2010 Ojai OK! Drill - Various Pics

Picture take by Ray Smith (KI6VED)at Sarzotti park, at the completion of the OK drill.

Left to right: Virginia Rasch (KJ6BXX), Diana Bailey KI6VCN, Lou Torres, Jade Smith KI6VFQ, Jake Bailey KI6VCO



Lynn Haag standing out Vons Supermarket handing out signs.

Check out Ojai Valley News - Fri 9/10, page 2

Novel way of advertising OK! Drill

This is one idea that Paul in Arbolada/Foothill is doing to advertise the OK! Drill.

We live on a street that has a lot of walkers so I put out this display and
have given away over 25 signs.

CalTrans Signs advertising Ojai OK! Drill

Thanks to Ojai's Chief of Police Capt Chris Dunn, we have one of the best forms of advertising for the upcoming Ojai OK! Drill -- September 15th at 7PM.

For the second year in a row, two CalTrans Signs have been positioned at the foot of the Dennison Grade near Carne Road and the other by Casitas as Hwy 33 down-steps to 45 MPH.

The sign is advertising tuning to AM1610, so please do that for more information.

3rd Annual Ojai OK! Drill - Weds Sept 15th 7PM

The 3rd Annual Ojai OK! Drill is happening this year on Wednesday, Sept 15th at 7PM.

Ojai Valley CERT will be distributing yellow OK Signs in the weeks leading up to the drill. You can also get the signs from the Ojai Library and Ojai Valley Fire Stations. Note: If you're having difficulties finding a sign, email to ojaivalleycert@gmail.com.

We're asking Citizens to review the Emergency Preparedness Information on the reverse side and then post the sign in a street-facing window at 7PM. Please leave the sign up overnight.

Ojai Valley CERT and various other groups (Ham Radio, Red Cross) will search throughout the Ojai Valley to locate and count signs.

The objective is to utilize Incident Command Procedures and Ham Radio Operators to aggregate all counts and roll-up the results to the Ojai EOC (Emergency Operations Center at Ojai Police Department)within 1 hour. We look forward to collaborating this year with other CERT Groups within the County and out-of-state.

Please go to http://okdrill.org for more details.

Shakeout Drill 2010 - 10/21/10 at 10:21AM

I just completed re-registering Ojai Valley CERT for the upcoming Great California Shakeout Drill.

Please check out this web-site www.shakeout.org and prepare to "Drop, Cover and Hold-on" on October 21st, 2010 at 10:21 a.m

Ojai OK! Drill 2009 Results

Here are the results of the Ojai OK! Drill (performed on October 14th, 2009).

This is a link to my post on the OK Drill Web-site.

Registration reminder for Certainly CERT

Operation Certainly CERT (Ventura County CERT Refresher) is just around the corner -- Saturday, November 7th (all day).

Everyone needs to make sure you go to the following link to register. Print out the release forms for photo and liability and bring completed forms with you.

Operation Certainly CERT

2009 Shakeout Exercise - 10/15 at 10:15AM

45 Days to the 2009 ShakeOut!

At 10:15 a.m. on October 15, 2009, millions of Californians will “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” in The Great California ShakeOut, the largest earthquake drill ever!

September is National Preparedness Month, and you'll be hearing from many organizations about how to update your disaster plans and restock your disaster supplies kits. It's also time to register for the 2009 ShakeOut! If you participated in the 2008 drill or not, this is your once-a-year chance to practice how to be safe during earthquakes: Drop, Cover, and Hold On.

Over 5.4 million southern Californians participated in the 2008 ShakeOut. As a statewide drill in 2009, this number could be doubled... but we can only include if you register at www.ShakeOut.org/register. As of August 31, over 3.7 million participants are registered statewide!

There are many ways to participate in the ShakeOut in 2009. At the least, plan a "drop, cover, and hold on" drill involving everyone in your household. You can also discuss your overall disaster plan with your family or roommates, secure the contents of your home so they won't fall, and restock your supplies. The updated ShakeOut.org website is the central source of information for how to participate, learn about your area's earthquake hazards, and find local events, news, and participant lists for all California counties.

