Storm Spotters and CERT

8/7/2019 Storm Spotters and CERT

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Beyond t he St orm :

Shaw na Davies, Tr im ble/K ansas Ci t y MO

Jim Reed

Spot t e rs & Chasers He lp ing w i t hCom m uni t ies and Fi rs t Response


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Shawna bio

Shawna Davies Storm Chaser

Jon Davies

An avid Storm Chaser for over 10 years Certified in Adult / Infant / Child

CPR with AED, and First Aid Certified in Douglas County, KS

for Community Emergency

Response Team (CERT)


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Parkersburg IA Greensburg KS

Heather Vandewater

Rick Schmidt

Wichita Eagle Ryan Kolder

5/ 4/ 07 Greensburg KS

5/ 25/ 08 Parkersburg IA


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Questions chasers ask abouthelping

St orm spo t t ing and f i r s t response :

Why should I help?

How can I help? When is it appropriate to stay out of the way?

Is there liability involved if I help an injured person? Where can I receive proper training to help in a

disaster?

Wichita Eagle


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Why should I helpWhy should I he lp?Less than 1 percent of the U.S. population is an emergencyresponder.

Which means: 1 firefighter for every 265 people 1 sworn officer for every 334 people

1 EMT / paramedic for every 325 people

Emergency responders can easily becomeoverwhelmed in a disaster situation that devastates one or

more towns and especially a metropolitan city.

I f and w hen th is oc c urs, o rdinary c i t i zens

c an be a valuab le asset t o he lp save l ives !


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There are w ays w e c an a l l he lp ,depend ing on our c om for t level ,

k now ledge, and t ra in ing .

There are ways we can all help,

depending on our comfort level,

knowledge, and training.


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How can I helpow c an I he lp?

Obtain proper training in first response and firstaid.

Carry specific gear with you that could be of useeither by you or a first responder. Ask police or first responders how I can help

in a specific disaster situation.

I f you have no f irs t response t ra in ing ,you c an s t i l l he lpSuppl ies and t ransport fo r in ju redpeop le a re w hat i s m ost needed

in disast e r s it ua t ions !


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Good Sam act part 1

Is t here l iab i l i t y invo lvedi f I he lp an in jured person?

The k ey poin t : Ask any injured and conscious person

if you can help them. If they say no and you still performmedical acts of assistance, then you are not protected.

If an injured person is unconscious, then you may help them

without consent. This is calledImplied Consent.

The Good Samaritan doctrineencourages emergencyassistance by removing the threat of liability for damagedone by the assistance.

However, the assistance must be reasonable; a rescuercannot benefit from the Good Samaritan doctrine if the

assistance is recklessor grossly negligent.


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Good Sam act part 2Tips on helping an injured person in regards to liabilityand the Good Samaritan Law:

Seek professional training for CPR and First Aidthrough the American Red Cross, CERT, or other firstresponder courses.

Alwaysask a conscious injured person if you can

help them before applying any medical assistance.

Assess the situation before you move an injured

person. Only move someone if their life is inimmediate danger (such as fire, flood waters, orthreat of building collapse). Otherwise, its best tolet well-trained first responders move the victim.


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When to get out of the wayWhen should I ge t ou t o f t he w ay?

Sometimes you could be more of a hindrance than an assetin a crisis situation. Assess each situation by asking yourself

the following questions:

How bad is the situation? Are first responders already on the scene,

and do there seem to be enough for the scaleof the disaster?

Are there a lot of bystanders

clogging traffic, andam I one of them?

Andrew Mahoney / AP


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First responder training question

Where c an I f ind f i rs t responder andf i rst a id t ra in ing?


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Question / Certhere c an I f ind f irs t responder andf i rst a id t ra in ing?


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Cert definitionCom m unit y Em ergenc yResponse Team s(CERT)

The CommunityEmergency

Response Team

(CERT) Programeducates peopleabout disasterpreparedness

for hazards thatmay impact theirarea and trains

them inbasic disaster

response skills.


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History of certHist ory of C.E.R.T. Developed and implemented by the L.A.F.D. in 1985

In earthquake situations, it was found that basic citizentraining could increase survival of disaster victims untilassistance could arrive

FEMA later decided that the program should expandedto cover other disasters and be made available tocommunities nationwide

In 2003, after 9/11, CERT training became a primaryprogram offered to the public


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People taking CERT

26 people in fa l l 2008Douglas Count y, KS CERT c lass

Occupation of participants: computer techs, students, retirees, etc.

