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www.anaheim.net Anaheim Fire Office of Disaster Preparedness Winter 2010 Volunteer Newsletter Anaheim Fire Office of Disaster Preparedness Be prepared. Be aware. Be involved. www.anaheim.net/disasterpreparedness Winter 2010 Edition In This Issue… Welcome City Manager p. 2 Holiday Message p. 2 CERT Volunteers Shakeout p. 3 Fire Corps p. 3 Amateur Radio Saves the Day p. 4 New CRO p. 4 RACES Volunteer Profile p. 5 RACES Trailer Update p. 5 Radio 101 p. 5 2010 Volunteer Calendar p. 6-7 Don’t Forget Fido p. 8 Red Cross Award p. 9 Good Samaritan Law p. 9 CERT Volunteer Profile p. 9 Holiday Safety Tips p. 10 Tree Fire Safety p. 10 First Aid Corner p. 10 Anaheim Recognition p. 11 Chief Roger Smith Retires I share this today with some sad- ness and excitement towards the next adventure. I am excited and optimistic about what lies ahead for you, our vol- unteers and the men and women of the nation’s finest Fire Department. It has been the greatest honor, privilege, and a blessing to serve as the City of Ana- heim’s Fire Chief for the past seven years. Together, with a great Executive Team, Support Staff and dedicated de- partment team members, we have been able to successfully meet significant financial challenges, regional emergen- cies, natural disasters and some great World Championship events. This has been such an incredible career and is hard to believe that thirty- one years have gone by so quickly. I will fondly remember my time in Ana- heim and will never forget the great peo- ple I have worked alongside over these years to help make this community a better place to live, work and play. The department is positioned well and is ready to meet those challenges that lie ahead. We have a sound Capital Growth Deployment Plan ready to re- spond to the growth demands for the next two decades. The department has a very capable group of senior and future leaders along with a support staff prepared to carry on the projects, respond to emergencies, and carry on the Anaheim Fire Depart- ment Legacy. Because of that, it is time to announce my retirement from the City of Anaheim effective December 31, 2009. In closing, I thank everyone in this great Department for their dedication to serving the City of Anaheim in such a professional manner and look forward to Roger Smith, Anaheim Fire Chief watching the bright future of the Ana- heim Fire Department with excitement and pride and wish everyone the best. From left to right: Former City Manager, Dave Morgan; Mayor Curt Pringle and Fire Chief Roger Smith. From left to right: Rick Martinez, APD PIO; Chief Roger Smith ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 2 Anaheim Fire Office of Disaster Preparedness www.anaheim.net Holiday Greetings As this year comes to a close we should all take pride in our accomplish- ments, as there are many. CERT and RACES continue to grow in strength and numbers and have been recog- nized for their outstanding programs and leadership roles. By the end of this calendar year, we will have twelve (12) CERT Sites located throughout our city, with addi- tional sites planned. Schools, busi- nesses and faith based organizations are joining us in becoming one of the most prepared cities in the country. RACES and CERT are working and training together to maintain a seamless line of communication that will be necessary during a disaster. The first Anaheim Citizen Corp Council Training was conducted in which volunteers had the opportunity to learn more about each other and their roles in an emergency. RACES and CERT participated in the Flag Day Downtown 5K Race, RACES Field Day which included the Girl and Boy Scouts, National Night Out, Special Elections, and assisted in providing outreach to the community. RACES Work Days resulted in great progress on the RACES Trailer and the acquisition of needed equipment. As the hustle and bustle of the holi- day season comes to a close, I look forward to a new year of opportunities for continued growth and progress. We would like to extend our personal thanks and gratitude to all of you for your commitment to emergency man- agement and the community we serve. While the New Year encourages new resolutions, it is also a time to re- flect on lessons learned and to wel- come new leadership and fresh per- spectives. From the Office of Disaster Preparedness 2009 Accomplishments Total Volunteer Hours: 852 Value of Volunteer Hours: $19,417 Welcome City Manager Tom Wood On July 21, 2009 the Mayor an- nounced the official appointment of Thomas J. Wood to the position of anaheim City Manager. Wood, who has an extensive background in public policy administration, management and experience, becomes