On the eve of the "Great California Shake-Out" (October 21, 2010) twenty-eight Piru Community Members graduated from Piru's first Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. The graduation was witnessed by a packed, standing room only, audience of family friends and local dignitaries at the regular meeting of the Piru Neighborhood Council. CERT training is offered by the Ventura County Fire Department (VCFD) in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). VCFD and FEMA have joined together to assist Piru residents with disaster preparedness education and training. The training is also available in other communities of Ventura County.

In attendance for the graduation were District 3-Supervisor Kathy Long, the current Chair of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, Division Chief Keith Gurrola of the Ventura County Fire Department, Captain Tim Hagel of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department, Tony Prado, Trustee of the Fillmore School Unified School District Board of Trustees and Dave Wilde, retired educator and candidate for the Fillmore School Unified School District Board of Trustees.

The CERT Graduates were:
Gilbert Rodriquez, Paul Alverdi, Robert Alverdi, Roy Ruiz Jr, Vanessa Castenda, Julio D.
Perez Jr, Sandra Barragan, Hector Sanchez, Victor M. Prado, Becky Pillado, Patti Alonzo Carlos Puga, Robert Montiel, Heladio Hildalgo, Salvador Hernandez, Kevin Keehl, Faith Lugo, Monica Orozco, Tomas Torres, Danielle Banales, Michele Wadsworth, Tim Pillado, Val Pillado, Fredy Galan, Danny Golson, Nicholas Wadsworth, Robert P. Fernandez and Irene Ruiz.

Following a major disaster, first responders who provide law enforcement, fire and medical services to the Piru Community will not be able to meet the initial demand for service typically rendered during a disaster. In his opening comments, Fire Engineer Fred Ponce of the Ventura County Fire Department, one of the two instructors for the CERT course said, "For the first 24-48 hours the community generally has to provide for many of those needs itself until emergency responders can arrive to assist." The other instructor, Captain Al Huerta of the Fillmore Fire Department agreed with this important fact. Engineer Ponce also told the audience, "The local population will have to rely on each other for help in order to meet their immediate life saving, and life sustaining needs since the local County Fire Station 28 is only manned by three personnel." The Piru Community Emergency Response Team has been formed to focus on that preparedness and to meet those immediate needs.

I recall the the morning of January 17, 1994 at approximately 4:31 AM when the 6.7 magnitude Northridge Earthquake shook all of us awake here in the Santa Clara Valley! At the time I was one of those emergency responders and left my family to take on that roll. Although this was a devastating disaster that claimed 72 lives, injured 9,000 people and caused an estimated loss of 20 billion dollars in property damage it was more of a widespread disaster and not totally focused on Ventura County, more on the eastern edge of Ventura County and northern Los Angeles County.

Because not all cities of Ventura County were severely impacted emergency responders were able to focus on the Simi Valley, Piru and Fillmore Communities. Their response time was incredible.

At the time there were nearly 200 emergency responders in the Fillmore/Piru Communities within about six hours and many more once the needs of those communities were assessed.

Had this disaster involved all of Ventura County then the response time most assuredly would have taken longer as Fire Engineer Fred Ponce cautioned the audience.

The Piru Emergency Response Team would have been a welcomed resource on that morning, but what mitigated the impact at that time for the Community of Piru, and what has always made the Community of Piru stand out, is their close knit community and the leadership of the Piru Neighborhood Council.

The entire community pulled together and as we know now we all made it through the disaster fairly well considering those other communities just over the Los Angeles/Ventura County line. Today this willingness to help out your neighbor has been formalized with the formation of the Piru Emergency Response Team. The training they have received will make a Community response better organized and local resources made available more quickly.

CERT teams within each community are prepared, self-activated, independently organized, and neighborhood oriented with support from cities and public safety agencies.

CERT program efforts are coordinated through local emergency services personnel.

The Ventura County Fire Department's CERT Training Program (free of charge) was developed because of the need for a well-trained civilian emergency work force. The CERT Training Program provides for community self-sufficiency through the development of multifunctional response teams who act as an adjunct to their emergency services during major disasters. When emergencies happen, CERT members can give critical support to first responders, and provide immediate assistance to victims.

CERT members can also assist with non-emergency projects that help improve the safety of the community. Through this unique program, people from community organizations, business and industry, and city employee groups will become CERT members. They work as team members and perform as individual leaders by directing untrained volunteers in the initial phase of an emergency.

To become a CERT graduate, you must complete the 17½ hour course (Level 1). Level 1 training is taught by professional experienced firefighters and paramedics.

The course is followed by continuing education programs, including biannual refreshers:
Class 1 - Introduction, Disaster Preparedness Class 2 - Disaster Fire Suppression Techniques Class 3 - Disaster Medical Operations (Session 1) Class 4 - Disaster Medical Operations (Session 2) & Multi Casualty Incident Class 5 - Light Search & Rescue Operations Class 6 - Team Organization & Disaster Psychology Class 7 - Terrorism & Homeland Defense The new graduates will be a welcomed addition to the Piru Community and to emergency responders when, not if, the next disaster occurs. Congratulations to not only the twenty-eight graduates, but to the Piru Community for stepping up to form this needed program.