The emergency planning that we have been doing at West Hills has hopefully prepared us to deal with a crisis at one of our locations but for some it has also raised the issue of being prepared as individuals—whether at home, at work or while we’re enjoying our leisure time.

 

Governor Schwarzenegger, while touring the Southern California fires, realized the value of preparedness and the role that volunteers can play in facing a crisis.  As a result, he established a cabinet level position to coordinate the role of volunteers throughout the state.  At a local level, the Fresno Citizen Corps Council heads the efforts to train volunteers to respond in emergencies.  For details on being trained visit CaliforniaVolunteers.org.

 

At a recent Disaster Volunteer Summit in Clovis, Mark Johnson, acting regional administrator of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, outlined a number of things that are needed in an emergency.  The list included:  child care, community education, counseling, damage assessment, debris removal, elder care, health care, mobile feeding, pet care, transportation and translations services.  Many of our faculty, staff and students could help with these needs. 

 

The summit recognized that spontaneous volunteering, which happens during a crisis, is far less effective that having a pool of trained volunteers.  Community Emergency Response Team volunteers (CERT) provide that pool.  If you’re interested, do an Internet search for CERT for more details.

 

While on the topic of volunteering, please keep in mind the rules for volunteering for political campaigns (including our school improvement facilities districts that will be on the ballot in June and probably in Nov.).  As a district employee on district time and using district resources, you can provide information but you cannot advocate for a yes or no vote.  If you would like more detailed information, please contact the chancellor’s office.