents and organizations that make Saratoga wonderful.
Please email jcosta@saratoga.ca.us to RSVP or ask questions about the Saratoga State of the City event.
Sincerely,
Crystal Bothelio
Assistant City Manager
City of Saratoga | City Manager’s Office
13777 Fruitvale Avenue │ Saratoga, CA 95070
408.868.1269 │ cbothelio@saratoga.ca.us
The CERT meeting on Thursday, September 26 has been canceled and rescheduled for Thursday, October 24. Meeting details will be shared through the October Saratoga CERT newsletter.
Hope to see you next month!
Who: Santa Clara County Operational Area
What: Shelter Fundamentals provided by the American Red Cross
When: This is a four-hour course being held twice in October. The course runs from 0830AM to 1230PM.
Where: County Emergency Operations Center
55 W. Younger Ave., 4th Fl. Ste. 430 San Jose, CA 95110
Why: We are as a community operating in an increasingly dynamic threat environment to include, as necessary, the openingof shelters to avoid threats from potential wildfire under PG&E’snew Community Wildfire Safety Program.
Care and Shelter is a foundational capability in advance of, and in response to, disasters and emergencies of all types. It is with this in the mind that we offer this training opportunity to build greater depth within the Santa Clara County Operational Area.
Pre-requisite(s): None
| Date | Registration Link |
| Thursday October 10th | https://bit.ly/2Zt1ky5 |
| Wednesday October 16th | https://bit.ly/2Pjl6wp |
FLYER: http://saratogacert.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Shelter-Fundamentals-Flyer-.pdf
What a great success, for what will likely be the “First Annual SARA/CERT Family Picnic”. The venue was great, the food was yummy, the weather was pleasant, the activities were interesting and folks seemed to have a good time. Saratoga Area hams, their families and friends, along with CERT graduates, families and friends thoroughly enjoyed the Picnic and spending time with each other.
Thanks to Ron Jones, the venue was at an amazing location, the Warner-Hutton House (next to City Hall), Saturday, August 17, 2019. That was with Crystal’s support from the City of Saratoga, along with her cohorts, Nina, Thomas and Matt. A major ‘shout-out’ to each of you.
Ron also planned at the venue, the Santa Clara County 3Q2019 Emergency Drill for the City of Saratoga and CERTS had the opportunity to experience a real drill (a fascinating) experience. In his Agenda he planned tours of key locations for us to see and learn from, ALL found that very valuable.
As with any effort, the ‘front loading’ to garner inclusion and staying focused on bringing the groups together was Brent, a member of both organizations. He proposed the idea of CERT joining the Picnic of SARA with the Chair of Events, Membership for CERT, Jessica, who worked in creating momentum for the idea and logistics. Brent and other CERTS talked with the Master Orchestrator, Ron Jones, who orchestrated the SARA team for most of the implementation. Those that had questions jumped in and supported the union when we had a mutual meeting between the organizations to see how this would work out.
A HUGE thank you to ALL the SARA and CERT (MANY) people who attended and contributed to the successful ‘First Annual SARA/CERT Family Picnic” A special thank you to folks that spent some, or ALL of their picnic time serving others.
Jessica Fullmer
Event/Membership Chair
CERT Saratoga