By Gene Maloney

• First and most importantly; it is important that you get involved by starting a written campaign expressing your concerns to your political representatives; they are the only ones who can approve the funds needed for disaster preparedness.
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• Second, get C.E.R.T. and N.E.R.T. programs started in your community to provide the level of response that will be need in a disaster.
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• Third, get the company that you work for involved with the C.E.R.T. or N.E.R.T. program. They can help provide the funds needed for supplies and equipment in addition to a location to store them. 

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Disaster Preparedness
Disaster Preparedness Consultants
Chandler AZ
480-285-7555

By Gene Maloney

Now the most important thing!

Community Emergency Response Team / C.E.R.T. http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/

National Emergency Response Team / N.E.R.T. http://www.nert-usa.org/

America, these teams are some of the heroes of our country. They volunteer their time to go through training programs, work events, buy equipment and attend meetings provided by local fire departments and others.  Fire Department EMS and other first responders will be busy during a natural or man-made disaster.  In most cases, C.E.R.T. / N.E.R.T. team members will be coming around to rescue you and take care of basic life support needs. 

Now here is the down side.  The Federal Government fund’s the training programs.   They do NOT PROVIDE FUNDS FOR THE EQUIPMENT OR SUPPLIES THE TEAMS WILL NEED IN A DISASTER.....  We need to get Congress to fund not only the training but the equipment that will be needed.

CERT was founded many years ago by Chief Borden with the Los Angeles City Fire Department.  Since then they have trained through the C.E.R.T. program well over 50,000 citizens.  This will be their salvation when the big one hits. It is interesting what they have done with the program.  A number of their trainees have formed teams within their homeowner or apartment associations or got their company to sponsor teams.

Here is what we are proposing.  First, we need our represents to approve the funds required to purchase the supplies and equipment needed in a disaster.  Second, we need as many C.E.R.T. and N.E.R.T. programs started as possible. Third, we suggest using a decentralized MCI and CCP plan. This plan uses smaller trailers or caches placed in numerous locations throughout the community.  One possibility is to partner with various malls, shopping centers, churches etc… and place a small container in the parking lot labeled as “Disaster Medical Aid Station”.  The container could house a small trailer or rolling racks and serve as a Triage and Treatment center or Casualty Collection Point.  Because of the high visibility these containers would provide everyone would know where to go in the event of an incident. In addition, these locations can also serve as command centers for various agencies and C.E.R.T. and N.E.R.T. teams.

For any questions, you can contact us at

Disaster Preparedness Consultants

480-285-7555

Did you know that disasters have been declared in 48 states this year?  Disasters, man-made or natural can strike at any time and many times the difference between surviving and being a victim is training and preparation.  Don’t be a victim!  Follow the link below and look at the FEMA’s “Ready” website. 

http://www.ready.gov/index.html

Remember September is National Preparedness Month.

This September: A Time to Remember. A Time to Prepare.

A series of earthquakes have hit Guatemala killing at least one, with more earthquakes hitting on the ring it’s more important than ever to be prepared.  Following the link for more info:

http://tinyurl.com/69sx8jl

As we all remember the lives lost on this devastating day in 2001, let us also remember the unity that we saw and felt in our country.  I don’t believe the term “melting pot” has ever been more evident than on and shortly after 9-11.  I hope and pray that somehow this anniversary brings back that unity and sense of pride on the USA.  My thoughts and prayers go out to all those who lost friends and loved ones on 9-11 and in our fight against terrorism since.  And a huge thanks to those who keep us safe today. As one Nation we have victory, joy, safety and freedom.   God Bless America!

This September: A Time to Remember. A Time to Prepare.
By Darryl J. Madden, Director, Ready Campaign

This September will mark the ten year anniversary of 9/11 and we ask you to take time to remember those lost as well as time to make sure you are prepared for future emergencies. September is National Preparedness Month (NPM), which was founded after 9/11 to increase preparedness in the U.S. It is a time to prepare yourself and those in your care for an unexpected emergency.
If you’ve seen the news recently, you know that emergencies can happen unexpectedly in communities just like yours, to people like you. We’ve seen tornado outbreaks, river floods and flash floods, historic earthquakes, tsunamis, and even water main breaks and power outages in U.S. cities affecting millions of people for days at a time.

This September, please prepare and plan in the event you must go for three days without electricity, water service, access to a supermarket, or local services for several days. Just follow these three steps:

1. Get a Kit: Keep enough emergency supplies on hand for you and those in your care – water, non-perishable food, first aid, prescriptions, flashlight, battery-powered radio – for a checklist of supplies visit Ready.gov.

