Wednesday September 15 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. CERT Basic Training Unit 1: Disaster Preparedness Unit 8: Terrorism: Disaster Medical Operations SMC, Brousseau Hall 114
Wednesday September 22 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. CERT Basic Training Units 2 Fire Safety Unit 9: FRS Radio Moraga-Orinda Fire Station 41
Wednesday September 29 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. CERT Basic Training Units 3 & 4: Disaster Medical Operations SMC, Brousseau Hall 114
Wednesday October 6 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. CERT Basic Training Unit 5: Light Search & Rescue SMC, Brousseau Hall 114
Wednesday October 13 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. CERT Basic Training Unit 6: CERT Organization Unit 10: Pet Emergency Preparedness Unit 7: Disaster Psychology SMC, Brousseau Hall 114
Wednesday October 21 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. CERT Basic Training Drill and Graduation CCC FIRE TRAINING CTR.
OROVILLE -- One of the local groups that has pitched in to help throughout the recent wildfires in Northern California is the Oroville Amateur Radio Society. The group is composed of "ham" radio operators licensed to transmit at high frequencies, said president Larry Thompson. Radios have been set up in the basement of the society's station, where unpaid amateurs communicate with the Red Cross, Salvation Army and other agencies to transmit information 24 hours a day. Most society members belong to the American Radio Relay League, which was established by the federal government a "long, long time ago," Thompson said. In World War II, people in occupied countries used amateur radios to communicate with the outside world. "That's how the amateur-radio emergency thing started," he said. "Communicating on frequencies that nobody else would be on." OARS uses many frequencies, and transmissions can be heard on hand-held scanners, Thompson said. This is convenient for people who have no power or electricity during times of crisis.Source: eHam.net and ChicoER
Last Updated ( Jul 06, 2008 at 01:47 PM )
Back from the Humboldt Fire
Written by Frans Hoffman
Jun 18, 2008 at 01:17 PM
Last week there were more than 40 fires raging through California. I participated in the animal rescue and sheltering operation. Looking at the devastation of the fire I realized how vulnerable we in Lamorinda are. We live in a beautiful area but it is also a tinderbox. Time to get prepared, increase the defensible space around your home and get fire insurance...
The Humboldt Fire (one of several fires in Butte County, California) was 100% contained on Tuesday morning. More than 23,000 acres burnt. 74 homes were destroyed and thousands were evacuated in the Humboldt Fire alone!!! The evacuation orders were completely lifted on Tuesday. (One of the other major fires in Butte County was the Ophir Fire, now also fully contained.) The fires were so bad, that engines and crews from San Diego (570 miles South of Butte County) were deployed in the area.
Moraga to Form Neighborhood Emergency Preparedness Groups
Written by Frans Hoffman
Apr 23, 2008 at 12:11 AM
On Tuesday evening, April 22nd, a well-attended meeting of CERT graduates decided to launch an outreach program in Moraga, modeled after the successful block organization that exists in Orinda. The purpose of the new neighborhood groups is to stimulate ongoing discussions on a neighborhood level regarding disaster preparedness, and inform the citizens about the CERT program and training opportunities.
You rely on smoke detectors to wake your family in case of fire and experts know they save lives. But parents, who count on that alarm to protect their children, must see the results of Hank Phillippi Ryan's dramatic test. One blaring smoke detector, five sleeping children. How many will wake up? Hank Investigates "A Cause for Alarm".
Rebekkah, age 12, sleeps peacefully in her Hanover home. What she doesn't know, right now, she's terrifying her parents.
We've set off the smoke alarm outside Rebekkah's bedroom to see if she'll wake up. For two solid minutes the alarm shrieks but Rebekkah doesn't move.
Two minutes later, no child has woken up. If this had been a real fire, they would have little or no chance of survival.
Lamorinda CERT is offering free Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) classes year round.
Join us for hands-on training in fire suppression, light search and rescue, and disaster first aid. Find out what should be in your emergency kit (and how to use it). Establish an evacuation plan. Registration is online or at 925-376-0533 (Ken Tom).
Additional CERT training may be announced at a later date. Schedule is subject to change. Please sign up now!
Did You Know?
