San Bernardino County Purchases Four CERT Trailers For Disaster Preparedness

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In direct response to the findings of the Great Southern California Shake Out Earthquake Drill, San Bernardino County First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt used $54,000 of the county's discretionary funds to purchase and outfit four CERT Trailers. These units, which will be stationed in the San Bernardino County High Desert communities of Oak Hills, Lucerne Valley, Harvard and Needles, will serve two purposes: to help train CERT volunteers for disaster preparedness and to provide the equipment and supplies that will be needed in the event of an emergency.

CERTs, or Community Emergency Response Teams, are located in cities throughout the United States, and their purpose is to assist firefighters and EMS personnel in the event of a natural disaster or large emergency response situation. CERT members undergo more than 20 hours of training in disaster preparedness, fire suppression, first aid and basic search and rescue.

During the Great Southern California Shake Out on November 13, 2008, over 5 million Southern Californians and first responders participated in the largest earthquake drill in United States History, based upon a simulation of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. In their analysis of the drill, San Bernardino County officials learned that the High Desert Region would be isolated from the rest of the county due to the projected rupture of Interstate 15. Supervisor Mitzelfelt told attendees at a recent press conference and unveiling of the four CERT trailers that high voltage power lines would go down and petroleum and natural gas pipelines would rupture as a result of the earthquake. San Bernardino County Fire Department's Fire Chief Pat Dennen added that water mains would break and would remain broken for approximately six months, preventing the flow of water necessary for fire suppression. Given this, the need for help from CERT volunteers was highlighted, and as a result, Supervisor Mitzelfelt spearheaded the initiative to purchase the equipment that these teams would need.

According to Chief Dennen, the trailers have two missions. "The first purpose of these trailers is to be used as a training prop. They are set up with fire extinguishers, cribbing, pry bars, triage tarps, first aid kits and so forth. Our primary mission with these is to take them to different communities and train our CERT Volunteers. The second purpose is that if there is and when there is a major disaster, it's a standing cache of equipment that we can use for the disaster."

Fire officials and community members are praising Supervisor Mitzelfelt for his actions in providing first responders and CERT volunteers with the tools that they need for disaster preparedness. San Bernardino County Fire Department Fire Chief Pat Dennen addressed a large crowd at the unveiling of the trailers saying, "Today's rollout of the CERT trailers throughout the First District really underscores the commitment of Supervisor Mitzelfelt and of government in general." Mitzelfelt further showed his dedication to disaster and earthquake preparedness by obtaining an amateur radio license and participating in the Seismic Safety Commission.