Some students were taking CERT for job or volunteer training (firefighters,Americorp, Skywarn)

EVERYONEstated they were there to give back or help the community


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CERT course description.E.R.T. Classes8 Week Course Sc hedule: CERT Introduction / CERT Organization Disaster Fire Safety Disaster Medical Operations Part 1

Disaster Medical Operations Part 2 Light Search & Rescue Operations Disaster Preparedness Disaster Psychology / Terrorism and CERT

Course Review and Disaster Simulation

* The classes above are from Douglas County fall 2008 CERT training


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CERT course description.E.R.T. Classes8 Week Course Sc hedule: CERT Introduction / CERT Organization Disaster Fire Safety Disaster Medical Operations Part 1

Disaster Medical Operations Part 2 Light Search & Rescue Operations Disaster Preparedness Disaster Psychology/ Terrorism and CERT

Course Review and Disaster Simulation

* The classes above are from Douglas County fall 2008 CERT training


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Medical Operations 1Disast er Med ic a l Opera t ions Par t 1 :

How to identify and treat the 3 Killers: Airway obstruction Excessive Bleeding

Control Shock(Also known as the ABC killers)

The START concept Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment

Jillian Blair


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Medical Operations 2 Organization of disaster medical operations Conducting victim assessments

Establishing treatment areas Treating injuries (burns, cuts, broken bones) Public health concerns

Disast er Med ic a l Opera t ions Par t 2 :

Jillian Blair


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Light search and rescueoperations

i gh t Searc h and Resc ue Opera t ions:

Search and Rescue Size Up: How to size up thesituation in which the search and rescue teams will operate

Conducting Search Operations: How to searchsystematically for disaster victims

Conducting Rescue Operations: Safe techniques for

lifting, leveraging, cribbing, and victim removal


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Disaster Psychologyi sas t er Psyc ho logy Disaster Psychology: The psychological impact of a

disaster on rescuers and victims, and how to providepsychological first aid.

Caring for Yourself and Your Buddy:Steps one can take for psychological care before,immediately following, and after a disaster.


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Post Traum at ic St ress Disorder (PTSD)Psychological symptoms:

Irritability or anger Self-blame or the blaming of

others Isolation and withdrawal Feeling stunned, numb, or

overwhelmed Feeling helpless Mood swings Sadness, depression, and or

grief Denial Concentration and memory

problems Relationship conflicts /

marital discord

Physiological Symptoms:

Loss of appetite Headaches or chest pain Diarrhea, stomach pain, or

nausea

Hyperactivity Increase in alcohol or drug

consumption Nightmares

Inability to sleep Fatigue or low energy


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Cert link

To find a CERT program near you:

www.c i t i zencorps .gov /cer t(click on State Directory)

This training is FREE!


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American Red Cross 1Am eric an Red Cross CPR / Fi rst Aid T rain ing

The Red Cross offers an assortment of classes suchas:

CPR (Adult / Child / Infant + AED training) First Aid

Community Disaster Education

www.redcross.org


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Gear and Supplies Spotters needGear and Supplies Spotters need

Fi rs t response and spot t ers /c hasers:

Gear t o have on hand / Suppl ies t hat c an he lp First aid kit Flashlight and batteries Towels Blankets Bottled water Flares Duct tape Adjustable wrench (to turn off gas valves) Whistle Shovel and crowbar Hard hat

Latex gloves (if you plan going to help injured people) Shoes with thick soles to avoid foot injuries from nails Toys or stuffed animals to help calm kids down Extra gauze or gauze tape (to help people who are bleeding)

Plastic bags or large zip lock bags (for bio-hazard items)


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Paramedics Video Clip IntroLet s look a t some v ideo of param ed ic s t o he lp h igh l igh t some o f t he th ings w eve d isc ussed so far

These are v ideo c l ips f rom t he ser ies Pa ramed ics t ha t a ir ed on

The Learning Channel .

The f i lm c rew doc umented param edics responding t o t he May 3, 1999

t ornadoes in Ok lahom a.

(Warning: Some of this footage is graphic in nature)


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Helping With CommunitiesHelping w i t h Com m uni t ies


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Where ever you live, there are ways

that storm chasers can contribute toor give back to their communities.

There s m uch t hat w e as st o rm spo t t e rs and s t o rm c hasers c an do t o help

educ a t e t he pub l ic about severe w eather aw areness and preparedness.


