Morrisville CERT general meeting minutes from January 20th, 2010

Morrisville CERT general meeting minutes from January 20th, 2010

6:45 – Sharon V., Cert Secretary started meeting

• brought up the litter sweep that we were doing that Saturday Jan. 23rd at 9:30am; was short notice so knew we wouldn’t have a lot of sign ups.
• Discussed the Train the Trainer that is Feb 24th thru Feb 26th in Shelby, NC…if anyone is interested the expenses are covered except gas to get there
• Brought up that we had gotten our Grant Award in the amount of $6378…per Ron Klus we have to wait for the government to give us the money in about 2 wks and then we have to spend it by April 30th, 2010
• Reminded everyone of the Fireman Appreciation dinner Saturday evening Jan 23rd at 6pm

7:00 – opened it up to questions / comments from the team

• Ron passed out the ID badges of the people that hadn’t picked them up yet. If anyone on the team has not gotten their ID badge please get with Jay Seuss at town hall. jseuss@townofmorrisville.org….you can set up a time to get your picture taken and it doesn’t take him long to make the badge. Or if you want to wait I’ll try to set it up again where after the next class he can do it at the graduation night again.
• Olivia asked about arranging a set schedule of ride-a-longs with police/fire for each team member. We’ll need to revisit this due to everyone’s availability.
• Rose Brought in samples of the house signs that is a fund-raiser for the Explorers (Jr. Firefighters)…they are a nice bright sign that can be attached to your mailbox post in order for police/fire to find your house # quickly. If you are in a neighborhood with a home owners you’ll need to check your rules to be sure it’s ok…they are kind of large.
• Sharon reminded of the next Morrisville CERT class dates which are Feb 20th/21st and Feb 27th/28th.

7:15 – Keith Kestner, member of the Morrisville CERT team, volunteered to do our training tonight. It was called “What to do when you come upon an accident scene”. Keith has 15 years experience in motorist assistance and holds a GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) license which allows you to monitor emergency radio channels. As a brief summary the highlights are:

Before you stop at a scene make sure of your own safety first by parking in front and out of the way of the scene so as not to involve yourself in the accident. Then the next most important thing to do is to know your location…not general location but get real specific so emergency responders can get to the accident quickly. With his experience when he calls into 911 he is able to give specifics as to whether each person in the accident is injured or physically trapped in the vehicle, whether there is liquid leaking from engine area or gas tank, etc. This helps the 911 center know what type of equipment to dispatch. When emergency personel arrive on the scene you can download them on the info you have collected from any of the victims and let them take over. Before leaving the scene make sure you ask if there is anything else that would be needed from you before leaving so as not to be accused later of having been involved or the cause of the accident.

8:15 – meeting adjourned

CERT Training Graduation on 10-27-09

Hello all again – Next Tuesday 10/27 is the next graduation of the newest CERT team members. It will be 6:30 pm at the Town Hall at the beginning of the Town Council meeting. For past members please join us that night to show your support and some refreshments afterwards at station #1.

Also, this is IMPORTANT for anyone who has not yet gotten their CERT Id badge. From 5:30 to 6 that same night 10/27, Jay Seuss is making himself available to take your individual pictures and will try and make the badges immediately afterwards so you can have them that night before we leave Town Hall.

2009 Chainsaw Operation and Safety Training Signup

Mike McKinney
mjmnc@nc.rr.com
919-845-9709

Fee: $15.00 to cover lunch and supplies.

Classroom Instructor: Chris Frey – North Carolina Division of Forest Resources

Classroom Location: Hope Chapel
6175 Old Jenks Road
Apex, NC 27523

Field Instructors and Safety Officers:
Bill Martin, others, NC Baptist Men

Field Location: Forestry area at Jordan Lake. Maps will be distributed at the classroom.

Rain Date: June 13.

Enrollment is limited to the first 40 registrants.

Overview: This class is intended for novices as well as experienced operators who wish to have a safety refresher.

Participant Objectives

1. Learn/review the basics of using chainsaw equipment safely and effectively.
2. Learn to recognize and avoid dangerous situations.
3. Learn techniques for clearing trees and associated debris resulting from severe weather.
4. Improve understanding of Wake Interfaith Disaster Team, CERTs, NC Baptist Men, and Forestry Resources.
5. Team building for operators, draggers, and safety officers.
6. Provide safety inspection for student-owned equipment.

Participant requirements

1. Participants must be at least 18 years of age.
2. Participants must wear long pants and long-sleeve shirt.
3. Participants must wear boots. No tennis shoes.
4. Participants should bring a hard-hat, eye protection, and leather gloves. Hearing protection will be available.
5. Participants should bring chaps if they have them.
6. Participants must sign a waiver of liability.
7. Participants may bring their own chain saws. Chain saws may not be operated unless equipped with chain brake.

Adopt a Road Program Video Link

CERT Members,

You can now watch the video we saw at our last meeting here. It is in 3 parts and once done let Stefanie Reed know so she an get your name, address and signature to participate.

Adopt-A-Highway Safety Video Link

The AAH program is administered by the NCDOT Office of Beautification Programs, and is a joint effort between community volunteers and the NCDOT.

The Adopt-A-Highway Program Web Site

Its purpose is to decrease the amount of litter on North Carolina’s roadsides and improve the beauty and quality of the environment.

Here is a link to the PDF:

Litter Sweep Safety Procedures

2009 Live Exercise Saturday March 14

Live Training postponed due to weather

COLD RAIN is predicted for Saturday, February 28th.
Chief Todd called Gary & there has been a decision to postpone the outdoor training & reschedule for Saturday March 14th.
Please arrive between 8:30 & 9:00 AM at Firehouse #1 dressed for the weather & CERT activity.
Please bring your packs & any items/supplies you think will be useful. We should be finished by noon. We will provide lunch & will discuss what happened over the course of the morning – identifying successes, obstacles & what we could have done differently.

CERT training on the fire engine

Training Bonus from the Morrisville Fire Department

During our CERT meeting on February 18th, we learned the locations of vital equipment on the fire engine.  Our team, once activated, would be able to assist in retrieving this equipment while the first responders deal with the emergency.  As a bonus, two CERT members got a chance to wear the fire suit with compressed air masks.