Objective: Assure that members and community are ready for any catastophic event
Chairperson: Cindy S.

Upcoming Emergency Preparedness Classes / Talks:

Home & Family Preparedness Training

Thursday Aug 28th
6:30PM - 8:30 PM
Calabazas Park (building across from the library & next to tennis courts)


Please join us as the Rainbow West Neighborhood Association hosts the City of San Jose's Office of Emergency Service's free 2 hour class. This class covers the following topics:

• What types of hazards you should prepare for
• How to reduce the risk of loss or injury by preparing for emergencies
• How to create a family disaster plan
• What supplies should you include in your personal and family disaster supplies
• How to become more involved in disaster preparedness

The City of Cupertino also offers the following Emergency Preparedness classes. For more details, and to register for the classes:


Click on the following to get to the main site. Then select 'activities' - 'emergency preparedness'

City of Cupertino Classes

• Personal Emergency Preparedness Workshop (3 hours) - This is probably very similiar to San Jose's 'Home & Family Preparedness Training' class. I have taken this class through Cupertino and recommend it highly. (Cupertino and Non-Residents - free) Next classes offered:
  • Tue Aug 12 6:30-9:30 PM
  • Sat Sept 27 9:00AM - 12:00 PM

• CERT Emergency Response Training

The City of Cupertino is offering two sessions of the 'CERT (Community Emergency Response Training)'. Each class is comprised of six 3-hour sessions. (Cupertino residents enroll free, non-resident fee of $35). This is a really excellent series and I highly recommend it. At this time, the City of San Jose does not offer an equivalent class.

• Series of 6 3-hr class sessions begining Thurs Sept 11th 9AM - 12PM
• Series of 6 3-hr class sessions beginning Thurs Sept 11th 6:30PM - 9:30PM

Note: a 'Personal Emergency Preparedness Workshop' is a pre-requisite class to the CERTs class.

• Heartsaver CPR

This 4 hour class teaches basic CPR techniques for adult, child and infants. It also teaches how to give first aid for choking and how to recognize signs of a heart attaqck, stroke, cardiac arrest and foreign body airway obstruction. (Cupertino residents: $45, non-residents $54)

• Sat Aug 9 9AM - 1PM
• Fri Aug 22 9AM - 1PM

April 2008

The Cupertino CERTs class is great - lively and informative! I highly recommend this to everyone (even if you don't have the time to become a CERTs volunteer, it provides details on how to prepare yourself, your family and your neighborhood to be better prepared to deal with emergencies)

The RWNA is submitting it's CAP Grant Proposal this week. It includes a request for funds for sponsoring an in-house Emergency Preparedness Training class and money for purchasing small rewards for people who complete an Emergency Preparedness, CERTs, CPR, or First Aid class.

February / March 2008 Emergency Preparedness Classes

Three of the Emergency Preparedness Committee attended Cupertino's 'Personal Emergency Preparedness Workshop' last Saturday (Feb 9th). I found it to be an excellent workshop and spoke with the instructor (John M) afterwards. He has agreed to speak to our association. I have sent email to the board indicating that we would like to make arrangements.

Emergency Preparedness Vision Statement


2008 CERTs Goals

1. CERTs to maintain active presence on RWNA website/wiki. Cindy to ask Dong if we can get write access to the RWNA website (emailed 1/31. Response from Dong - he does not believe sections of website can be set up for different administrators)
2. CERTs to contribute informational section to RWNA Bi-monthly Flyers add onto the bi-monthly flyers a CERTs news section) (cindy)
3. 100 people to be trained in 2008 by enrolling in at least one of the following classes: Tracking may be desirable for future Grant applications

1. Family Emergency Preparedness
2. CPR
3. First Aid

3 people to take additional training become CERTs qualified

CERTs trained personnel begin forming neighborhood network to cover their nearby neighbors.(tbd to take the class and learn how best to organize this)

Sponsor a year long drive ("Got a Box?") to encourage membership to prepare an emergency supply. Goal = 60 families? (all committee members)

Schedule 1 'Personal/Family Preparedness' class to be taught for the Rainbow West neighborhood. Schedule during one of General Meetings? (Rich to contact SJ Emergency Services regarding outreach plans)(Feb 9 Cindy spoke with Cupertino's instructor of 'Personal Emergency Preparedness Class', and he is willing to lead a class.)

5 minute talks at each General Session

First (April) talk - 2008 CERTS Goals (cindy) /
"Emergency Preparedness Class" experiences. Was class useful/inspiring...? (Cindi B/ Christine)

Second (July) talk - Rich

Third (October) CERTs training - what did class cover, why others should take... If RWNA general meeting is scheduled before March, then we may want to schedule this talk for the first session, since Cupertino is offering CERTs training beginning March 7th (Sue and/or Christine)

Other possible topics:
starting and building up emergency supply box ‘Got a Box?’
‘how to turn off your gas’

Future goals:

1. Neighborhood CERTs member participation at City (or equivalent) sponsored Emergency Training event
   
2. Expand the RWNA CERTs network to cover entire neighborhood
   
3. Sponsor 'give aways' of items for emergency preparedness kits (if we get budget money)
   
4. Create/Fund? Neighborhood stashes (at each CERTs trained personnel) with neighborhood gear (walkie-talkies, bandages, stretchers? what sorts of stuff makes sense?)Perhaps we can get a shed set up at the Calabazas Fire Station or
   Rainbow Park Center and get funding for it. We can ask those 2 places.