You do not have to take all classes in the same period. If you miss one or more classes, you have two options:
Please contact Ken Tom (376-0533) if you are interested in CERT training for your school, organization, neighborhood or company. Classes have 20-40 participants and can take place anywhere in the Lamorinda area.
Orinda's Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) team is offering a 6 session Ham radio license training class for Orinda, Lafayette and Moraga citizens in January. The free classes are usually held in the Orinda City Office Block on Tuesday nights from 7-9 pm for six weeks.
Lamorinda CERT Instructor Named Volunteer of the Year
Written by Frans Hoffman
Jan 12, 2008 at 06:07 PM
Chosen "Volunteer of the Year" is Dr. Eugene Gottfried, a prominent Lamorinda CERT instructor, a veteran of 20 years on the Neighborhood Watch and in the city of Orinda's pilot emergency preparedness program, as well as a member of RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services) and ARES (American Radio Emergency Services), with City Hall as a response center, equipped with its own ham radio. He is also a member of the Moraga Orinda Fire District board. Before all these posts and more, he was head of clinical medicine at S.F. General Hospital and today is professor emeritus of laboratory medicine for UCSF.
Last Updated ( Mar 14, 2009 at 10:27 AM )
Prepare today for tomorrow’s disaster
Written by Frans Hoffman
Jan 07, 2008 at 02:28 PM
It will take 15 seconds to change the Bay Area forever: • 400,000 people homeless • 63,000 people injured • 3,400 people dead It will take years to recover.
Two years after Hurricane Katrina hundreds of thousands of people are still in their ‘temporary’ evacuation areas. Waiting to be allowed to go home. Depending on the kindness of strangers. Is that what you want for your family and yourself?
“Map Your Neighborhood” (MYN) is a program designed to help neighborhoods prepare for disasters and is offered through many local emergency management offices.
MYN will help you to:
Learn the “9 Steps to Take Immediately Following a Disaster” to secure your home and to protect your neighborhood. It is hard to think clearly following disaster and these steps will help you to quickly and safely take actions that can minimize damage and protect lives.
Short-term power outages, such as those caused by storms, are inconveniences but with good planning, you and those you care about will get through it just fine.
Top Safety Tips for a Blackout 1. Only use a flashlight for emergency lighting. Never use candles! 2. Turn off electrical equipment you were using when the power went out. 3. Avoid opening the refrigerator and freezer. 4. Do not run a generator inside a home or garage. 5. If you use a generator, connect the equipment you want to power directly to the outlets on the generator. Do not connect a generator to a home's electrical system. 6. Listen to local radio and television for updated information.
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OROVILLE -- One of the local groups that has pitched in to help throughout the recent wildfires in Northern California is the Oroville Amateur Radio Society. The group is composed of "ham" radio operators licensed to transmit at high frequencies, said president Larry Thompson. Radios have been set up in the basement of the society's station, where unpaid amateurs communicate with the Red Cross, Salvation Army and other agencies to transmit information 24 hours a day. Most society members belong to the American Radio Relay League, which was established by the federal government a "long, long time ago," Thompson said. In World War II, people in occupied countries used amateur radios to communicate with the outside world. "That's how the amateur-radio emergency thing started," he said. "Communicating on frequencies that nobody else would be on." OARS uses many frequencies, and transmissions can be heard on hand-held scanners, Thompson said. This is convenient for people who have no power or electricity during times of crisis.Source: 
Lamorinda CERT is offering free Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) classes year round. 
Orinda's Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) team is offering a 6 session Ham radio license training class for Orinda, Lafayette and Moraga citizens in January. The free classes are usually held in the Orinda City Office Block on Tuesday nights from 7-9 pm for six weeks. 
Chosen "Volunteer of the Year" is Dr. Eugene Gottfried, a prominent Lamorinda CERT instructor, a veteran of 20 years on the Neighborhood Watch and in the city of Orinda's pilot emergency preparedness program, as well as a member of RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services) and ARES (American Radio Emergency Services), with City Hall as a response center, equipped with its own ham radio. He is also a member of the Moraga Orinda Fire District board. Before all these posts and more, he was head of clinical medicine at S.F. General Hospital and today is professor emeritus of laboratory medicine for UCSF.
“Map Your Neighborhood” (MYN) is a program designed to help neighborhoods prepare for disasters and is offered through many 