Everyone can participate! Individuals, families, businesses, schools, government agencies and organizations are all invited to register. Talk to your employer, neighborhood association, faith-based organization, or others about registering as well. Your involvement in the ShakeOut insprires many others to register and hold their own drills!

Register today at ShakeOut.org

Priority Pre-Registration for Certainly CERT Exercise open Aug 24th

The Certainly CERT Exercise on November 7th will open up for priority pre-registration between August 24th and August 30th. They will only accept 20 participants from each CERT Group (for example, Ojai Valley CERT). After August 30th, the registration will open up again and cap at 250 registrants.

I will keep this blog posted when the Ventura County Fire Department opens up the web-link for registration.

We are looking for a good turnout (20 registrants) and representation from The Ojai Valley for CERT graduates that want to participate in the exercise.

Please note that if you are planning to participate as support staff (victim, Exercise Supervisor, etc) then there will be a separate registration for that.

Details:

The priority pre-registration for Op CC is August 24th - Aug 30. I encourage all our members to enroll on August 24th to ensure that they get a slot for the Op CC exercise. Each area is limited to 20 slots.

After August 30th there will be open enrollment for anyone. Enrollment will remain open until 250 are enrolled. I recommend that our CERT folks who do not get enrolled during the closed enrollment week that they enroll on August 31 anytime after 12 midnight.

This will be a great experience for those participating, so make sure you get enrolled early.

For those participating in support roles you will be enrolled as CERT support personnel and not included in the 20 person restriction for participants.

An option is to volunteer for a support activity. There are a number of openings still available:

Victims - see what it is like from the other side. Must be willing to moan. 50 needed
Communicators - ACS and ham licenses require. Willing to listen. 5 needed
Parking personnel - help park cars, hand out lunches (eat as well). 15 needed
Team leader - Fire suppression, Can put out fires lead a group and keep cool 1 needed
Gophers - get stuff, return stuff, move stuff, find stuff, not lose stuff, 10 - 15 needed
Assistant Safety Officers - make sure exercises are safe. Be willing to work all day. 5 needed.
Altogether we will need at least a hundred support personnel to make this exercise work.

Every one will get lunch and there will be plenty of water. There will be no shortage of work so you will not get bored.

Major pay off - learn a lot of things, meet a lot of fellow CERT folks, and have a good time.

For more information and how to get involved contact your CERT Neighborhood Area Coordinator right away.

Sean Kellythorne
Chief Planner for Operation Certainly CERT
November 7th 2009
0800 - 1700
Ventura County Fire Department
Regional Training Center
Camarillo Airport, Camarillo.
805-701-6556

Ojai OK Drill -- Weds, Oct 14th at 7PM

It's on again!!!

The Ojai OK Drill is set for Wednesday, October 14th, starting at 7PM. Counting completes by 8PM with a radio communication completed by 8:30PM. Our goal last year was 250 and we counted 700. This year, the goal is 1400 signs counted.

Please go to: http://okdrill.blogspot.com for more details. Twitter: OKDRILL

If you are a member of CERT and are needing clarification, or to be put in touch with your local coordinator, please reach out to me.

Paul Garth
mrpaulgarth@gmail.com

Great Southern California Shakeout (Oct 15th)

Get Ready to ShakeOut!

At 10:15 a.m. on October 15, 2009, millions of Californians will “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” in The Great California ShakeOut, the largest earthquake drill ever!

Now is the best time to register, so that you have time to plan your drill. If you participated in the 2008 drill, we hope that you will register again to practice how to be safe during earthquakes, improve your disaster plans, and get prepared. To see which organizations are already participating in your area, visit your county’s web page on http://www.shakeout.org.

Over 5.4 million southern Californians participated in the 2008 ShakeOut. As a statewide drill in 2009, this number could be doubled! But we can only count you as a part of the ShakeOut if you register at www.shakeout.org/register. As of July 15th, nearly 2.7 million participants are registered statewide.

There are many ways to participate in the ShakeOut in 2009. At the least, plan a "drop, cover, and hold on" drill involving everyone in your organization or business. Or you can exercise your full emergency plan. The updated ShakeOut.org is the central source of information for how to participate, regional earthquake hazards, and local events, news, and participant lists for all California counties.

