CERT April 2019

Thanks to everyone who attended our April 24 CERT meeting. We had a great presentation on Wildfire in North Carolina, presented by Justin Query from the North Carolina Forestry Service. You can see his presentation here. Justin also provided a document on how to evaluate your own home’s risk for wildfire damage, and a handout on preparing your home for wildfires.

Many of our CERT members have expressed an interest in Search and Rescue. We are working with the Chatham County Emergency Management office and the Sheriff’s office to build a training program that inserts CERT members into good roles during a search. Some of you may be interested in admin support, others in logistical support, and still others (once trained) would work directly on search teams. Hold the date for an all-day training session on Search and Rescue planned for October 5, 2019 at Jordan Lake.

And BIG NEWS – Chatham CERT has received our 501(c)3 non-profit letter from the IRS! We can now accept donations and can apply for grants. More to follow. (Thanks, Maura!)

CERT March 2019

Thanks to everyone who attended our March 2019 CERT meeting. This month we reviewed the past year (our start-up year!) and discussed meeting topics for the future. From those who attended, here are the top most wished for classes. We will work on getting these scheduled throughout the next year.

  • Search and Rescue
  • CPR & AED training
  • Traffic and Crowd Management
  • Dealing with long-term power outages
  • First Aid certification
  • Land Nav & Compass Reading
  • Food safety, storage, disaster food preparation

We also reviewed gear – what one might carry in their trunk or vehicle as a ‘get-home’ bag for emergencies. You can view that presentation here.

Our April meeting features the North Carolina Forestry Service in a presentation on Wildfire Prevention and Safety around our homes. That will be particularly timely given all the problems we have seen on the west coast with out-of-control fires. We don’t want that here in Chatham County. See you on April 24th at our monthly meeting.

CERT February 2019

A big thank-you to everyone who attend our February 2019 CERT meeting! Our guest speaker was Cheryl Leonard, discussing CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management). Here is a copy of the class handout.

We also reviewed CERT application procedures, the CERT vest ordering website, upcoming training and meetings, personal awareness color codes, and two great learning opportunities: Tree Cleanup and Chainsaw Safety for Disaster Relief, and the RARSFest convention for amateur radio operators. Click here for the presentation containing all this information and more.

Future CERT emergency notifications will come through the Chatham County ALERT CHATHAM notification system to all interested CERT participants. After the initial alert, additional information will be available on our website for reporting instructions, signup rosters, and other items.

We also will start using Zello, a walkie-talkie application for cell phones. Zello allows group conversations in austere environments, because it can communicate with weak cell phone signals or over wireless internet. Find out more about Zello and how to connect to the Chatham CERT Zello group with this set of instructions.

Reindeer Run 2018

Chatham CERT supported the 2018 Reindeer Run in December 2018 with radio communications and other support to the event.

We received a very nice certificate of appreciation from the event organizers. The 2019 Reindeer Run is scheduled for December 7, 2019 and we are looking forward to supporting the event again.

Reindeer Run 2018

Newsletter January 2019

Run-Hide-Fight!

Chatham County CERT will meet on January 23, 2019 at at 6:30 for our monthly meeting. As always, everyone is invited to attend.

This month our meeting is, by popular request, a presentation on what to do if one is near an active shooter event. The Chatham County Sheriff’s office is presenting Run-Hide-Fight, which is the current training response scenario. Continue reading Newsletter January 2019

Newsletter November 2018

Chatham CERT November 2018

First was Florence, then Michael, and now the National Weather Service is predicting normally-cold temperatures and a wetter than normal winter for our area. Are you ready?


November CERT Meeting

This month’s CERT meeting is on November 28 at 6:30 PM at the Emergency Operations Center, 297 West Street, Pittsboro. Our class this month will focus on what we all need to do to be prepared for emergencies in winter weather: local experts will present short classes on winter weather preparedness, winter driving skills, home security when we are on vacation, cold-weather injuries, influenza, and small and large animal winter health. Continue reading Newsletter November 2018

Newsletter October 2018

October meeting

Hemorrhage Control

Chatham CERT October 2018

Hurricane Florence was the first real test of CERT in Chatham County. Thanks to everyone who prepared their families and neighborhoods, and a particular thank you to every CERT and others who volunteered their time to support the Emergency Operations Center in Pittsboro, who helped set up and take down shelters, who moved emergency supplies, and who worked at the North Carolina shelter in Orange County. Great Job! Continue reading Newsletter October 2018

Newsletter September 2018

CERT September meeting – Communications

First, Hurricane Florence

After a quiet summer, the 2018 tropical storm system is heating up. Florence looks to be headed our way, which could mean high winds and lots of rain. Combined those spell power outages, transportation interruptions, and school closings. As a CERT you have started to prepare your families for bad weather. Here is a checklist you can share with others who are just now thinking about how to get ready: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/ready.php. Continue reading Newsletter September 2018