Winter 1998 Volume 1 Number 1
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The Handshake of 1998
While attending the first annual national CERT conference sponsored by FEMA in September, a question that was raised was " How can we get the fire suppression personnel involved with the citizen disaster preparedness training?" |
| As the San Francisco Fire Department NERT program coordinator, I had an opportunity to share what is being done in San Francisco to the help the right side (fire suppression side) shake hands with the left side (civilian side) in a union of assisting one another in the event of a major disaster. | |
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This past year, over 1200 students have attended our NERT training at 34
different training sites. We took this unique opportunity for these graduates to
personally meet their San Francisco firefighters. With the key support of Chief of Department Robert Demmons, the following administration policy was inaugurated this year: |
| 1. The local Battalion Chief is present at the last training
class and they present each NERT graduate with their Award of Achievement certificate. In
addition, a fire engine or truck company is also present and the entire crew observes and
becomes familiar with the skills taught to the NERT teams. The physical presence of two
fire suppression units greatly enhances our community relationship with the NERT's and
shows how much we support their completing the invaluable 18 hours of disaster
preparedness training. 2. At each of our Fire College class of recruits, I give a 30-minute introduction and overview of the NERT training program. This is probably their first time (and hopefully many more times) they will hear the "NERT" name in their firefighting career. This gives them a basic foundation of the disaster training that is offered by their department to the citizens of San Francisco. 3. The NERT newsletter is distributed four times a year to each of our 42 fire stations as reading material to keep the firefighters informed of the activities taking place in their local fire districts / community. The newsletter features a neighborhood coordinator's article, the upcoming neighborhood training session, the staging site, and the disaster care facilities in their respective fire community. This periodic reminder keeps the NERT name in front of the firefighters and demonstrates that the NERT program is very active in SF.
These three actions by the Fire Department helps establish and maintain a positive working relationship with the NERT members, who will play an integral role in assisting with our emergency operations in the time of a disaster. The firm handshake started this year with a closer bonding of SF fire personnel and the civilian NERTs. |
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