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Executive Board www.quadcitycert.org Newsletter ~ Spring, 2015 ~ Issue 32

Chairman

Chief Steve Rega (216) 524-4001 Vice-Chairperson

Mary Benedek (216) 447-1928 Executive Director

Peter Nelson (216) 328-0244 Brooklyn Heights Fire Chief

Michael Lasky (216) 351-3542 Independence Fire Chief

Steve Rega (216) 524-4001 Seven Hills Fire Chief

Mike McConville (216) 524-3321 Valley View Fire Chief

Tom Koscielski (216) 524-6469 IN Community Representative

Bill Johnson, (216) 524-0218 BH Community Representative

Pending SH Community Representative

Phyllis Glaeser (216) 214-8341 VV Community Representative

Pending Secretary

Mike Sklodowski Treasurer

Phyllis Glaeser With the Support of … Brooklyn Heights Mayor

Michael S. Procuk Independence Mayor

Gregory P. Kurtz Seven Hills Mayor

Richard P. Dell’Aquila Valley View Mayor

Jerry Piasecki

Quarterly General Meeting

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

The Quarterly General Meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 18th at 7:00 p.m. at the Independence Civic Center. Prior to this meeting, at 6:30, there will be a leadership meeting. If you are a member of the leadership committee please plan to attend. The quarterly meetings for the rest of 2015 are as follows: June 17, September 16, and December 16. They are scheduled at the Independence Civic Center. Please mark your calendars. Quad City Cert would like to extend its condolences to Nina Boodjeh on the loss of her father-in-law, Parvis Boodjeh. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. All volunteers: help is requested at the Dine-and-Donate fundraiser at the Verso restaurant on April 13, 2015. (Please see the flyer on page 2 of the newsletter.) Another Dine and Donate is tentative at Outback Steakhouse, Rockside Rd. on Monday, April 27, 2015. Our general meeting on March 18, 2015 will feature a presentation from Parma Hospital regarding aging as well as new happenings at the hospital. Our presenter is Laura Matthews of Parma Hospital (see her bio in this newsletter). Quadcity Cert’s June 17, 2015 General meeting is tentatively scheduled to be a presentation in regards to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

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SUPPORT QUAD CITY CERT

at the

DINE & DONATE NIGHT on

Monday, April 13, 2015 11:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

at

VERSO Classic Pasta & Pizza

5869 Broadview Road, Parma, 44134

Check out the great menu and great prices at verso-restaurant.com Proceeds are used for training, equipment and public outreach.

Contact quadcitycert@gmail.com for questions

You must say you’re supporting Quad City CERT when you place your order!

Dine In and Take Out orders apply! Quad City receives 20% of the proceeds (after taxes).

SUPPORT OUR TEAM!

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MARCH 2015 GENERAL MEETING GUEST SPEAKER

Laura Matthews

Laura Matthews has been managing Parma Hospital’s ElderCenter since 1990. The program has steadily grown and now includes four programs: • ElderCenter - A full service, medical model adult day center. • The Club - A specialized program that serves adults with mild memory loss. • Geriatric Assessment Center - A comprehensive outpatient evaluation performed by a team of professionals specializing in the care of older adults. • Self Assessment Driving Program - Beyond Driving with Dignity, Keeping Us Safe, LLC Laura earned a B.S. in Therapeutic Recreation from Slippery Rock State College in 1979, and a M.S. in Education/Exercise Physiology from the University of Akron in 1991. She became a licensed Nursing Home Administrator in 1983. Her achievements include: “Outstanding Young Woman in America” from the city of Galion in 1985, Parma Hospital’s “Service Excellence” winner in 1997, “Volunteer of the Year” for the Alzheimer’s Association in 1999 and she received the “Independent Living Award” in 2009 from the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging. Laura was a finalist for the Craine’s “Health Care Heroes” in 2010 and 2011. She co-authored “Expanded Adult Day Program as a Transition Option From Hospital to Home” in the journal of “Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice” published online, May 2011 .