Everyone can participate! Individuals, families, businesses, schools, government agencies and organizations are all invited to register. Your involvement in the ShakeOut insprires many others to register and hold their own drills. Please encourage others to follow your lead.

If you were a registered participant in 2008, you can log in with your access code and simply update your information. You can request your access code if you have forgotten it.

Register today at http://www.shakeout.org!

Golden Guardian Presentation & Drill 11/15/08

The Ojai Valley Emergency Response Team (Ojai Valley CERT, American Red Cross of Ventura County and Ojai Valley Amateur Radio Club) held a very successful Golden Guardian Presentation and Drill on Saturday, November 15th at the New Wine Harvest Fellowship in Ojai.

Registration began at 9:30AM with over 60 people being registered.

Supervisor Steve Bennett began the presentations with a keynote address.

The next 90 minutes was packed with information from various local, city and county agencies -- see this web-site for agenda: http://sites.google.com/site/gg20081113/Home/ojai-valley-cert-drill-11-15-08

After a short break, we had a Search and Rescue Drill, using one of the church's meeting rooms. A "victim" was inside needing a stretcher and several walking wounded were inside who responded to the initial callout.

Ojai Valley Amateur Radio Club worked 3 separate radio networks to manage various communications for the drill.

Battalion Chief Gurrolla observed the drill and gave constructive feedback. He was overall very impressed with the various teams and was complimentary of the attention to detail.

At the conclusion of the drill, there was an in-depth discussion about radio communications, with future planning of Ham Radio Classes.

Big thanks to the New Wine Harvest Fellowship for providing the space; Ken Williams for providing Water; Captain Steve Lazenby (Santa Paula FD) for lending his equipment; and Ojai Valley Emergency Response Team for all the planning.

Golden Guardian Drill November 13th, 2008

The following is an overview of events I was involved with during the Golden Guardian Drill on Thursday, November 13th, 2008 starting at 10AM. In the weeks leading up to the drill I worked closely with Andrea (HR Manager) of The David Allen Company in Ojai (where I work) to put together a drill.

At 10AM each of the building captains (4 buildings) blew a whistle
Everybody got under a table and held on for one minute
Another whistle was blown a minute later signaling to evacuate building
Building captains did a headcount
Andrea and Paul communicated easily between building using FRS radios
Everybody accounted for by 10:03AM
All participants convened at main HQ building for a discussion
Discussion included:
-Evacuation procedure
-Re-entry procedure to retrieve laptops, etc
-Procedure for turning off electricity to building (if needed)
-Procedure for turning off water fountain
-Locations of fire extinguishers
-Shelter-in-place location
-Water, food, medical supplies
-Out of state contacts and means of communicating
-Procedure and importance of checking-out before leaving site
-Paul communicated drill results (via GMRS & Ham Radio) to Ojai EOC

A Disaster Prep Council was formed and will meet monthly.

I was extremely impressed with how smoothly the drill went -- demonstrates what's possible if everybody knows what to do and complies.

6th Ojai Valley CERT Graduated on 11/1/08

The 6th Ojai Valley CERT class, sponsored by District Supervisor Steve Bennett, graduated and completed their final drill exercise on Saturday, November 1st -- training was provided to nearly 60 students by Capt Steve Lazenby (Santa Paula FD).

The rain abated long enough to complete all portions of the drill. A downpour began immediately after the last CERT student used their extinguisher on a fire -- created and closely monitored by the local Ventura County Fire Department. As participants sought shelter, the Firemen didn't seem bothered by the rain.

Ojai Valley Amateur Radio Club (www.ovarc.org) assisted with Radio Communications.

All components of the drill (Search & Rescue, Cribbing & Lifting, Medical/Triage, Fire Suppression) went smoothly with constructive suggestions offered by Firemen.

Ventura County District 1 County Supervisor Steve Bennett officiated at the graduation ceremony -- giving out over 40 certificates and reviewing the structure of Ojai Valley CERT being organized into nine neighborhoods.

