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6 | OHCC LIVING | JUNE 2021 | HELP US TO HELP YOU I trust by now most of you have had some interaction with the SERT Club – either through speaking with a Street Captain via the Neighbor Helping Neighbor program, attending a quarterly community safety presentation, or at least by reading our articles in both community publications. These are examples of how SERT can help you, and now we are asking that you help us. As part of our service to the community, the SERT Club has a group of dedicated members comprising the Emergency Response Team (ERT). They have spent a great deal of their retirement time becoming certified in first aid, taking on-line classes, attending Zoom training meetings, and doing homework — all to gain the knowledge, skill, and ability (known as KSA's) necessary to respond to an emergency within the community in a safe, effective, and efficient manner. The KSA's will be tested during an Emergency Drill on Fri., June 11 when the ERT members will activate in response to a simulated earthquake event that significantly impacts the community. ERT members will report to the overflow parking lot, establish a support and staging area, and then travel throughout the eight pre-established response zones within the community to perform a life-safety and infrastructure property damage assessment. During the life-safety assessment, the ERT responders will be looking for the green OK, red HELP, (or no) signs and recording the addresses. This Situation Report information (SITREP) will then be relayed to the Situation Status (SITSTAT) Unit Leader for further response actions. In a real emergency, additional responders will be sent to the addresses where red signs were observed, and the Street Captains will be notified where no signs were found. Responders sent to the red signs will prepare for a search and rescue, and Street Captains notified of no signs will be asked to investigate the reason (residents out of town, forgot to display sign, could not find sign), and report back to SITSTAT. The objective for Day 1 Response (and the basis of the drill) is the completion of the community-wide life safety and property damage assessment. To help make this drill as realistic as possible, SERT is requesting that all residents display their sign – in a location where it would normally be during an actual emergency. The red or green side may be displayed as both will be recorded and please display between the hours of 8 am to noon. (If you cannot find your sign, now is the time to contact the HOA office and purchase a replacement.) All residents are invited to observe the staging area from the outside or have an escorted tour from 10 to 11 am. During the tour, response activities will be described, and questions answered by the various command staff (those wearing white vests). Residents should request a tour at the check-in desk. This is a unique opportunity as the staging area will be closed to all but ERT members during an actual emergency. This drill with simulate activities during the "first operational period" – Day 1 (Respond). During an actual emergency, the ERT will continue through the "second operational period" - Day 2 (Recover), and end after the "third operational period" on Day 3 (Restore). This is the critical 72-hour period (three days), where the community is expected to be self-sufficient with limited assistance from municipal fire fighters, medical, and law enforcement responders. I will end by reminding you that SERT is always looking for residents to become an ERT member or a Street Captain. No experience is needed – we will train you. All you need is a willingness to make our community a better place to live. SERT can be contacted at ohccsert@gmail.com and the website can be accessed at tinyurl. com/ohccsert. By John Slayton, SERT Club President

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