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| OHCC LIVING | MARCH 2024 | 9 March is upon us, and I have been thinking about St. Patrick's Day and the saying "The Luck of the Irish." I have a little Irish in my family tree, but I am not sure if I have the Irish luck or if I am just prepared, which makes it seem like I'm lucky! Are you hoping to be lucky when a natural disaster strikes or are you increasing your odds by being prepared? Not being much of a gambler, I have chosen to be prepared and hope I will be lucky, too. The SERT Club's purpose is: Promote the safety of the OHCC community by providing an opportunity whereby residents can enhance their knowledge, skill, and ability to prepare for and respond to local incidents and natural disasters that may adversely affect their standard of living. So how does the Club support this statement? If you look at Major League baseball and the way they are organized, you have the fans (Club members), the minor leagues (Neighbor-Helping-Neighbor) and the major leagues (Emergency Response Team). 1. Club members – offer financial support that provides information and programs that promote personal and community safety. These are the fans of the organization. They support the underlying structure of the Club. The SERT website has information that you can review and implement if you wish. I say, "if you wish," because it is "Your Safety … Your Responsibility." 2. Neighbor-Helping-Neighbor (NHN) Safety Coordinators are entry level league members are integral and very important cog in the SERT wheel! As volunteers, Safety Coordinators do the following: • Encourage neighbors to get to know each other and contribute to a friendly and helpful environment with random acts of kindness; promote social gatherings of neighbors. • Keep neighbors apprised of SERT safety presentations, training sessions and promote an overall safer atmosphere; share safety related information so that everyone will be prepared for disasters. • Participate in their street's SERT Club orientation and/or social events; keep informed of SERT activities, efforts, and resources via the SERT website (www.ohccsert.com) and encourage residents on their assigned street to do the same. 3. Emergency Response Team (ERT) is a team of OHCC SERT Club members who are the major league players. They volunteer to function as the "First Responders" in the first 72 hours following a major event until professional firefighters, law enforcement, and other agencies arrive. The Club provides ERT members with specialized training which has been customized from OHCC, FEMA, The American Red Cross, and other agencies 'materials. As residents resign from SERT for health reasons or leave OHCC, new residents move in. This turnover creates openings that must be filled. Major league players retire or are injured, minor league players move up, fans become advocates and support various committees. We are always looking for new Club members and for existing members to step up and volunteer to become more involved. SERT needs you to support our community's effort of preparedness! Please stay safe and let the Luck of the Irish be with you. Luck of the Irish Tom Porter, President