We received an email from a reader who caught our post about the $1.8 million earmark the City of Claremont is receiving courtesy of Congressman David Dreier for an Emergency Operations Center.
DATE: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 10:02 AM
SUBJECT: 1.8 Million Dollars?
TO: Claremont Buzz
Buzz,
You may have overlooked the CERT (Claremont Emergency Response Team), as an emergency operation in Claremont. This is an active group of volunteers sponsored by the LA County Fire Dept, and managed by the Claremont Police Dept.
The CERT team is led by Capt Stan Van Horn of the CPD, who teaches curriculum and holds monthly drills for training.
After training, members are assigned to special groups with various responsibilities, in case of a major emergency. We are trying to be ready for fire, flood, earthquake, or attack, where large numbers of people may be injured or without shelter.
There are 50 or more volunteers who have taken the 20-40 hours of advanced training, have practiced triage, communications, emergency management, evacuation,and have learned how to use the police radios (on a special frequency) etc. Ongoing classes for volunteers are adding numbers to the CERT group regularly.
At last Saturday's training in Metrolink Parking Lot there were about 30 in attendance, who got a first look at the new trailer with the CERT generators, pumps, and tools for emergency. We learned water purification, and how to operate an emergency trailer grill for cooking, and about the radio mentioned above. Team members have uniforms and hard hats for identification and safety.
I hope that some of the money from the $1.8 million will find its way to CERT use. Our community will be safer as a result and the money will be well spent.
x
ps: Did you know that a mass burial site for up to 100,000 bodies is designated here in the Los Angeles Area? (Not in Claremont)
No, we didn't know about the mass burial site. We did learn from last night's city council meeting that the money is the second Dreier earmark in the past two years for police communications equipment. So, sounds as if the reader will get his wish for the use of the federal money.
At least that's what they're telling us. With the folks running City Hall, $1.8 million here means that much can be shuffled off to the "Police Station" pigeonhole, if they so choose, or just used in such a way that the stuff ends up as part of a new station/emergency ops center.
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