We had a plethora of topics to cover at the November CERT meeting, ending with training on the two Homeland Security generators which are housed at the Camden County, MO Emergency Management Agency!
First, let us thank the members who attended this vital training: Tim Giedd, Ranita Jones, Jerry Rader, Paul Rader, Bill Jones, Mimi Boyer, Margo Kirk, Alex Cason, Renee Cason, Georgie Aldy, and Sandra Wilson. Future CERT member Vicky Wells attended, as well as Camden County Emergency Management Agency Director Sam Henley!
Next, we would like to congratulate (and THANK) CERT member Tim Giedd on stepping forward to become the new Coordinator of the Camden County CERT! Tim is a former law enforcement officer and has been with our group for some time. We will have an interview blog with him soon! Our Contact page has been updated with his contact information, so if our partners would like to book the group, please contact Tim directly!
The CERT Bulletin Board has been updated. Make sure to check this page regularly to see what jobs and tasks need to be completed for the team or for the EMA. You may have the skills to complete a task or two and really help us out!
We have completed the After-Action Discussion for Warsaw Pioneer Heritage Days and the After-Action Report will be posted in a separate blog and linked here as soon as Director Henley has it ready for us. These AARs are important because they validate the purchase of new equipment and training for our group and can help us if we would like to pursue further funding.
Director Henley advised us of her efforts to provide us with more opportunities for more advanced training and training with our partners in first responder agencies, including an open invitation to train in Search and Rescue with the Osage Beach Fire Protection District Search and Rescue Team, following her training on October 30th.
Our final meeting of 2021 is on December 7th. We are having a White Elephant Christmas Party at the EMA! Information for this will be emailed and posted soon, so stay tuned!
There will be NO IN-PERSON MEETINGS in JANUARY 2022 OR FEBRUARY 2022! Meetings will be via WebEx with a dial-in option. Further information on that will be emailed/texted to members directly.
And finally, we would like to thank Norton Power Systems Service Manager Bo Walters for spending time training our members on both of the generators. Bo showed us how to check the machines prior to starting them, demonstrated hooking up the lines, explained how to choose the proper phase, started the machines, showed us the parts, explained how to care for the machines, shut them down, and maintain them between uses. We will be choosing a couple of members who can help Director Henley make sure they are fueled and have oil between deployments. Bo answered dozens of questions from the very interested group and was a great trainer!
*Note: The Camden County Road and Bridge Department was unable to attend Tuesday night, but they met with Director Henley on November 3 to also be given the information and training to manage the generators. This is VITAL, as R&B has stepped forward to be responsible for transporting the generators to the incident scene for large-scale emergencies!
