The City of Santa Ana has identified that it is reasonably and foreseeably susceptible to at least 15 disasters or large-scale emergency events. These include those from natural causes (earthquake, extreme heat, storm/flood, pandemic disease, drought or fire), from technological causes (power failure or dam failure) and intentional acts (weapon of mass destruction or targeted act of violence). These events have a significant ability to cause injury, illness and loss of life; to damage or destroy homes, businesses and schools; to damage transportation, utilities, communications and other public infrastructure; and to disrupt resident’s ability to house, feed and provide for themselves and their families. Most of these events occur with little or no warning or time to prepare.
City staff recently completed about 20 hours of training in Emergency Preparedness, which educated them about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact the community. It provided instruction in how to reduce potential harm and prepare home, family, and work teams to sustain themselves and to be able to assist others when professional responders or government may not be able to respond quickly. This included partnering with the Orange County Fire Authority to provide Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety and suppression, light search and rescue, disaster medical operations and neighborhood organizing, and includes both classroom instruction and hands-on training. The program offers a consistent, nationwide approach to volunteer training and organization that professional responders can rely on during disaster situations, allowing first responders to focus on more complex tasks.
Residents of Santa Ana can participate in CERT training, too! CERT training is provided free of charge, but participants must complete the entire course of instruction (approximately 20 hours) and pre-registration is required for each class. The City of Santa Ana will offer courses several times a year in English and Spanish. CERT courses in Santa Ana are produced in a collaborative effort by the Santa Ana Police Department and other City of Santa Ana agencies, and the Orange County Fire Authority. CERT training is delivered using a nationally recognized curriculum developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
For more information on CERT training in Santa Ana please contact Steve Rhyner, Emergency Operations Coordinator, at SRhyner@santa-ana.org or (714) 647-5315.