LAFD CERT West Bureau

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A note from CERT Commander Cody Weireter:

I hope that you are doing well and staying grounded. There is obviously a lot of concern, uncertainty, and fear within our communities currently.
New directives, emergency orders, and additional restrictions continue to take effect within the State of California. We have really only begin to scratch the surface of this life changing event with the most difficult challenges yet to come.

As I generate this update, I try not to focus on my personal regrets or the "Should Have Prior To"s with this incredible Team, but instead focus on the successes of what has been accomplished. In light of this current situation, a wealth of forward momentum has been created within the LAFD CERT Unit and immediate lessons learned with this situation has given me the motivational push in making decisions sometimes not so popular a little bit easier.
Each of You are an incredible asset to your community, the LAFD, and simply said just good people all around. I truly am honored to be assigned as the LAFD CERT Captain and feel that it is a privilege to lead a Team such as this.

The following is a quick snapshot of what Your LAFD is doing in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic:
The LAFD Department Operations Center is fully staffed and has been operational the entire week. They are working closely with the City's Emergency Operations Center developing response measures, contingency plans, and establishing policies and procedures for providing continuity and strength to serve the public. Captain II John Ignatczyk is the Deputy Operations Commander assigned to the EOC currently.
Changes in LA County Treatment Protocols for Firefighter Paramedics have improved chances of limiting unnecessary transmission/exposure of the virus at local hospitals if patients are not exhibiting signs of a life threatening emergency.
Most of the LAFD Civian workforce have been directed to stay home and begin telecommuting operations.
Pre-Identified Fire Station Community Rooms have been set up for LAFD Member Quarantine if needed
Plans are being developed for LAFD assistance to be provided in some form for drive in testing areas
Coordination and collaboration between All City entities and Departments continues to be a productive and successful process
A General Update Impacting the LAFD CERT Team:
Currently the EOC and LAFD DOC are not requesting Volunteers of any type. One major reason this current posture is being maintained is that the City of Los Angeles has a multitude of employees that are currently being paid and if their primary job has been impacted by closures to a City facility or services discontinued temporarily, those City employees are then redirected to fulfill essential functions.
On March 26, 2020 I will be joining Departments throughout California for a Conference Call with Cal OES that will provide clear direction on limitations, Risk Management, and Accountability procedures for deployment of CERT Volunteers that are members of a Public Safety Department CERT Team. I anticipate that the information provided in this conference will directly influence deployment options and actions moving forward.
Clarification on individuals wishing to volunteer outside LAFD CERT:
YES YOU CAN is the answer for those individuals wishing to volunteer for organizations outside the LAFD CERT Program
In the event you do volunteer for an organization outside the LAFD CERT Unit, You are not operating as an LAFD CERT Team Member
CERT Vests, CERT T Shirts, CERT Hats, Anything with the general CERT logo is your choice to wear if operating as a volunteer who is CERT trained. However, Any CERT apparel that is tied back to the LAFD is not allowed.
The Chief Service officer for California welcomed those wishing to volunteer to visit SERVE.CA.GOV (NOT AS AN LAFD CERT MEMBER)
Another site to visit for those wishing to offer their services as a community member: VolunteerLA (NOT AS AN LAFD CERT MEMBER)
Moving Forward:
I am hearing some incredible ways some of our Team Members are capitalizing on technology to continue community meetings and engagement and really look forward to advertising this positive message through our social media platforms
Pre-Planning for potential LAFD CERT Requests and Deployments. If I have learned anything while in this position, it is I WILL receive a "It's Go Time" request with little to no warning.
Communication and Accountability is crucial in these times. Take care of one another and continue to check on our Team Members. Continue to be Your Communities beacon of hope. As a Community Member that has been trained in CERT and a wide range of other disciplines, You can be that organizer. It does not need to be an LAFD CERT Team deployment for you to organize that Neighborhood Team to make an impact within your community.
Mass Messaging and Notification- In the coming weeks, all members of the LAFD CERT Team will receive a request for updated contact information and emergency contact information. This will assist us in updating our mass messaging and notification system on the LAFD ERS System (Formally the CIA Call Out System)
In anticipation of potential deployments for CERT across California, FEMA pushed this out to assist CERT Membership
The Region II National Preparedness team is hosting two mental health webinars for CERT stakeholders next week, recognizing the potential stress to come if teams are asked to support the COVID-19 response. Please feel free to share with your stakeholders as you see fit.



