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		CERT MEMBERS SELF-ACTIVATE DURING PIPELINE EXPLOSION Diane Middleton, CERT Program Coordinator Whatcom County Emergency Management Bellingham, Washington CERT. We planned. We trained. We delivered. It worked! Bellingham, Washington made headlines around the nation when the Olympic Pipe Line ruptured on June 10, 1999. The Whatcom County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was activated for three weeks.
During that time, nearly 700 people worked in the EOC. Unified Command was established with Federal, State and Local officials, as well as the responsible party. Additional information about the event, including photographs, can be accessed via our website at http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us.
	One of the highlights of the response effort was that our two local CERT teams self-activated and provided support to the Emergency Operations Center volunteering hundreds of hours. They were wonderful! Federal, State and Local officials praised their efforts. During the Emergency Phase of the disaster, CERT members answered phones, trained other volunteers, and worked as Watch Supervisors for the phone staff. They monitored radio traffic, provided runners, and kept logs of the events. Their disaster psychology training was utilized as they cared for themselves and those around them during times of stress. When the community had a public forum to talk with responders and pipeline officials, a CERT member helped staff our booth and spoke to the public about the importance and benefits of taking a CERT class. It was a CERT Coordinator’s dream.
Our CERT folks were thankful for the opportunity to serve. They felt useful and learned more than they ever could in a classroom. They saw disaster response in action. A familiar theme emerged from their comments; as so many in the community were saying how helpless they felt because they didn’t know what to do, the CERT members felt empowered. They were prepared, they were educated, and they were part of the solution. Yes, we were all scared, but we didn’t feel helpless.
Our CERT instructors didn’t do anything magical. We delivered the FEMA CERT program, tailored to our community. Everyone has access to the same training tools. We formed a group of Lead Agencies consisting of our local Emergency Management office, Bellingham Fire Department, and our local American Red Cross. Together we planned, trained staff, and delivered the program. The CERT members took it from there. In the aftermath of the pipeline disaster, the community has shown great interest in the CERT program. Local officials want to know more, they want to do more. It is sad that it takes a disaster such as ours to wake up a community. Yet we all know these are windows of opportunity to prepare our community and strengthen the bonds that hold us together. We will continue to empower our people and encourage all communities to do the same.

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