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You m ay th ink t ha t in t oday s in fo rm at ion-f i l led w or ld,peop le know a l l about severe w eather aw areness and sa fe t y .

But t hat s no t a lw ays t he c ase !

You may think that people know all about severe weatherawareness and safety, but


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In form al SurveySynopsis

Ninety (90) total adults from the Kansas City, Wichita,and Houston areas were surveyed just to get a roughidea what people in the central U.S. might know about

severe weather.

- 20 questions, multiple choice -

The survey was only informal, buthere are some interesting results


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Question 4 & 5

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

YES 69 NO 21

Q: Can a storm produce a tornado if it has a severethunderstorm warning?


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Question 13 & 14

Q: You should open all of your windows before taking shelter to

equalize the pressure of your house if a tornado is coming:

Q: If you are driving and see a tornado approaching nearby, but nosturdy roadside buildings are available for you to take shelter, you

should:

0

10

20

30

4050

60

70

80

Take shelter

underoverpass 12

Find a ditch

lay flat 78

Out run the

tornado 0

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

YES 22 NO 68


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Question 17Q: Can a tornado occur without any sort of warning?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

YES 82 NO 8


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Question 18 & 19

Q: If you have a family, roommates, or partners living with you, have you discussedwhat to do if a tornado warning is issued in your local area, and do you practice

tornado drills?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Confident

65

Semi -

Confident 20

Denial

5

Q: If a tornado occurred around 4:00 pm in the afternoon, what is your confidence levelthat family or others in your household would know what to do if they were separatedfrom each other at different locations due to work, school, or other activities?

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Confident

38

Semi-

Confident 47

Denial

5


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Question 20Q: If a storm chaser or storm spotter were to visit your work, church,or neighborhood association to give a presentation about severeweather and preparedness, would you be interested in attending?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

YES 72 NO 18


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Severe Weat her Educat ion

Give talks about severe weather and safety to:

Schools Home Associations Work Church Nursing Homes


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Other Ways to ContributeOt her Ways t o Cont r ibut e

Donate to or volunteer time with communitySkywarn, CERT, Red Cross, Mission of

Compassion etc. Befriend and advise new spotters and chasersto be knowledgeable and responsible

Befriend and encourage kids interested inweather and science


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Severe w eat her t a lk s w hat you c an t a lk about :

Most people are interested in storms and tornadoes.

Use your video and pictures to get peoples attentionto learn more about severe weather.

Explain what spotters and chasers do and how it is

useful (reports to NWS, spotter training, etc.). Discuss how important it is to take responsibilityabout being aware of severe weather.

Talk specifically about ways to stay informed andwhere to go to stay safe in a variety of situations.

Tailor your talk to your audience when talking to kids,simplify and keep it kid-friendly.


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Use pictures and video to get peoples

attention

Use pictures and video to get peoples attention about

staying aware and safe in severe weather.

Shawna Davies

Gary & KimberlyWhitlow

Pratt CountyKansastornadodeaths

5/23/08

An example


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Little Sioux tornado eventL i t t le Sioux Boy Sc out Cam p- Tornado in Iow a on 6 /11/08 -

Cam p Ranger s House

CourtesyNWS Omaha


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Severe weather talks what notto say:

Dont get technical - most people wont understand andwill zone out.

Dont promote the adrenaline junkie factor when talkingabout storms!

Dont do a talk tailored for adults when presenting to kids.

Severe w eat her t a lk s w hat no t t o say:


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Wrap up

As storm spotters and storm chasers, we can all help ina variety of ways, depending on our comfort level,knowledge and training.

In first response situations, those with no training can helpwith supplies and transportation (such as driving injuredto medical care facilities).

CERT and Red Cross provide training for those who wantto be more involved.


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Wrap upWrap up

We can also help by giving talks and presentations onsevere weather awareness and safety to local schools,home associations, etc.

There are many ways to volunteer, from donating videofor good causes, to helping with local Skywarn, CERT,Red Cross, etc.

You can also encourage new spotters and chasers, andkids interested in science, helping them to learn and beresponsible.


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Book

See us at our vendortable.

Also available from:

Amazon.com

(Sea rch Jon Davies )

A grea t book for kidsages 7-13

to learn about chasers,

spotters, & severe weatherby Jon & Shawna Davies


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End

www.redcross.org

www.c i t i zencorps .gov /cer t

Thanks for listeningGood luck and stay safe in 2009!


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Documents

Storm Spotters and CERT