the chief admin- istrator for Orange County’s oldest city. He will be responsible for implementa- tion of the Anaheim Mayor and City Council’s policies, the oversight of the City’s $1.3 billion budget and monitor- ing the City’s five-year $523 million capital improvement plan. Wood served as Anaheim’s Assis- tant City Manager for the past nine years and as the City’s Deputy City Manager for the ten years prior. The Anaheim City Council unanimously approved Wood’s appointment at the city council meeting. During his tenure with the City of Anaheim, Wood has been responsible for overall City operations, and has led complex negotiations with the most notable being the revitalization of one of the City’s economic cores; the Ana- heim Resort, including the expansion of the Disneyland Resort. Wood has also implemented sev- eral of Anaheim’s technology initiatives including Anaheim’s 311 service, Ana- heim Anytime—the City’s virtual 24/7 customer service center, and Anaheim “The City of Anaheim is fortunate to have a tal- ented administrator who holds extensive experience and has had widespread involvement in many of the City’s initiatives.” -Mayor Curt Pringle Tom Wood, City Manager Alert—the City’s community notification system. ---PAGE BREAK--- Anaheim CERT volunteers along with Albert Schweitzer School CERT members hosted KTLA morning news, Gayle Anderson, for a demonstration prior to the October 15, 2009 Great Shakeout. Students from Lori Diaz’s class with Gayle Anderson from KTLA morning news. On October 14, 2009 volunteers from Anaheim CERT and team mem- bers from Albert Schweitzer School met on campus to demonstrate a CERT activation, disaster prepared- ness materials and to practice “drop, cover and hold-on.” Teamed with members from the Ready OC campaign, Gayle Anderson, from KTLA morning news and her crew were on-scene to capture the activities of CERT volunteers and broadcast readiness to all of southern California. Over 25 volunteers met at 6:00 a.m. on a cold rainy morning, one of the precious few this year, to set up equipment and organize for taping. The CERT trailer was set up to show off our rescue equipment and volunteer resources as well as demonstration tables with sample preparedness kits. Lori Diaz’s second grade class participated live on television demon- strating the proper technique to re- spond to an earthquake. We are grateful to Anaheim Public Works who helped provide goodie bags for the student participants. The Great ShakeOut was a state- wide drill, the largest of its kind, held on October 15, 2009. It is part of an on -going campaign to build awareness and solicit action to prepare for emer- gencies. The Great ShakeOut will be- come an annual tradition with the next drill occurring on Thursday, October 21, 2010. www.anaheim.net Anaheim Fire Office of Disaster Preparedness Page 3 CERT Volunteers and Anaheim Schools ShakeOut on KTLA Anaheim Expands Fire Corps Program The Anaheim Fire Corps program was first started in January 1987 ini- tially as a recruiting mechanism and to orient volunteers interested in a career in fire service to the demands of the job. The program has recently grown to include volunteers eager to assist their local fire department using their unique talents and skills. Due to the looming fire danger posed in Anaheim Hills, residents are being trained as part of Anaheim’s Fire Watch Program. The first members of this program include residents from Deer Canyon who have met and trained with fire officials. Fire Corps members will enjoy co- operative training with our CERT and RACES volunteer groups. All volun- teers will have an opportunity to match their interest and skill set with needed volunteer positions within these three programs. For more information on the Fire Corps program, contact Pat Russell at (714) 978-7304. For information on the Fire Watch program contact Charles Rikel (714) 281-7774. Anaheim Fire Corps members assisting during RACES field day June 2009. ---PAGE BREAK--- Amateur Radio Saves the Day Page 4 Anaheim Fire Office of Disaster Preparedness www.anaheim.net The CERT/RACES Volunteer Newsletter is published quarterly in Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall and is available free of charge. Winter 2010 Issue CONTACT US Anaheim Fire Department Office of Disaster Preparedness 500 E. Broadway Ave. Anaheim, CA 92805 Phone: (714) 765-6955 Fax: (714) 765-6959 [EMAIL REDACTED] [EMAIL REDACTED] While on the road, returning from our cross country trip, I was asked about my car license plate being a Ham plate. The person asking said he used to be a ham but gave it up, say- ing that there was no longer a need for it since we now have cell phones. I