CERT Should Be Mandatory. Starting in Middle School?

What about your community?

BEMA International

Good Article in Emergency Managment News Letter - CERT Should Be Mandatory http://www.govtech.com/em/disaster/Fall-2017-EM-CERT-Should-Be-Mandatory.html CERT Should Be Mandatory All too often, businesses and organizations expect that first responders can get to them quickly in a major disaster. by Larissa Paschyn / October 30, 2017 Too often, businesses and organizations rely on the hope that first responders will be able to reach them in time during a major disaster.  However, the bigger the disaster, the more strain on limited resources, and the less likely the government will be able to respond.  As a result, it is imperative that everyone in an organization can use their own resources and skills to take care of each other. FEMA maintains the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program as an official emergency preparedness program. However, there is no obligation or requirement for schools and employers in high-hazard areas to implement or maintain such programs on site. The CERT concept was originally developed following a series of earthquakes in the U.S. and Puerto Rico that left hundreds dead, injured and without emergency services. CERT volunteers are educated about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area, and CERT trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations. Local responders can rely on CERTs during disaster situations, which allows them to focus on more complex tasks. Yet public education campaigns encouraging participation in CERTs have not been highly effective or visible.  For example, in California’s Bay Area, few residents are even aware that their neighborhoods offer CERT. Combine that with the fact that numerous IT companies in the Bay Area are basically small cities, and you are looking at a recipe for disaster.  With the limited man-power and resources local emergency response has, these IT villages are not likely to receive help for a long period of time. And let’s not forget the sheer density of downtown San Francisco and Oakland, where emergency response will also have a difficult time responding to all affected buildings. Without holding schools and businesses accountable, there is a greater likelihood of loss of life when a catastrophic disaster occurs, such as tornado, flood or earthquake.  In a catastrophic disaster, first responders will not be able to assist for a prolonged period of time.  By requiring businesses of more than 150 persons and schools to have a work or campus-based (C-CERT) team in place, local public safety can focus on other areas [during an emergency situation]; allowing the affected school/company to be self-sufficient for a time. In any disaster, you can find numerous accounts of neighbors and regular citizens assisting at the scene before response agencies could deploy.  After the Joplin, Mo., tornado in 2011, neighbors assisted in digging others out of the rubble.  During the 2016 Louisiana floods, instead of waiting for the government to come rescue them, the people of Louisiana used privately owned boats to save their neighbors. This “Cajun Navy” was responsible for saving the lives of thousands of Louisianans. In South San Francisco, biotech companies have been ahead of the game for years, maintaining on-site search and rescue, medical, hazmat teams, and incident command teams. In the event of an earthquake, they will be able to rescue and treat their own staff before help arrives. The fact is that our communities and our facilities are one of the most effective ways to ensure that we are prepared in the event of a future emergency response situation, and every business should be a part of that preparedness. Schools and companies need to be able to take care of their own people, and in earthquake territory, it is irresponsible not to require all corporations and educational institutions to have response programs in place. Larissa Paschyn is the emergency manager for Amgen in South San Francisco, where she trains the emergency response teams. Previously, she was the external affairs officer for the FEMA Region 9 Incident Management Assistance Team.

Grants. 2018 Lowes Charitable and Educational Foundation Grants. Let's rebuild OUR COMMUNITY

https://www.lowes.com/cd_Charitable+and+Educational+Foundation_936258779_

Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation

Founded in 1957, Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation has a long and proud history of improving the communities we serve. The foundation's support has grown to match the growing needs of our communities, going from $3 million in contributions in 2004 to nearly $19 million in 2010.

Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation funds nonprofit organizations and public agencies that support our charitable goals. The foundation's primary philanthropic focus centers on K–12 public education and community improvement. Within these areas, Lowe's Foundation is committed to supporting projects that have the greatest impact on our communities and align with our core business — home improvement.

We believe education is the cornerstone to building bright futures and stronger communities. Our long-established commitment to improving educational opportunities is best exemplified by our signature education grant program, Lowe's Toolbox for Education^®. Since its inception in 2006, Lowe's Toolbox for Education has contributed nearly $25 million to more than 5,400 schools in the United States. In 2010, with schools and community groups continuing to face financial challenges, Lowe's Foundation again focused on basic needs. The foundation gave more than $2.5 million in regional grants to fund a variety of improvements for schools and community gathering places.

With the foundation's support, we also continued to address the growing skilled worker shortage in the United States and Canada. Lowe's Foundation boosted its support of trades education with a new five-year, $1.5 million annual commitment to SkillsUSA^®. As we expand our store presence in Canada, we also are expanding our commitment to youth across the country. The foundation will contribute $1.25 million over five years to Skills / Compétences Canada. The contribution will support high school-based projects in the provinces of Alberta and Ontario, and will expand to other regions as Lowe's establishes retail locations in more communities.

Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation, which also supports partnerships with Rebuilding Together^®, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and The Nature Conservancy among others, is comprised of a nine-member board of directors. The board includes representatives from various departments within Lowe's, from store operations and human resources to the legal and tax teams, supplying a diversity of thought, leadership and experience to help shape the foundation's work. Larry Stone, Lowe's president and chief operating officer and a 41-year company veteran, is chairman of the foundation.

For more information about Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation, including application guidelines, visit Lowes.com/community.