certguy Posted October 8, 2007 Posted October 8, 2007 It's 10:30 on a sunday morning in your rural community . Suddenly the area is struck by a mag. 6.5 earthquake . You're off duty at home . You are also a CERT ( community emergency response team ) member . You check on your family and nieghbors they're okay with a few minor injuries . You secure utilities as needed at yours and the neighbors houses , then do a quick recon of your area . You find many damaged buildings , several structure fires , as well as power lines and trees down . Luckily , it's winter in central CA . No danger of wildland fires and not many tourists in town . Daytime temps in the 50's , nightime 20's to upper 30's with heavy cloud cover and possible rain . On arrival at your pre - determined staging area , you learn all 3 ways into town are blocked by landslides or bridge damage cutting off all normal first responders . People see you and are already arriving with injured pts . Then reports come in that all 3 churches were in services and sustained damage . ! light , but with reports of injuries , 1 moderate , with reports of trapped victims , 1 heavy , also with reports of trapped victims . You and your small band of CERT members , as well as some spontaneous volunteers are the only help this community has . Your town is in a large valley that has 2 ambulance stations with a total of 6 ambulances . ( medic /emt crews ) The valley also has 3 fire stations each having 3 men with a patrol rig and an engine . Each station covers several communities . There are 10 communities in this valley.What do you do ????
Dustdevil Posted October 8, 2007 Posted October 8, 2007 First and foremost, I will NOT leave my family or my property, so that effectively nullifies the remainder of the scenario for me. Anybody that makes it to my property will -- after thorough search and interrogation at gunpoint -- get whatever basic medical assistance I can give them, but I am not going out looking for work. And I wouldn't have joined whatever a "CERT" team is to begin with. Nor would I ever live in Kalifornia, but I digress. Carry on.
certguy Posted October 9, 2007 Author Posted October 9, 2007 Hi Dustdevil , Family will always come first , no offense , but I find it kind of hard to believe that an EMS professional would turn his back on his community in a disaster . I can't speak for you , but as for me , once my wife's okay ( the son's grown and out of the house ) my next priorities are the nieghbors , then the community . I don't know where you're from , but the midwest and the east have also experienced quakes . No matter where you live , there's potential for some form of disaster , and normal responders can't be everywhere . For info , CERT was started in 1985 by LAFD who realized after the Loma Prieda quake that even they don't have enough resources to handle a disaster . FEMA and homeland security like it so well , they're going nationwide with it . The program's about teaching ordinary folks how to better take care of themselves , thier families , and thier nieghbors in a disaster . They are also trained to be part of an emergency response team ( if they so desire ) to be activeated in the event normal responders are overwhelmed . Studies have shown that many disaster victims can be saved using even basic first aid measures if they are started soon enough . CERT is trained in many areas including triage , disaster first aid , and treatment area setup so they can get treatment started till EMS can get to them . This can be a valuable asset in the big one when your resources are stretched thin . The scenerio I laid out is a likely situation we could be facing . The area is my valley with an earthquake fault capable of a magnitude 7 running under our dam . ( it was thought to be inactive when the dam was built ) . Back to the scenerio . I didn't tell you before , there's one other target hazard , a board and care with approx. 30 pts. that hasn't been heard from . In community resources , you have a medical clinic ( closed for the weekend ) , an equipment rental yard with all sorts of goodies . A rafting company with several busses , coolers , first aid equipment , and other assorted gear , and a couple stores and gas stations . All utilities are out .
Just Plain Ruff Posted October 9, 2007 Posted October 9, 2007 I for one will not leave my family either. IF I'm on duty that's one thing but if I'm home with them then their safety comes first. If I do ever get over to my parents house I'll leave them there and go in to work but if I cannot get them to my parents I'm staying with them. That's my opinion. Family is first. Jobs will always be there.
Richard B the EMT Posted October 9, 2007 Posted October 9, 2007 Re earthquakes: New York City had one, very minor by Los Angeles standards, in 1985. I felt it, as I live, as everyone who knows my postings, on a beachfront. Figure several possibilities for my area. One, sand based land could become liquified, and the houses sink, or tilt over. Two, ocean front? Tsunami from displaced underwater ground movement. Think the Indian Ocean tsunami. My house is about 8 feet above "mean high tide", and will flood if an extreme high tide goes over that height. There are areas nearby that flood because of lunar high tides at, or in the day before or after both a new or full moon, without extra probability from a storm. Did I mention that there are at least 2 faultlines under Manhattan, one alongside the FDR Drive by East 14 Street, and another crossing the island from the Hudson to the East Rivers at west and East 125th Street? Oh, and a really scary thought: there is a fault line running directly underneath the Indian Point, New York, Nuclear Generating Stations.
brentoli Posted October 9, 2007 Posted October 9, 2007 I don't buy into this CERT team thing. Its another way for governments to get funding they don't need for things they won't use. If there is a disaster you can't rely on anyone. Not the government, not your Fire Dept, not your neighbors. Only yourself. These CERT teams only give a false sense of security.
AnthonyM83 Posted October 9, 2007 Posted October 9, 2007 I for one will not leave my family either. IF I'm on duty that's one thing but if I'm home with them then their safety comes first. If I do ever get over to my parents house I'll leave them there and go in to work but if I cannot get them to my parents I'm staying with them. That's my opinion. Family is first. Jobs will always be there. What if you're required to report in? Then you're on-duty.
JPINFV Posted October 9, 2007 Posted October 9, 2007 What if you're required to report in? Then you're on-duty. Not if: 1. My family isn't fine 2. Class hasn't been canceled. If either of those two conditions exist then I won't hit the accept button on my cell phone.
AnthonyM83 Posted October 9, 2007 Posted October 9, 2007 I think that kind of goes without saying....
Scaramedic Posted October 10, 2007 Posted October 10, 2007 2. Class hasn't been canceled. I have this mental image of my A&P instructor climbing over ruble to teach the lesson for the day. He believes Armageddon is the only reason to cancel class or miss a class for that matter. Image: Dr. B. Moving a chuck of concrete: lifting a dead students crushed head and saying "we can plainly see the external acoustic meatus..." If my family is fine then I would find nearest triage point or create my own if needed. Keep in mind one the first things that goes in communications. You might be on your own. Peace, Marty
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