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Power in your hands
Ham Jam
Simplify your kit
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Prep This Month
Have you made a plan on how to get a hold of loved ones if your primary sources of communication are not working?  If it is out-of-state contacts, social media or ham radio, talk with your family about how you will reach them after a disaster.
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Donate now to survivors of disasters around the nation and internationally.
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  Help with local needs.  You can direct your donation to Anaheim CERT/RACES to continue our training and response programs.
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July 2013
Greetings!

Welcome to the Volunteer E-Update; your monthly update on activities for the CERT, RACES and Fire Corps programs.
Calendar
This Month...
July 4, 2013 Happy 4th of July!  City offices are closed today.

July 13, 2013 (8:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
CERT and RACES Quarterly Meeting.  We will host a training for Map Your Neighborhood, neighborhood outreach and growing your neighborhood team.


July 13, 2013 (1:30 PM - 3:30 PM)
Ham radio license testing. 

Looking Ahead...

August 15, 2013 (6:30 PM - 8:30 PM)
Fire Watch Training

Anaheim Utility Sponsors Emergency Cell Charging Generators
CERT and RACES Mission is added to help the community stay in touch during disasters!
Goal Zero - Yeti 1250 Solar Generator System - CES 2012
Goal Zero - Yeti 1250 Solar Generator System - CES 2012
 

One of the major lessons learned after hurricane Sandy was the public's need to find power resources to charge their smartphones and tablets.  These resources became critical in keeping people informed regarding the emergency in their community, staying in touch with loved ones, and calling for help when warranted.

In response to this very real need the Anaheim Public Utility has purchased one solar powered generator for testing by the Anaheim CERT and RACES programs for deployment throughout the community in the event of a major power interruption where residents may need to charge their devices.  If the test is successful, there is the potential that we can secure more power generators to serve more of the community.

 
Power in the palm of your hands
Adding smartphone battery packs to your kit is a great idea!

In the last several disasters reliance on cell phones has increased significantly for communication regarding emergency information.  Text alerts can come from the city, county and even the federal government (for those of you who received the Amber Alert from Placentia in June). 

With the need to send and receive information via your phone increasing, especially to learn about activations of the CERT and RACES program and the strong likelihood that you may be out of range to charge your phone on an assignment, I wanted each of you to consider adding a portable charger to your emergency kit.

Chargers come in various styles and price points.  Some allow you to swap out AA batteries that you can use in your emergency kits, while others maintain a charge plugged into a wall and transfer that power to your phone when plugged in.  You need to determine the best equipment for you that meets your needs and your budget, but do consider how you will be able to maintain your phone charged.  The simplest way, of course, is to make sure you always have your car charger at the ready, but the types of chargers shown here are an alternative when you may be away from those power sources.
Ham Jam
RACES and CERT participated in HRO Ham Jam as a TEAM! 

Members of the Anaheim CERT/RACES team came together to show the public that 

we as a City, we as TEAM(together everybody accomplishes more) are prepared to respond to our cities Emergency Management Department's request to provide Emergency Communications.   

 

Approximately 15 members of the Anaheim CERT/RACES team got the Emergency Communications trailer from our city yards, to HRO(Ham Radio Outlet), set up the trailer for information and recruitment to both CERT(Community Emergency Response Team) and RACES(Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Team).

Other community organizations like the Red Cross Disaster Services van, the Orange Count RACES van and displays from both the SATERN(Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network) and the Hospital Disaster Communications teams. 

 

We had about 6 hams(Amateur Radio Operators) that live in Anaheim and/or its surrounding communities show enough interest to sign a form for follow up information on membership to Anaheim CERT/RACES. We passed out about 150 postcards informing the ham radio community that 1)we as a team are here to be of assistance to our communities 20 that our K6CF Repeater was up and operational on the frequency of 2 Meters 146.265 (+)offset and a tone of 136.5 Closed Tone 3)that the K6CF Repeater was soon to have a Voting Receiver with RF link to our Repeater in the Anaheim Hills via the Anaheim Police Station on Harbor Blvd. This would allow hams visiting our city to use their ham radios with as little as 300mw and access our repeater anywhere in Anaheim and most of Orange County.

Members of the Anaheim CERT/RACES team assisted the HRO staff and other organizations in their set up of their displays.

 

At the end of the days event, we, as a team prepared the Communications Trailer for its return trip to the city yard and was returned to it's parking space for the next time it is used.  We as a TEAM believe in the concept of "Neighbors Helping Neighbors"!

 

Simplify your emergency kit!
 
 


 
 
We all know someone who says, "I really should put a kit together for emergencies" but they don't do it.  Or they struggle with a complex government list that encourages them to pack everything under the sun.  We hope that by showing how simple it is to make a disaster bag, more people will inventory and gather their items from home and put them together in a kit for each member of their family.  For those of you who have raised children or helped in their rearing in any way, you are familiar with the basic contents of a diaper bag.  Many new parents wouldn't dare leave home without a fully stocked bag!  So, why not create a grown-up version of the diaper bag and bring back the simplicity to preparing for emergencies?

Share the graphic above with friends and family and remind them the importance of being prepared and how easy it really is!
Sincerely,
 

Mary Jo Flynn
City of Anaheim Fire and Rescue Department