said, “Let me tell you a little story.” We were traveling in Wyoming, going from Casper to the Jackson Hole area. Almost exactly half way between the cities of Lander and Dubois one of the wheel bearings went bad on the trailer. The cell phone was useless as there are no towers out there. The only thing that worked was the ham radio. I put out a call on the 2-meter national simplex calling frequency (146.520 MHz) and after two or three tries got a response from KC7ZVV, who just happened to be monitoring the radio at that time. I asked him to call AAA for me, giving him the necessary information. After thanking him, we proceeded to wait for the auto club to arrive. Just before the arrival of the auto club, the county sheriff showed up and tried to verify the AAA call. He was told it had come through from a ham radio opera- tor and that the call was in the system. Just about that time, a truck from Lan- der, WY showed up and the deputy left. This tow operator didn’t have the proper equipment to assist us, so he said he would call back to AAA when he got to an area where the phone would work. After a couple more hours, I got back on the radio to check and was told by KC7ZVV that he had never received a call-back confirmation from AAA. While talking, another radio operator, KB7FGN, came on the air and said if it was a wheel bearing he had tools and could possibly come out and get us going. Not wanting to stay out there forever, I said that would be nice. He came out and we were able to get the old bearing off and get a part number. He then went back into town and got the bearings, along with a friend of his, KE7KBE. Together, the 3 of us were able to get the new bearing on without causing too much damage to the axle and get us back on the road. We limped into Dubois at about 35 MPH, not wanting to take a chance on further damage. They followed us the 34 miles to a campground and then left. The only money they would ac- cept was the cost of the bearing. I estimate that KB7FGN probably put between 150 and 200 miles on his truck coming out, chasing the bearing, then following us to a safe location. To me, this is the true spirit of helping our fellow citizens. The work, while not done perfectly, was good enough to get us off a lonely, 2 lane highway in the middle of nowhere. I pray that we all can be ready to help someone in a time of need. Now, is Amateur Radio still a vi- able method of communications? I say, without a doubt, a very strong yes. I only got the license this year to help others in time of need, not realizing that it would end up helping my family and me. Now, that radio is going where ever I go. By Richard Lewis Anaheim RACES Volunteer, KI6VAF Over a year ago I met with now retired, Chris Kielich and the Homeland Security Lieutenant who were explor- ing the possibility of funding the City’s RACES needs out of the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grant. Chris asked me to attend as a fellow HAM and wanted to know if I would be will- ing to take over as the Police liaison to the group. He was retiring and was moving on to other interests. What was important to me then in deciding to participate remains unchanged as I move into the Chief Radio Officer role. I firmly believe that our group is posi- tioned to enjoy tremendous success in the coming years. We can attribute this positive out- look to the active support for and a be- lief in the role of RACES volunteers during emergencies by the City; mem- bers know that they will be counted on and utilized during actual events. We are being given meaningful missions. Our volunteers are willing to commit to the long hours of required training since they know the missions are pur- pose driven and credible. Additionally, it is much easier to retain and attract new members since we “really get to do it”. As your new Chief Radio Officer I will work closely with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and other City departments to assure we continue to receive the active support, training op- portunities and needed equipment to carry out our mission. Our success is based largely on your active participa- tion and commitment to projects, skills training and call-outs. I am looking forward to our mutual efforts in these areas and will be in touch with each of you soon to see how we can continue to improve our Team. Message From New RACES CRO, Chris Pena Chris Peña is a 15 year veteran of the Anaheim Police Department currently assigned as the Training Detail supervi- sor and also supervises the Mounted Enforcement Unit. He has been a li- censed ham radio operator since 1994 and currently holds a Technician li- cense. ---PAGE BREAK--- www.anaheim.net Anaheim Fire