With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Disaster Response: CERT-ainly Better Prepared Now
CERT training in action (Andreanna Ditton/LAist)
()
By Andreanna Ditton/Special to LAist
It snowed last weekend in Los Angeles (okay, in outer LA), and if that’s not a sign of the end times I don’t know what is. Actually, it’s just a sign of shifting weather patterns and maybe global warming, but crazy weather is a good reminder that the potential for natural disaster is ever looming. We may not have freak blizzards, and that tsunami thing is hopefully just a rumor, but we’ve got mudslides, brushfires, heatwaves, epic rain, and the big E: Earthquake.
So what would you do in the midst of an earthquake, a building collapse or a train accident? If you’re able-bodied, you’ll want to help, right? I bet you don’t know how to best help yourself and your family. That’s okay because the Community Emergency Response Team training (CERT) will teach you how. Plus, they’ll do it for FREE!
Beginning CERT classes are offered over a seven-week period. In addition to learning the basics of disaster preparation (own a flashlight and a wrench, stockpile water but swap it out because it can go bad, have extra meds on hand for you, your kids and your pets, fill up the bathtub from the water left in your water heater, etc.), you’ll also learn how to help others in the face of any emergency, including basic medical assessment, triage, signage, and other forms of communication. CERT has a basic mantra - in a big disaster, you will likely be on your own for 72 hours. Learn how to take care of yourself until help arrives.
Support for LAist comes from
From search and rescue to putting out small fires, CERT classes make you better prepared to live usefully in the world. Held by community leaders and public servants (including firemen and women), they teach you how to answer different disasters as they come. For instance, what’s your first course of action during a big earthquake?
Here’s a hint, the answer is NOT: “Grab both cats, and a gun, put ‘em in a backpack, and run outside.” The answer is also not to stand in a doorway, or near anything made of glass. You should get under a stable structure: a table, a couch, something that will protect you from stuff falling. In the face of aftershocks, you should then make sure the gas is turned off. If people are suffering from injury, you need to check their breathing, heart-rate and basic awareness of their surroundings. Is everything normal? Good. You’re all okay.
See, don’t you feel more prepared now?
The other key is to find the friend who’s really good at being prepared and use them as the focus for a meeting point. Your phones won’t work, you may not be able to drive anywhere, so have a plan, have a backpack, have some food and water and a good pair of boots, and stay calm. Things will be okay. You took that CERT class, and you know what to do. (It’s a good thing you do, because sometimes your really prepared friend moves across the country).
Classes across the city begin in March, so go here to see what fits your schedule:http://www.cert-la.com/calendar/calendar.cgi?calendar=basic&template=default.html&month=3 or http://fire.lacounty.gov/ProgramsEvents/Cert_schedule.asp.
For those of you who’ve already taken basic CERT training and earned your green hard hat and flashlight, more advanced classes are available from the Red Cross, as well as refreshers and special seminars. And to stay on top of your preparation, follow PrepareLA on Twitter.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7 and went on to kill 12 people and destroy more than 6,800 homes and buildings. -
People moving to Los Angeles are regularly baffled by the region’s refrigerator-less apartments. They’ll soon be a thing of the past. -
Experts say students shouldn't readily forgo federal aid. But a California-only program may be a good alternative in some cases. -
Distrito Catorce’s Guillermo Piñon says the team no longer reflects his community. A new mural will honor local leaders instead. -
The program is for customers in communities that may not be able to afford turf removal or water-saving upgrades. -
More than half of sales through September have been to corporate developers. Grassroots community efforts continue to work to combat the trend.
Best of LAist