09 Staff Report - Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)1° 8 ~R
DATE
TO:
FROM
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
AUGUST 10, 2009
MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
ITEM NO:
GREG LARSON, TOWN MANAGER
SUBJECT: ACCEPT STAFF REPORT ON UPDATE OF COMMUNITY EMERGENCY
RESPONSE TEAM (CERT) AND LOS GATOS PREPARED
RECOMMENDATION:
Accept staff report on update of Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Los Gatos
Prepared.
BACKGROUND:
Council has requested an update on the Town's two emergency preparedness programs, CERT and Los
Gatos Prepared, implemented in 2003 and 2006 respectively.
DISCUSSION:
Since the CERT program began in 2003, over 300 people have completed the 23-hour Los Gatos/Monte
Sereno CERT course. Many of them tools the course to be better prepared; others tools it to be an on-
going emergency response resource to the Town in the event of a disaster. The volunteer CERT
administrators maintain a current database with over 180 participants, the balance having opted to not be
part of the program, are members of another CERT program, have moved away, or cannot participate due
to health circumstances.
Until 2008, the program presented three or four, 23-hour CERT classes a year. Due to budget constraints,
that has been reduced to two classes per year, although the maximum class size has been increased from
25 to 40 students per class. This has been accomplished by having more volunteer class facilitators assist
in the instruction and additional equipment and supplies on-hand to accommodate the larger class size.
On average, each of the six CERT class meetings have a staff instructor, at least one volunteer instructor,
3-5 volunteer facilitators, and at least one volunteer administrative support person. A CERT final exercise
requires twice that number, as well as 10-20 volunteer role players.
PREPARED BY: SCOTT R. SEAMAN, CHIEF OF POLICE d4wl,
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U:emergencymanagemenkouncilrptCERT08:09V doc
Reviewed by:
Clerk A
Assistant Town Manager
Finance
MEETING DATE: 08/17/09
Town Attorney
Community Development
PAGE 2
MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON CERT AND LOS GATOS PREPARED
Until last year, the CERT program was presented free of charge. For the last class of 2008 and the first of
2009, Los Gatos and Monte Sereno residents were charged $15, and non-residents were charged $35
each. Most recently, the fee for the class has been increased to $35 for residents and $50 for non-
residents. It is not known if this increased fee will prevent potential participants from attending the class,
as the next class begins on October 31, 2009 and there are just two residents registered. However, the City
of Campbell has decided not to support a CERT program due to budget constraints, hence the Los
Gatos/Monte Sereno CERT has offered to provide the basic CERT class to Campbell residents at the
program's non-resident fee. Additionally, the 2nd Annual WestCERT Disaster Exercise will take place
on Saturday, September 19, 2009 from 9 a.m, to 1 p.m. at the Los Gatos Civic Center/Town Council
Chambers. This exercise will involve members of the Los Gatos/Monte Sereno, Saratoga, and Campbell
CERT programs who will participate together in disaster response scenarios.
Over the last several years, the CERT leadership in the Police Department has worked to develop an
enhanced community leadership structure in Town in order to increase the numbers of trained residents
and neighborhood teams. Promoting the CERT program and development of neighborhood teams have
been left primarily to those residents who have a passion and commitment to the program. The Police
Department relies heavily on this volunteer outreach to help sustain CERT, develop Neighborhood
Incident Command Posts (NICP's), and to provide training and exercises year after year, as it is very staff
intensive.
The 21 CERT districts are geographically defined, and only four districts actually have full teams in place.
The other 17 districts have CERT trained residents, but no established teams. In 2008-2009, CERT
Neighborhood Incident Command Post (NICP) facilities were emplaced in the Belwood, Rinconada Hill
CERT districts, and Daves Avenue School to serve the North Santa Cruz CERT district. In addition to
medical, search and rescue and triage supplies, each of the NICP's are equipped with generators and ham
radio base stations to create a seamless communications network between neighborhoods, the Emergency
Operations Center, and regional emergency operations centers. The Wedgewood CERT district is
equipped with most of the supplies included in an NICP. These neighborhood districts were organized and
coalesced into teams because there were sufficient active CERT members in those particular areas to
mount a response to a disaster.
Additionally, the CERT leadership has also worked to support the concept of regionalizing the presentation
of the basic CERT class among Santa Clara County jurisdictions. While this would be the most cost
effective way to provide the service, the concept has generally not been embraced by other agencies, and
the question of funding such a program has not been resolved. Each CERT class costs about $2500 in
police department staff time. The CERT program has a limited supplies budget and is sustained annually
through small grant opportunities which are not guaranteed. Staff is in the process of developing a plan to
reduce staff costs associated with the presentation of CERT, including increased use of regional County
Fire CERT personnel, Town staff or other volunteers.
Regarding this year's Los Gatos Prepared efforts, there will be three events occurring in October.
Los Gatos/Monte Sereno CERT members will staff the emergency preparedness display at the Farmer's
Market on Sunday, October 4t" and October 11"', from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m, in Town Plaza Park.
Page Three
MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON CERT AND LOS GATOS PREPARED
On October 17, 2009 (the 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the
three local Safeway stores, (NSC, Union and Pollard), Lunardi's, and Los Gatos Ace Hardware, CERT
members will staff emergency preparedness displays and hand out Los Gatos Prepared flyers and provide
information about emergency preparedness to the public.
CONCLUSION:
The CERT program and Los Gatos Prepared efforts continue to provide valuable information, resources
and equipment to residents. CERT trained volunteers will be an added benefit to the Town in the event of a
natural disaster.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
This is not a project defined under CEQA, and no further action is required.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None
LOS GATOS
MONTE SERENO
Los Gatos/Monte Sereno CERT
• Emergency Preparedness 3 hours
• CERT Organization/ICS 1
• Radio Communication
1
• Fire Safety
3
• Disaster Medicine
4
• Search and Rescue
3
• Terrorism
2
• Disaster Psychology
1
• Pandemic Influenza
1
• Disaster Exercise
4
1
Los GatostMonte Sereno Police Dept ~MbMfi~dt
CER7 Neighh orhood Map
• Aso--
~ pry°..•-~
LGIMS CERT Volunteer Staff
• Staff
. Instructor
• Norma Irace
• Connie Kirby
• Richard Mallonee
• Ryan Cronin
• Buzz Johnson
• Lynda Brown
• Jason Witchell
• Dorothy Smitt
• Bert Fry
• Vicky Powell
• Michael Kaufmann
• Dea Halverson
• Rena Salomon
• Tom Campbell
• Cal Hoagland
• Bill Ritt
Victoria Doll
Matt Harris
Kevin Halverson
2
Los GATos
1'1[13Pt#lil4
l/
October 4, 8 AM-1 PM Farmer's
Market
October 11, 8 AM-1 PM Farmer's
Market
October 17, 10 AM-2 PM Los
Gatos Prepared main event
3
Los Gatos/Monte Sereno CERT Emergency Preparedness 3 hours CERT Organization/ICS 1 Radio Communication 1 Fire Safety 3 Disaster Medicine
4 Search and Rescue 3 Terrorism 2 Disaster Psychology 1 Pandemic Influenza 1 Disaster Exercise
4 LG/MS CERT Volunteer Staff Staff Norma Irace Richard Mallonee Buzz Johnson Jason Witchell Bert Fry Michael Kaufmann Rena Salomon Cal Hoagland Victoria Doll Matt Harris
Kevin Halverson Instructor Connie Kirby Ryan Cronin Lynda Brown Dorothy Smitt Vicky Powell Dea Halverson Tom Campbell Bill Ritt * LOS GATOS MONTE SERENO *