Office of Disaster Preparedness Page 5 Radio 101 Call Signs Give your call letters regu- larly—every 10 minutes and at the end of your transmission. Remem- ber, even though the law doesn’t require that you give them at the beginning of the transmission, it makes good sense to start out with your call letters. During events when you’ve been assigned a tactical call sign, you are still responsible for giving out your individual call sign every 10 minutes. Always give your own call sign when you end your con- tact. The other station must give its call sign, too. Even though it is perfectly ac- ceptable to speak with another operator in a foreign language, at the 10-minute mark you must give your call sign in English. Always remember to give your full call sign, giving only the last three letters is frowned upon. Thanks to your efforts, The Emer- gency Communications Trailer is al- most ready for deployment. Based on the enormous efforts of our volunteers, we have installed a new floor, laid car- pet, re-framed the trailer wall to allow for cable to be run “behind the scenes” and reinforced it with steel studs, in- stalled several mobile stations and are installing lighting. The 2007 UASI Grant funds have allowed us to equip the trailer with a significant amount of Communi- cations resources. They include: Ken- wood and Yaesu dual band radios, a High Frequency / 6 meter radio, equip- ment to run Amateur Television, a digi- tal scanner and updated packet hard- ware. Arriving shortly is a 40’ Alumi- num Tower and mast that will be mounted on the roof of the trailer. The tower will crank-up making it an easier and safer effort for our volunteers. Thank you to all the volunteers who have helped get the RACES/ Communications Unit Trailer opera- tional. Since we started RACES Trailer Work Night on July 16, the trailer is looking great. All together, there has been easily over 100 hours of volun- teer labor put into this project. Thank you too all those who stopped by to help, we enjoyed your company and expertise: Russ Farrell, Jack Baligad, Gerald W. Ball, Rich- ard Lewis, Don Mendenhall, Jona- than Ramos, Phil Teague. RACES Trailer Update Volunteer Profile Neil Smith K6KWI Neil Smith (K6KWI) first became interested in Ham Radio through a friend who offered him a radio and an- tenna with one caveat; he had to pass the FCC Technician licensing test be- fore he could go pick it up and utilize it. So, like every good “Ham,” he went and bought the ARRL book at HRO, read it, took and passed the test. Next thing he knew…he was a ham! Neil joined RACES because he was very impressed the group of peo- ple he met at 2008 Field Day in Toyon Park. Neil believes it's really important for people to give something back to society. In this way Neil and his family can do something for Anaheim - a place he chose to make their home. The day the complex fire broke out he was at the EOC for the annual RACES exercise. Because his home was nearby the burn area, he had to leave and ready his family for evacua- tion. Despite seeing the flames getting closer and preparing their supplies in the event of mandatory evacuations, he said, “I never felt disconnected from what was going on or out of the loop. Having a direct line back to the EOC via my handheld was a great comfort to us as well as my neighbors who came to us for updates as they came through.” Sample of the Aluma Tower Mast Anaheim RACES Frequency Anaheim RACES is now lo- cated on 146.265 MHz with PL Tone of 136.5 (2B). Special thanks to Chris Kielich for allow- ing Anaheim RACES use of his KF6FM repeater. The Monday Night Nets are being conducted on this fre- quency at 7:30 p.m. (excluding holidays). Please contact the Of- fice of Disaster Preparedness at (714) 765-6951 with any ques- tions regarding RACES. ---PAGE BREAK--- 2010 Calendar of Activities 12 Fundraising Committee Meeting 5:30—6:30 pm 13-15 CERT Train the Trainer 8:00 am—5:00 pm 16 CERT Make-Up Class 1:00 pm—5:00 pm Disaster Preparedness Medical Operations I 29-30 CERT Class 5:30 pm—9:30 pm Fridays 8:00 am—5:00 pm Saturdays 4 class meetings 5-6 CERT Class 5:30 pm—9:30 pm Fridays 8:00 am—5:00 pm Saturdays Continued from January 8, 10 CPR/AED Class 6:00—8:30 pm Must attend both classes for certification 9 Speaker’s Bureau Training 5:30-6:30 pm 13 First Aid Class 1:30—5:00 pm 11 ICS Review Class & Testing 8am—Noon: ICS 100, 700 1 pm—5 pm: ICS 200, 800 20 CERT Make-Up Class 1:00—5:00 pm Medical Operations II Light Search and Rescue 25 Volunteer Recognition Event 5:30—8:00 pm 29 CPR/AED/First Aid Instructor Class 6:00—9:00 pm Class meets Monday and Wednesday evenings for 6 class meetings 3 CMAP Responder Class 8:00 am—5:00 pm This class qualifies