The first ACES emergency response drill!
On March 13, 2022 over thirty-five people met in Alma Park to participate in an emergency response drill. This drill was a joint effort coordinated by the Alma Community Emergency Squad (ACES) and the Neighborhood Teams Program (NTP). Volunteers were broken up into teams of 7, given radios, and sent out into the neighborhood. A facilitator provided scenarios that reflected what such teams might find in the aftermath of an earthquake.
Alma Park neighbors were given custom-branded vests that represented our community.
Graduates from the Los Angeles Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) attended so that they could keep their response skills up to date.
Volunteers gathered before the simulated earthquake response launched.
Four volunteers stayed at the staging area near the picnic tables with maps and radios to help communicate with the response teams. The staging area team helped dispatch the volunteer teams to various areas where help was needed.
Team Delta
The first group to be sent out was Team Delta. Team Delta was made up of a CERT facilitator, team leader, radio operator, scribe, and four observers.
The facilitator told the team stories of damage that had been reported at different locations. Team members walked to the site of three reported incidents. At the first site, a simulated incident took place at a major intersection involving a 2-car crash with a woman trapped inside, and a man sitting on the curb experiencing chest pains.
Team Delta had to assess both patients, and determine if their need for treatment was immediate, or could be delayed. The team discussed step-by-step scenarios on how to best assist the trapped woman and the man on the curb per CERT protocols. Information was gathered by the scribe, and reported to the staging area by the radio operator.
Team Delta poses for a picture after responding to all emergencies.
Team Echo
The second team to be dispatched found themselves in an interesting situation. They came across a house that had a HELP sign in the window. After knocking on the door and receiving no response, they decided to enter the home.
Inside, they found an elderly woman who had been trapped in her wheelchair. The team correctly assessed how to help the trapped woman. However, they never questioned who put the sign in the window, and this omission was discussed during the lessons learned component of the event.
Team Foxtrot
The last team to be sent out, Team Foxtrot, responded to a report about a tree that fell over a car. A woman was trapped in the car and had a broken arm.
After brainstorming options the group decided to:
Approach and introduce ourselves
Assess the woman’s breathing and mental state
Stabilize her arm
Remove her from the car
Ben, Team Foxtrot’s CERT facilitator, explains the current situation to team members.
Luckily the woman lived nearby, so two members of the team were able to walk her home to make sure she was safe. The team then regrouped and was dispatched to the next incident.
Teams returned to the staging area to debrief. Team leaders shared their experiences, including that went well, things that didn’t go so well, and lessons learned.
Thank you to our fearless leaders, Chin and Patrick of the Neighborhood Teams Program. We appreciate your hard work in helping us get ready for an emergency!
