Early this morning I was picked up in a shiny blue all terrain vehicle and was brought to the County of Maui Civil Defense Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
A small group assembled from Maui Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) to participate in an online disaster preparedness exercise codenamed Formidable Footprint – A Neighborhood Tabletop Exercise- Wildfire.
The exercise scenario took place in a small simulated community of about 270 houses and less than 2,000 residents surrounded by farmland in which a raging fire traveling at about 17mph from the west headed towards the community.
There were numerous challenges in which we had x number of minutes to move through specific sections of the exercise. It started off with an introduction of the community with an interactive map displaying infrastructure such as houses, schools, gas stations, etc. There were a number of elements one had to absorb and apply towards directed action in a timely manner taking into consideration potential hazards and different threat levels.
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.
To learn more about CERT and and search for your local chapter please visit CERT
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