volunteers for participation as a CERT Mutual Aid Responder. Additionally, volunteers must have completed shelter training, CPR/AED and First Aid. 17 Red Cross CPR Saturday Tentative 21 Youth in Government Day 22 Anaheim Farmers Market Earth Day 11:00 am—7:00 pm 8 CERT Drill the Skills/Recertification 1:00—5:00 pm 11 Hotline Team Training 5:30—6:30 pm 17, 19 CPR/AED Class 6:00—8:30 pm Must attend both classes for certification 8 Gubernatorial Primary 8:00 pm—12:00 am Tentative Ballot Collection 12 Downtown 5K Run Tentative Radio Support 5:00 am—Noon 19 CERT Make-Up Class 1:00—5:00 pm CERT and Terrorism Disaster 26, 27 RACES Field Day 8:00 am Saturday through Noon Sunday Location: TBD ---PAGE BREAK--- 13 2010 All Star Game 13 EOC Admin Team Training 5:30—6:30 pm 23-31 CERT Class 5:30—9:30 pm Fridays 8:00 am—5:00 pm Saturdays 4 class meetings 5 National Night Out 5:00—9:00 pm Location: TBA 10 Speaker’s Bureau Training 5:30—6:30 pm 14 First Aid Class 1:30—5:00 pm 2 Farmer’s Market Booth 11:00 am—8:00 pm 9 Farmer’s Market Booth 11:00 am—8:00 pm 16 Farmer’s Market Booth 11:00 am—8:00 pm 18 CERT Make-Up Class 1 pm—5 pm Fire Suppression, Team Organization 23 Farmer’s Market Booth 11:00 am—8:00 pm 30 Farmer’s Market Booth 11:00 am—8:00 pm 2 Orange County RACES Exercise 8 CPR/AED Class 8 am—12:30 pm 8 First Aid Class 1:00 pm—5 pm 15-23 CERT Class 5:30—9:30 pm Fridays 8:00 am—5:00 pm Saturdays 4 class meetings 21 The Great California ShakeOut 2 Election Day Tentative Ballot Collection 9 Hotline Team Training 5:30—6:30 pm 13 CERT Make-Up Class 1:00—5:00 pm Final Skills Scenario 1-3 CERT Train the Trainer 8:00 am—5:00 pm 14 Volunteer Holiday Potluck 6:00—9:00 pm C CERT Meeting 6:30 PM ODP R RACES Meeting 6:15 PM ODP TC Team Captain Training 8 AM—Noon ODP CC Citizen Corps Training 8 AM—Noon TBD H Federal Holiday City Offices Closed ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 8 Anaheim Fire Office of Disaster Preparedness www.anaheim.net H1N1 Virus Update CDC Report for the week of December 4 Mission Statement The City of Anaheim Community Emergency Response Team strive to create a network of informed, trained and resourceful volunteers with a focus on disaster prepared- ness and the ability to help them- selves and their neighbors during an emergency. Mission Statement The mission of the Anaheim Radio Amateur Radio Civil Emergency Service (RACES) is to provide ad- ditional communication support as directed by the Anaheim Fire De- partment Office of Disaster Prepar- edness and other government agencies during emergencies within the City of Anaheim and the County of Orange, CA.. Mission Statement The mission of Fire Corps is to increase the capacity of volunteer, career, and combination fire and EMS departments through the use of citizen advocates. Fire Corps provides resources for depart- ments to utilize citizen advocates in non-operational roles so they can develop, implement, and sus- tain programs and services that will help their department meet the needs of their community. Each week CDC analyzes informa- tion about influenza disease activity in the United States and publishes find- ings of key flu indicators in a report called FluView. During the week of No- vember 22-28, 2009, influenza activity decreased across all key indicators over the previous week, but most indi- cators remain higher than normal for this time of year. Below is a summary of the most recent key indicators: Visits to doctors for influenza-like illness (ILI) nationally decreased again this week over last week. This is the fifth consecutive week of national de- creases in ILI after four consecutive weeks of sharp increases. Eight of ten regions continue to report ILI activity above what is expected for this time of year. Two regions (Region 6 and Re- gion 10) are reporting little ILI activity. While ILI has declined, visits to doctors for influenza-like illness still remain elevated nationally. Influenza hospitalization rates have decreased across all age groups but remain higher than expected for this time of year. Though declining, hospi- talization rates continue to be highest in children 0-4 years old. The proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza (P&I) based on the 122 Cities Report de- clined over the previous week, but con- tinues to be higher than expected for this time of year. This is the ninth con- secutive week that the proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza (P&I) has been above the epidemic threshold. In addition, 17 flu- related pediatric deaths were reported this week: 12 of these deaths were associated with laboratory confirmed 2009 H1N1 and 5 were associated with influenza A viruses, but were not