As the West Marin Disaster Council coordinator, I frequently am asked to explain how our nine community disaster councils and Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, trainees fit into the bigger picture of disaster response in West Marin. Here is how we all work together.

West Marin communities have volunteer neighborhood disaster councils organized and trained by local fire departments. In Bolinas, for example, there are 12 geographic areas, each with an area coordinator and several neighborhood liaisons. Area coordinators are trained to use emergency radios as part of the West Marin Disaster Council Emergency Radio System. Fire departments conduct radio checks monthly and simulated disaster drills once or twice a year. In the event of a disaster, area liaisons go house to house in their pre-determined neighborhood to do a quick assessment of damage and injuries and radio their findings to their area coordinator, who radios this information to the fire station.

When a disaster occurs, volunteers go to their fire station for assignments. If a disaster council member is also a CERT, the former role is performed first; radio reports are made and the CERT goes then to their fire station. All CERTs and disaster council members are taught to be prepared, take care of themselves and their family first, and then perform their appropriate roles. If they are unable to get to the station or encounter a situation that must be addressed, such as a critically injured person, they communicate with their area coordinator, who radios the situation to the fire station. Throughout the emergency, the fire chief or officer in charge needs to know which CERTs are responding and where they are located.

Each West Marin disaster council—in Muir Beach, Stinson Beach, Bolinas, Point Reyes Station, Inverness, Dillon Beach, Tomales, Nicasio and San Geronimo Valley—has a coordinator who attends quarterly meetings along with representatives from West Marin fire departments, the Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services, the Point Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, county and state Parks Departments, the Coast Guard, Red Cross, KWMR, the county CERT, Marin Medical Reserve Corps, and the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service. This group shares the results of training programs and drills, live disaster response experiences and “lessons learned” to improve everyone’s skills.

Essential to West Marin’s disaster preparedness and response is the strong commitment of local fire chiefs and disaster council coordinators in inspiring others to become involved. Neighborhood council members and CERTs are a valuable resource for our professional disaster responders. Your local fire station has your coordinator’s name and contact information; you can also call (415) 868.1618 to find out. To get CERT trained, sign up at ReadyMarin.org or call (415) 485.3409.

 

Anne Sands is a former president of the Bolinas Fire Protection District, a former county planning commissioner and a retired volunteer firefighter and EMT. She lives with her horses, sheep and chickens on a small ranch in Dogtown.