2. Make a Plan: Discuss, agree on, and document an emergency plan with those in your care. For sample plans, see Ready.gov. Work together with neighbors, colleagues and others to build community resilience.
3. Be Informed: Free information is available to assist you from federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial resources. You can find preparedness information by: Accessing Ready.gov to learn what to do before, during, and after an emergency Contacting your local emergency management agency to get essential information on specific hazards to your area, local plans for shelter and evacuation, ways to get information before and during an emergency, and how to sign up for emergency alerts if they are available Contacting your local firehouse and asking for a tour and information about preparedness
Police, fire and rescue may not always be able to reach you quickly, such as if trees and power lines are down or if they're overwhelmed by demand from an emergency. The most important step you can take in helping your local responders is being able to take care of yourself and those in your care; the more people who are prepared, the quicker the community will recover.
As FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate reminds us, "Individuals and families are the most important members of the nation's emergency management team. Being prepared can save precious time if there is a need to respond to an emergency.

" For more information on NPM and for help getting prepared, visit Ready.gov or call 1-800-BE-READY, 1-888-SE-LISTO, and TTY 1-800-462-7585 for free information.

This September: A Time to Remember. A Time to Prepare.

By Gene Maloney

        First, as we discussed last time, get your representatives to provide funding for disaster training, equipment and supplies.

            Second, work with your disaster management agency to put together a de-centralized disaster plan.  Almost all of the plans that we are familiar with are centralized.  That means that the equipment and supplies are (if they have any) stored in one location.  Why is that a problem?  If you have been watching the disaster in Joplin Mo., it is a perfect example.  If the supplies were stored where the tornado went through, they would be lost.  It is also virtually impossible to drive through these areas.  Plus it take’s a lot of time to get supplies stored in one location, loaded and moved to where they are needed.  That is why it is important to have them prepositioned around the community.

            The question now is what is needed.  Normally due to the size of the incident, basic life support (BLS) in performed.  That is taking care of open wounds, fractures and burns.  Advance life support (ALS) is provided when trained first responders are on the scene, however in many cases the general public are the first to respond.  In this case what is need is a lot of dressings, bandaging supplies, splints, burn dressings and back boards.  For the management of the site, a triage management kit with color coded tarps, vest and triage tags.

            Now the question is where to store the equipment and supplies.  Because of the nature of disasters, they should be stored away from buildings, trees and power lines. You also need to be able to transport them from where they are stored to where they are need at a moment’s notice.  To accomplish this, a trailer works best.  If you use a motorized vehicle, the battery may be down, a tire maybe flat or it is out of gas.  There is also the cost of insurance and registration.  In the past many felt that a 30’ or larger trailer with shelves inside was the way to go.  The problem is that those trailers require a big truck to move them and are difficult to maneuver in tight spaces.  Smaller, properly designed trailers with either side opening doors or rolling racks are the way to go.  Because of the smaller trailers and or rolling racks the it is much easier to move the supplies right to the incident site.

For any questions, you can contact us at

Disaster Preparedness Consultants

480-285-7555

Next time we will discuss C.E.R.T. and N.E.R.T.

By Gene Maloney

America needs to wake up to the fact that we are not prepared for natural or man-made disasters. YOU need to get involved in your community’s preparedness. It could result in saving a loved one or a friend’s life. An article was recently published stating that the century of 2000 will become known as the disaster century. Who knows if that is true, but when you look at 2011 it makes you wonder. The only down side to being prepared is not being prepared when it happens.What do you need to do? First, express to your local city councilmen, county board of supervisors, state representatives and congressmen the need for funding of disaster training and preparedness. Most importantly is funding for medical disaster aid. In most cases medical aid is not the highest priority in disaster preparedness. What about the American Red Cross and other response organizations. For the most part they perform a great service, helping countless people and saving lives. However, in almost all cases, they do NOT include medical aid in the U.S. Instead they provide shelter, food and other necessities.
What you must remember is that in a natural, you do not have one incident site. You have hundreds or maybe thousands of incident sites. We all are familiar with the statement that “you need to be preparedto take care of yourself for 72 hours.” That means two things. First, because of the nature of the incident the rescuers will be overwhelmed and may not be able to get to you for up to 3 days, maybe more. However, the more important meaning is that locally they do not have the resources and they have to wait for FEMA to arrive, assess the need and wait for aid to come in from the outside.

IF YOU ARE INJURED, YOU DO NOT HAVE 3 DAYS TO WAIT FOR HELP.

This is why it is important for you to help get your community prepared

For any questions, you can contact us at
Disaster Preparedness Consultants
480-285-7555

Next time we will finish discussing what needs to be done NOW?  Including, what is needed, where to store it, how to transport it.