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 Mammoth Times Photo/Tiffany Henschel
Erratic winds whipped a fire near Mono Lake yesterday afternoon, growing the fire to 1,000 acres as of this morning. The fire, near the Mono Craters area and close to the junction of S.R. 120 East and U.S. 395, now has over 260 firefighters assigned to it, according to U.S. Forest Service/Inyo National Forest officials. The fire has closed 120 East for the time being and access to the South Tufa and Navy Beach area is also closed.
Four aircraft. including a helitanker, a helicopter and two air tankers will be on the fire today, as crews work to hold the northern flank of the fire near Highway 120 East.
The fire is estimated to be 20 percent contained.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.— WG |
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Mammoth CERT team advisors begin groundwork toward much needed goal |
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Friday, 28 September 2007 |
Volunteerism is key to effective Community Emergency Response Team
By Stacey Powells
Mammoth Times Staff Writer
 CERT Team leaders (left to right) Capt. Natalie Morrow, Lt. Jim Short, Dr. Rick Johnson and Fire Chief Brent Harper met on Sept. 19 to discuss the next steps in getting the CERT team off the ground in the High Sierra.PHOTO BY STACEY POWELLS
Instructors will be from the various agencies who are subject matter experts in the area related to disaster and emergency response. The number of classes has yet to be determined, depending on the availability of the trainers. There will be no more than a dozen people per class.
Funding for CERT is made possible through a one time mini-grant awarded to the Mono County Public Health for the purpose of enhancing public health emergency preparedness and disaster response for the Town of Mammoth Lakes and the County of Mono. A Medical Reserve Corps will also be incorporated within the CERT program as part of the grant requirement.
Medical Reserve Corps will consist of volunteers who are practicing, retired, or otherwise employed medical professionals, such as doctors, nurses, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, pharmacists or nurses’ assistants. Public health officials can also volunteer for the MRC, and community members without medical training can assist with administrative and other essential support functions.
Major emergencies can overwhelm the capabilities of first responders, particularly during the first 12 to 72 hours. Medical and other health volunteers can provide an important “surge” capacity during this critical period. They can also augment medical staff shortages at local medical and emergency facilities or provide field triage at a mass casualty incident. In other words, communities often need medically trained individuals and others to fill in the gaps in their emergency response plans and to improve their response capabilities overall.
“The TOML is very fortunate to have a wide range of dedicated and talented people that could serve the community in the event of an emergency or disaster,” stated Lt. Short. “The volunteers have to be over 18, will be subject to a background check, fingerprinted and interviewed.” Citizenship is not a requirement. Only a strong desire to serve your community in times of an emergency and a dedication and time commitment required to be part of a special organization.
“Volunteerism is very important in our county whether it be through the Red Cross or with the volunteer fire department. It is crucial to have these volunteers in place because we can become overwhelmed very quickly in an emergency situation,” added Fire Chief Brent Harper. “When an emergency happens, we get tons of phone calls from people who want to help. If they haven't had the necessary training its difficult to integrate them into the process. If they sign up to become a CERT volunteer we know we can use them to the best of their capabilities.”
In addition to Lt. Short from MLPD and Fire Chief Harper, the advisory group, which had its first meeting on Sept. 19, will include, Capt. Natalie Morrow from MLFD and Dr. Rick Johnson from Mono County Health Department.
“Everyone in this town wears multiple hats,” said Dr. Rick Johnson. “The difficulty with that is that if the first responders are all called up, do we respond as a doctor or do we take care of our families first or do we go right to the MRC and then to the CERT team? It really is an issue here because in our professional life we have obligations. A CERT member who is not a first responder will not have obligations like we do being first responders because his or her day job won't get in the way if there is an emergency.”
“The CERT team will be a resource to assist first responders,” stated Lt. Short. “They will also be kept busy during the year with special events and additional training.”
Fire Chief Harper knows that if CERT members are given a task, they will complete that task and stay within their skills and training. “We need conscientious people who will stay on task and do the job at hand, the job they are told to do.”
Those interested in joining or obtaining additional information regarding the Mammoth Lakes CERT program should contact Lieutenant Jim Short at the MLPD, (760) 934-2011 ext. 44.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 04 October 2007 )
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