Sean Kellythorne and Paul Garth welcomed the CERT graduates into the rapidly growing organization and reviewed Incident Command System and the importance of behaving professionaly at all times. Everyone (including the public) were invited to attend the upcoming Golden Guardian Presentation & Drill on Saturday November 15th -- please review http://sites.google.com/site/gg20081113/Home for more information.

Golden Guardian Presentation & Drill 11/15/08

On Saturday, November 15th between 10AM and 2PM, The Ojai Valley Emergency Response Team (comprising Ojai Valley CERT, Ojai Valley Amateur Radio Club and American Red Cross - Ojai) will hold an Emergency Preparedness Presentation and Practical Drill.

Golden Guardian (November 13th thru 18th) is the largest statewide emergency preparedness drill in the world.

Event Location:

New Wine Harvest Fellowship
441 Church Rd. (corner of Cuyama & Church)
Ojai, CA 93023

Call to action:

-All Ojai Valley Emergency Response Team members are requested to attend
-Presentations made by various leaders of City, and County Agencies.
-The General Public are invited to listen to presentations and observe drills

Please go to this web-site for further details, including agenda.

http://sites.google.com/site/gg20081113/

6th Ojai Valley CERT Graduation & Drill 11/1/08

The 6th Ojai Valley CERT Class will hold their final class, practical drill and graduation ceremony this coming Saturday, November 1st at the Oak View Park and Resource Center, 555 Mahoney Street, Oak View. Final class is 10:00AM. Practical Drill begins at 11:00AM. Duration of drill is approximately 90 minutes.

Call to action:

-All CERT Graduates to volunteer their time to assist in the drill exercise - posing as victims; reviewing CERT activities (cribbing & lifting; fire suppression; medical/triage; Incident Command; Search and Rescue, etc).

-Ojai Valley Neighborhood Area Coordinators and NERT Coordinators to meet graduates.

-Ojai Valley Amateur Radio Operators to assist with communications

-The General Public to observe CERT in action and sign-up for next class.

OK Ojai Drill -- Paul's Summary

During the OK Ojai Drill, Paul Garth was the Neighborhood Area Coordinator for West City of Ojai -- in FRS radio communication with several NERT Coordinators and in Ham Radio communication with the Emergency Operations Center.

OK Signs Counted by Neighborhood:

Oakview------------ --- 30
Mira Monte-----------236
Meiners Oaks-------- 153
Arbolada-Foothill-----46
West City --------------84
East City --------------101
East End Ojai -------- 44
Upper Ojai --------------1
Total 695

The Ojai Valley OK Drill, performed on September 17th, 2008, accomplished its primary objective – establishing effective communication.

In the weeks leading up to September 17th, the OK Sign was distributed on various web-sites (CERT, Ventura County, City of Ojai). The Ventura County Fire Department visited with 5th Graders and left signs to take home to their families. Signs were available in banks, libraries and given out at the Ojai Farmer’s Market.

Ojai Valley Residents participated by posting their OK Signs, which in an emergency/disaster, would be used by CERT and First Responders during Search and Rescue operations. Within the 1 hour drill, 695 OK Signs were counted with totals transmitted to the Ojai Police Department (Emergency Operations Center – EOC) via Ham Radio & GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service). To preserve integrity of the drill, please ensure you take down your sign and place in a convenient location.

The Ventura County Sheriffs Department participated by calling (using Reverse 911) approximately 12,000 Ojai Valley Residents. Information included: 1. Establish and practice your “Disaster Plan”, 2. Tune your radio to AM 1610 and 3. Post your “OK” sign so it’s visible from the street. I received my message via cellphone at 5:33PM.

The Brand new AM 1610 Radio Broadcast station was used to communicate details about the drill. Please contact the Ojai Police Department to provide constructive feedback regarding the radio’s reception.

Ojai Valley CERT divided the Ojai Valley into nine neighborhoods (Casitas Springs, Oak View, Mira Monte, Meiners Oaks, Arbolada/Foothil, West City Ojai, East City Ojai, East End and Upper Ojai). Each neighborhood has a Neighborhood Area Coordinator, responsible for all CERT Operations.