sub- typed. Since April 2009, CDC has re- ceived reports of 251 laboratory- confirmed pediatric deaths: 210 due to 2009 H1N1, 40 pediatric deaths that were laboratory confirmed as influ- enza, but the flu virus subtype was not determined, and one pediatric death associated with a seasonal influenza virus. (Laboratory-confirmed deaths are thought to represent an undercount of the actual number. CDC has pro- vided estimates about the number of 2009 H1N1 cases and related hospi- talizations and deaths. Twenty-five states are reporting widespread influenza activity; a decline of 7 states from last week. They are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Indi- ana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Mas- sachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Penn- sylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia. Seventeen states are re- porting regional influenza activity, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and six states reported local influenza ac- tivity, and Guam, the U.S. Virgin Is- lands and two states reported sporadic influenza activity. Almost all of the influenza viruses identified so far continue to be 2009 H1N1 influenza A viruses. These vi- ruses remain similar to the virus cho- sen for the 2009 H1N1 vaccine, and remain susceptible to the antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir with rare exception. Vaccine supply continues to increase in Orange County. Procedures are still in place to distribute to priority groups. ---PAGE BREAK--- The City of Anaheim CERT program and Anaheim’s CERT Team, Magnolia Baptist Church, were each awarded the Excellence in Disaster Preparedness at the November 4, 2009 American Red Cross Disaster Preparedness Academy in Or- ange County, California. Anaheim’s CERT program received the award for its efforts in capturing the interest of volunteers who want to serve the community by encouraging volunteer participation “between disasters.” The Anaheim team at Magnolia Baptist Church was also recognized for their com- munity and leadership efforts. They continue to encourage CERT training and have over 50 trained members. Additionally, they have worked with the Health Care Agency to provide assistance and trained volunteers when activating the Church as a Point of Dispensing (POD) site for flu vaccinations. www.anaheim.net Anaheim Fire Office of Disaster Preparedness Page 9 Volunteer Profile Albert Schweitzer School Lori Diaz Anaheim CERT Neighborhood Team Rally Points Twila Reid Park West Anaheim Youth Center & PD Magnolia Baptist Church Hampton, Chain, Gain St. Stoddard Park Pearson Park Yorba Regional Park Albert Schweitzer School Magnolia School District Centralia District (11) Modjeska Park (10) Good Samaritan Law Expanded Recently Senate Bill 39 and As- sembly Bill 83 were signed. These bills give more protection to Disaster Service Workers including Citizen Corps Volunteers such as CERT. Last December, in the Van Horn case, the California Supreme Court narrowly interpreted an existing statute that provides immunity for anyone who in good faith renders “emergency care at the scene of an emergency.” The Supreme Court’s narrow decision caused much debate and concern over whether or not those protections still existed. This bill clarifies, in response to the Van Horn decision, that laypersons, in addition to medical, law enforcement, and emergency personnel, who in good faith, and not for compensation, render emergency medical or non- medical care or assistance at the scene of an emergency shall also not be liable for civil damages resulting from any act or omission, other than an act or omission constituting gross neg- ligence or willful or wanton misconduct. Two years ago, Magnolia School District held a safety seminar for classified employees during its annual staff development day. Not taking the issue of student, staff, and community safety custodian Jim Roy approached Schweitzer School’s crew about becoming members of Anaheim’s CERT program. He empha- sized that it would allow Schweitzer School to provide stability, and knowledge in offering assistance to our families during a crisis situation. Just a few short months later, 15 members of Schweitzer School’s staff, along with two dedicated parents, completed 20 hours of training over the course of a full weekend. “Schweitzer School is on our way to providing solid ground regarding safety and communication to our staff, families, and community members” says team captain Lori Diaz. Red Cross Award ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 10 Anaheim Fire Office of Disaster Preparedness www.anaheim.net With the holidays upon us, and recent news headlines reporting an increase in vio- lent crime occurrences in the home, workplace, and on school campuses, here is a list of ten safety tips aimed to prevent you from becoming the victim of a crime this holiday season. 