Download Spring 2016 - Township of Mahwah

Mahwah CERT
Preparedness, Safety, and Service
CERT’s Mission
The mission of the Mahwah CERT team is to harness the power of every team member
through education and training to make our community safer, stronger, and better prepared
to respond to the threats of terrorism, public health issues, and disasters of all kinds.
During a disaster, the number and scope of incidents can overwhelm conventional emergency
services. The goal of the Mahwah CERT team is to respond as a team to assist first responders
and to the immediate needs of the community when emergency services are not available.
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Ongoing Educational Training Courses and Meetings
 Members of our CERT team have been trained to assist the Mahwah Office of Emergency
Management to handle overflow of non-emergency phone calls when the Emergency
Operations Center (EOC) is activated.
 18 CERT members trained with Bergen County Emergency Management, in cooperation
with the Bergen County EMS Training Center which offered a full day practical training
program on advanced first aid and rescue practices. Training included splinting, bandaging,
patient transport, treatment of burn victims etc. Attendees were trained to complete
patient triage and how to properly tag a victim for treatment.
 Active Shooter Drill Exercise: The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, NJ, conducted its second
annual multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional drill. The training basically informs, instructs, and
prepares individuals on how to respond and react if / when they find themselves in an
active shooter or violent intruder incident. Ten of our CERT members participated in this
exercise.
Mahwah CERT
2/1/16
 The Bergen County Department of Health Services conducted a Mass Prophylaxis
Distribution Exercise to test Point of Distribution (POD) operations; distribute large
numbers of medications; and coordinate with local, regional and State response partners.
Our CERT team is charged with the responsibility to distribute any type of medication to
first responders or the general public in Mahwah if needed in the event of a natural
disaster or epidemic.
 A number of CERT members attended a 4 evening course for Incident Command System
(ICS) which provides overall incident management skills between all first responders.
 The Western Shelter system is a configuration of three interlocking tents and housed in two
trailers. These tents are insulated, have full heat and air conditioning and overhead
florescent lighting all provided by a stand-alone generator. Because of the size of the
shelter, they can be used for sheltering, mass casualties and a point of distribution. These
shelters are housed on a trailer at a central location in Bergen County. In the event of a
major disaster or emergency, the county would deploy them to a predetermined location if
a shelter of this type is needed. The Mahwah CERT would responsible for the setting up and
breaking down of these shelters within any municipality in Northern Bergen County.
Members of the Mahwah CERT team have completed the first phase of training having setup the tent structures.
Mahwah CERT
2/1/16
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Opportunities to Help Our Community
 CERT was on stand-by for the blizzard and a number of CERT team members worked with
Mahwah EMS during the Blizzard.
 24 CERT members volunteered to help at Mahwah Day. Our responsibilities included
traffic and pedestrian management/control; security at the staff parking lot at the
Montessori School; assisting the town's Mahwah Day committee; Information booth
and lost & found (including lost children); Displaying the CERT Trailer. “Once again, the
Mahwah CERT team performed in their usual professional manner and without
incident” said Allan Becker CERT Team Coordinator.
 Mahwah CERT members volunteered 2 days at the Korean Thanksgiving Event at
Overpeck Park. Responsibilities included parking, traffic and crowd control. Participation
in this event gave them experience to work outside of our municipality and alongside
CERT members from other towns.
 The Bergen Law and Public Safety Institute (Fire & Police Academy) celebrated their
50th Anniversary and a Public Safety Expo was held. Mahwah was asked to display our
trailer and take this opportunity to publicize the CERT program. It gave us an
opportunity boost the Mahwah CERT team’s presence within the township and to signup residents for the next CERT class.
Mahwah CERT
2/1/16
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Team News
We had 5 new graduates at the last county CERT training. Welcome to the team!!
Mahwah CERT team gathered for a holiday get together. This allowed us the opportunity to
socialize and get to know each other in a setting other than when we attend meetings and
trainings.
28 members received (Community Animal Response Team) CART certifications.
Check out our new Mahwah CERT Facebook page.
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Interested in Becoming a Member?
For more information about Mahwah CERT, contact CERT Coordinator Allan Becker at
(201) 960-1932 or [email protected]
Mahwah CERT
2/1/16