To further sub-divide each Neighborhood, Neighborhood Emergency Response Teams (NERTs) were created. Each NERT Coordinator establishes a rendezvous point for their respective teams to rally together quickly.

The Ojai Valley Amateur Radio Club (OVARC) provided FCC licensed operators for various positions. The EOC was manned by the Ojai Valley Emergency Coordinator (EC) who established a directed net for all Radio Operators. The EC can communicate with stations throughout the County, including the Office of Emergency Services in Ventura. Each Neighborhood Area Coordinator was provided a Radio Operator Shadow.

Within several neighborhoods, the NERT Coordinators communicated to the Neighborhood Area Coordinators using FRS (Family Radio Service) units.

During the drill, the following positions were manned at the EOC. CERT Incident Commander, Ojai Chief of Police, Ventura County Fire Department Public Information Officer and Battalion Chief.

Next to City Hall, the following were on hand – City of Ojai Mayor, Ventura County District 1 Supervisor and several aides.

Several other teams participated in the drill – American Red Cross, Oxnard CERT, and an embedded news reporter from Ojai Valley News (witnessing behind the scenes action during a search, helping count signs, and observing activities inside the EOC).

The drill demonstrated that, in an extremely short period of time, it is possible for a large community to effectively rally together. The following outcomes are possible: Fewer 911 calls; more self reliant residents; Professional First Responders focusing more specifically; City and County Officials communicating and making decisions effectively.

For further information:

-Call (805) 654-2703 to register for next CERT Class

-Download and print your OK Sign at http://ovok.countyofventura.org

Stayed tuned for the next major exercise -- Golden Guardian 2008.

OK Ojai Drill -- Sean's Summary

The following is a report from Sean Kellythorne. Sean was the CERT Incident Commander for the OK Ojai Drill and was stationed at the Ojai Police Station (Emergency Operations Center) on Ventura Street.

OK Ojai Exercise

The OK Ojai Disaster Preparedness exercise turned out to be a great success.
We had more than a hundred volunteers taking part in the exercise, including CERT trained members, Red Cross Volunteers, Ham Radio Operators and people who just wanted to help. We also had almost seven hundred families that put their “OK” signs in their windows.

The Ojai Police Department opened the Incident Command Center for our Amateur Radio Communication Unit. The Chief of Police was on site, along with the County Fire Department Battalion Chief and Public Information Officer.

The new Reverse 911 and the AM 1610 local radio were tested and shown to be invaluable tools in rapidly notifying residents of potential problems. Once the exercise started the local Incident Command System of the Amateur Radio Communication team permitted us to assess the exercise within one hour.

So what does this mean to Ojai Valley citizens? It means that the Ojai Valley is more OK than it has ever been in the event of a disaster. It means: that in a disaster every OK sign means one less home to check out; there are more than one hundred trained volunteers who can be in action immediately and supplement a limited Fire and Police force; we have an effective emergency communications network in the event power failures; it means that we have a community that cares about our families, friends and neighbors.

It also demonstrated the effectiveness of dedicated and trained volunteers supporting our community. It is a testament to the people of Ojai Valley and our willingness to volunteer and do what needs to be done for our community when the chips are down. As local Ojai Valley residents we encourage you to participate in your community as a volunteer responder.

In my opinion, Ojai Valley has proven to be more than OK. It is outstanding.

The thank you list is too long to include everyone however there are some that merit special notice.

Supervisor Steve Bennett and his representatives for Ventura County support. Ojai Mayor Sue Horgan for City of Ojai support. Chief of Police Bruce Norris for opening the doors to the Ham Radio Group. The Ojai Valley News for publicity.

Sean Kellythorne
Paul Garth
Beth Von Gunten

Ojai OK Sign Drill (9/17/08) - special web-site

In order to focus on all the details surrounding the Ojai OK Sign Drill coming up on Wednesday, Sept 17th at 7:00PM, I've created a special web-site.

Please go to this site for:

-Audio Visual Presentation of all drill components
-Location to download OK Sign
-Up to the minute information regarding drill

http://sites.google.com/site/ojaiok20080917/Home