1. Be aware. It is essential to be aware of your surroundings at all times. By being alert, you may be able to stop an attack before it occurs. 2. Trust your instincts. Listen to what your intuition tells you. This will allow you to avoid a situation that does not feel safe. 3. Keep your cell phone handy. It is critical to have a cell phone at all times, but do not keep it glued to your ear. Talking on the phone causes people to be less aware of their surroundings. 4. Avoid presenting a victim profile. When out in public look people in the eye, keep your head up, and walk with a confident stride. This could prevent an at- tack. 5. Lock car doors and leave. Many people have the tendency to get into their car and sit. This gives an attacker the ability to break into the vehicle and cause bodily harm, or allow them to steal the car. 6. Keep your wallet close. Always carry your purse or wallet, do not leave it in the shopping cart. For added security, men’s wallets can be carried in the front pockets of their pants to help avoid pick pocketing. 7. Walk in pairs. When shopping alone and leaving at night, ask a security officer to accompany you to your car. When carrying several packages you become a target; safety comes in numbers. 8. When attacked, attack back. You need to make your attacker fear their own safety. Strike their weaker points: the eyes, knees or throat. 9. Almost anything can be a weapon. Everyday objects such as keys or pepper spray can be used against an attacker. 10. Take a self defense class. It does not hurt to be properly trained so if an attack occurs you’re able to protect yourself. Holiday Safety Tips First Aid Corner Critical Incident Stress Responding to an emergency can become overwhelming, even to the most experienced EMS personnel. Recognizing the warning signs of stress overload will help you begin the proc- ess of dealing with the issues. Managing stress is not as difficult as people think it is. By developing healthy physical and mental habits, you can easily manage stress on a day-to- day basis without a lot of thought. Re- duce sugar, caffeine, and alcohol in- take, and avoid foods that are high in fat. Exercise regularly, and practice relaxation techniques, meditation, and visual imagery. Balance work, recrea- tion, family and health. COMMON SIGNS AND OF STRESS Irritability towards co-workers, fam- ily and friends Inability to concentrate Difficulty sleeping or nightmares Anxiety Indecisiveness Guilt Loss or increase in appetite Isolation Loss of interest in work and family If feelings and emotions caused by the stress of the responsibilities of be- ing a disaster volunteer become too overwhelming, it is right and important to seek professional help. Mental health professionals, social workers, and clergy are examples of people who are well trained to help out in high- stress situations. Faulty wiring and overloaded elec- trical outlets are one of the most com- mon causes of seasonal house fires. It doesn't matter if the tree is artificial or real, if a fire sparks due to your wiring, the tree will still burn. When buying a tree, make sure that the needles don't fall out when you bounce it on the ground. These types of trees tend to dry out very quickly, meaning they will also burn quickly. Be sure to keep your live tree wa- tered so it does not dry out. Only use safe decorations. Do not light your tree with candles or lights designed specifically for outdoor use. Christmas Tree Fire Safety Tips ---PAGE BREAK--- www.anaheim.net Anaheim Fire Office of Disaster Preparedness Page 11 The Anaheim Fire Department, Office of Disaster Preparedness was awarded a Certificate of Special Rec- ognition by the California Emergency Services Association (CESA) for four activities this past year. The awardees include: the Anaheim CERT Team, Anaheim Community Services and Fire Department for the Local Assistance Center, Magnolia Baptist Church for their POD activation and Sares-Regis Group for their Mitigation Activities af- ter the Freeway Complex Fire. CERT In addition to fostering 11 neighborhood teams, Anaheim’s CERT program offers additional training to capture the interest of volunteers who want to serve the community and maintains volunteer participation “between disasters.” CERT members may become involved in various teams including: EOC Administration Team, Emergency Information Hotline Team, Hallmark Team, Training Team, Shel- ter Team, Special Needs Team, and Speaker’s Bureau. LOCAL ASSISTANCE CENTER The 2008 