Trauma-Informed Management of People in Crisis

Tuesday, March 24, 6:00-7:30pm

Please join the Regional II National Preparedness Division to discuss what “trauma” is from a psychological standpoint, and how crises effect individuals. This will help attendees to recognize signs of stress in coworkers, the general public, or themselves; and develop approaches to better address these from a managerial standpoint.

https://icpd.adobeconnect.com/r2traumainformed/event/registration.html



Psychological First Aid for CERT

Thursday, March 26, 6:00-7:30pm

Please join the Regional II National Preparedness Division as we dive deeper into strategies for addressing psychological stress in yourself, coworkers, or general public that you may come in contact with during the course of your emergency response.

https://icpd.adobeconnect.com/r2_pfa/event/registration.html

Closing:
We will prevail. As a Team, as a City, as a Society We will succeed. Remember to Take Care of Yourselves and Those Around You. Try to limit any non essential travel and hunker down as I know a lot of you have been. Please ensure all of our LAFD CERT Call Out Team members receive this, seeing how we have gmail accounts that about 7 of you utilize.

I will provide additional information as it comes and will keep all of you in my thoughts.

Be Safe Out There,

--
CODY WEIRETER, CAPTAIN I
Los Angeles Fire Department
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
Homeland Security Division

Home Page: Cert-LA LAFD News & Info: LAFD.org/news
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R2 Trauma Informed CERT Training If you've never used Adobe Connect, get a quick overview: http://www.adobe.com/products/adobeconnect.html Adobe, the Adobe logo, Acrobat and Adobe Connect are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.

Medicare Scams. Read below:

Corona Virus info from the LAFD:

LAFD Corona Virus Response March 7, 2020 Your Los Angeles Fire Department is always leaning forward to ensure we are best prepared for whatever may happen and it is no different when concerning a po...

I have to apologize for my tardiness in posting incidents for Hydration 59. One item of interest may be that our unit has a new designation. We have always been identified as HU 59 (Hydration 59) but we are now CE 59 for CERT 59. This was done when we received some additional LAFD vehicles. These were all to be named using the CE coding since these new units do more than hydration. So in keeping with the new coding, we are now CE 59.

The close of 2019 was especially busy for all of the CERT call out teams and units. Starting with the Saddleridge fire onc Oct, 10 and continuing with the Palisades fire on Oct 21, the Getty fire on Oct 28 and finally the Barham fire on Nov 19. These incidents all piled up after a long stretch of no major incidents to report. We were surely caught in the 'beware of what you wish for' thing when we were wondering when the late fire season would throw some action our way. Well, after those 4 major fires we were tapped out and hoping for a break. So far, so good.

Today however we had a more enjoyable assignment supporting the Kingdom Day Parade honouring Dr. Martin Luther King. Several thousand of your neighbors came out for a day of reverence, food and entertainment in the Leimert Park area. There were no reported injuries for our first aid station other than giving a bandaid to a visitor. It was another day for us to support the LAFD and the community at large. Thanks to the 13 CERT volunteers (plus 1 for me) who came out today for this event.

See some goofy pictures of both the LAFD and LA County Fire Departments Recruiting teams attached. The last picture is our CE unit assignment to the event shown on our Mobile Data Terminal on board CE 59.
Photo 1 is the LAFD, 2 is LA County with some Lifeguards.

Interested in CERT training? See our website at www.cert-la.com. Join the team and help us make LA a safer city.

CG

Going Hiking? Read these safety tips:

NWS Los Angeles on Twitter “Spending time outdoors is a fun part of long holiday weekends, but exposure to the heat can be dangerous! Don't forget to drink plenty of water and try to stay out of the sun during peak daytime heating. Don't forget to keep your pets safe too! ”

Announcing the West Bureau Quarterly Refresher.

Saturday July 27, 2019 7:30 am 4:00 pm at Fire Station 59, 11505 W. Olympic Blvd. Enter through the Butler gate on Butler Ave.

Please read the PPE requirement below.

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