Freeway Complex Fire devastated a number of families and businesses in the counties of Orange, Riverside and Los Angeles with the loss of their homes and possessions. The Orange County Operational Area established a Local Assistance Center (LAC) hosted by the City of Anaheim. Teamwork from the County of Orange, City of Anaheim Community Services, Fire, Planning and Public Works De- partments and numerous service agen- cies, allowed the East Anaheim Gym- nasium to be transformed into the Or- ange County LAC within a day of the request. On Tuesday, November 18, the LAC opened with over 35 govern- ment agencies, businesses and chari- table organizations available for resi- dents from the cities of Anaheim, Brea, Yorba Linda, Corona, Diamond Bar and Chino Hills and remained open until November 27, 2008. MAGNOLIA BAPTIST CHURCH The City of Anaheim has been very proud to announce Magnolia Baptist Church, as Anaheim’s first official CERT-certified church and Point of Dispensing (POD) site. Due in part to their desire to serve the community and Anaheim neighbors specifically, Magnolia Church officials helped lead over 170 volunteers during the Novem- ber 7, 2008 POD exercise. Through Magnolia Baptist Church’s interest and leadership it has become an active advocate for the development of addi- tional team and POD sites. SARES-REGIS GROUP Following the 2008 Freeway Com- plex Fires, The Cascades Luxury Apartment Homes in Anaheim Hills were left with 60 apartment homes de- stroyed and 23 severely damaged. Sares-Regis Group, who manages The Cascades Apartment Homes, helped those who lost their homes and re- maining residents recover from their loss after the fire. They made special accommodations for frightened and anxious residents, assisted in relocat- ing residents and allowed renters to terminate their leases without fees or penalties. They also hired additional security for the apartment complexes for resident safety and to protect the community from on-lookers seeking pictures of the devastation. Amidst recovery efforts in the week immediately after the fires, heavy rain was forecasted. Sares-Regis Group met with the City of Anaheim, the Burn Area Recovery Team, State OES and FEMA Representatives for mitigation guidance. Their contractors worked around the clock to carry out mitigation recommendations before rainfall be- gan. Sares-Regis Group’s timely effort for both recovery and mitigation after the Freeway Complex Fires is admira- ble and applauded. Straw waddles placed on the hillside to prevent de- bris flow from the anticipated rain. Corey Wylde, provides direction to volunteers as registration continues the morning before the POD Anaheim volunteers being sworn in as Disaster Ser- vice workers before an exercise. The LAC in operation Anaheim Receives Special Recognition from California Emergency Services Association ---PAGE BREAK--- Anaheim Community Emergency Response Team Training Jan 29-Feb 6 Disasters can happen at any time in Anaheim. We experience earthquakes, fires and flooding. Are you prepared to handle an emer- gency that is large in scale? In California, local government is the first to respond to emergencies with additional personnel and equip- ment from neighboring cities and counties available to assist if needed. However, in a large scale disaster such as a damaging earth- quake, flood or fire, emergency re- sources may not be immediately available. Individuals, neighborhoods, busi- nesses and schools may be on their own for 72 hours or more. CERT training will provide you with the nec- essary and practical skills to help yourself, your family and your neighborhood until trained emergency personnel arrive. Remember – preparedness is key to survival! The CERT training is a 20-hour course approved by the Federal Emer- gency Management Agency, and pro- vides critical skills in emergency pre- paredness and response. As a mem- ber of a CERT team, you can respond to disasters and participate in drills and exercises. In addition to supporting emer- gency responders during a disaster, the CERT program builds strong work- ing relationships between emergency responders and the people they serve. Friday, January 29 5:00 to 9:30 pm Saturday, January 30 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Friday, February 5 5:30 to 9:30 pm Saturday, February 6 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Classes will be held at Albert Schweitzer Elementary School. Classes are open to all residents countywide. The fee is $20.00. Pre- registration is required. To register please call 714-765- 6955 or email [EMAIL REDACTED] Anaheim Fire Department Office of Disaster Preparedness 500 E. Broadway Anaheim, CA 92805 (714) 765-6955