MANY THANKS TO SHARON NICHOLS AND NINO SERRITI OF PARMA HOSPITAL FOR COORDINATING THIS EVENT

SIGN UP SHEETS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE MARCH GENERAL MEETING FOR SUMMER COMMUNITY EVENTS. PLEASE, PLEASE SIGN UP TO HELP AND MEET OTHER CERT VOLUNTEERS ON YOUR TEAM. IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND THE MEETING AND WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SUMMER EVENTS, CONTACT PHYLLIS GLAESER AT: glaeser1@cox.net.

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American Heart Association Training:

A big "Thank You" is extended to Sharon Nicastro for providing all of the training for our recent American Heart Association Heartsaver Certification classes; Bloodborne Pathogens, CPR, AED and Basic First Aid. Our QUAD CITY CERT family now has: --> 27 volunteers certified in CPR and AED --> 27 volunteers who learned how to protect themselves from Bloodborne Pathogens (BBP) --> 16 volunteers certified in Basic First Aid Thank you to all who attended the training. We now have the basic skills that may save a life or prevent further injury. Each participant will receive 8 volunteer credit hours for completing all training sessions and 4 volunteer credit hours if you completed one of two. I also want to thank Fire Chief Steve Rega for his hospitality in letting us use the Independence Fire Department training room for our classes. Thank you and Debbie too! Discussion is taking place to see if we can offer the same CPR/AED training for QUAD CITY CERT family members (age 13 and above) at a nominal fee. If you think you might be interested please send an email to Mary Benedek at kedenebm@hotmail.com. We will keep you updated on our progress and if this is even feasible. OHIO RESPONDS: Questions about liability when performing CPR and/or AED were briefly discussed in training. Attached is a document outlining Ohio Responds. Basically, if you are out and about and encounter someone in need of CPR and you choose to assist, you are covered under the basic Good Samaritan Act. Registering with Ohio Responds protects you when called out by CERT. "The law says that if a volunteer acts within the scope of his responsibilities, when dispatched by a political subdivision (his city), and does not engage in willful or wanton misconduct, he will not be liable for negative consequences of his actions. So . . . if a volunteer is sued, and he was acting within the scope of his responsibilities, and he was dispatched by his city, and he did not do anything that was so bad that no normal person would have done it, the law is on his side. If the law is on his side; that is his defense."

Submitted by: May Benedek AMERICAN RED CROSS

ATTENTION CERT INSTRUCTORS:

At the last train-the-trainer for CERT INSTRUCTORS, it was asked if perhaps instructors from various CERTS would be interested in having meetings to share best practices and new processes/procedures. If you are an Instructor, please email your "yes or no" vote to Mary Benedek at kedenebm@hotmail.com. This will also help update our current instructor list. Thanks! RECYCLE CHALLENGE RECYCLE CHALLENGE RECYCLE CHALLENGE Recycling is one of the ways we fund QUAD CITY CERT. The Recycle Box is always present at our quarterly meetings however, the box leaves empty. The challenge .... if everyone could bring ONE recyclable to our next meeting we could once again STUFF THE BOX.

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December 2014 Quadcity CERT General Meeting

Topic: Food Preparation and Safety By: Cuyahoga County Board of Health This presentation touched upon a multitude of tips and precautions to ensure our volunteers recognize when food safety is being compromised. The presentation was both educational and entertaining (wooden oven sticks) and the 1.5 hour presentation just flew by. Many, many questions were answered and those in attendance went away with a better understanding of food preparation, presentation, and storage.

A GREAT BIG “THANK YOU” TO SALLY POPE FOR THE HOME MADE REFRESHMENTS AND PRESENTATION THAT REALLY TOPPPED OFF THE EVENING. SALLY IS A REGULAR FIXTURE AT THESE EVENTS TO PROVIDE NOURISHMENT AND FELLOWSHIP. THANKS AGAIN SALLY FOR ALL YOU DO TO MAKE THESE EVENTS MORE ENJOYABLE FOR OUR VOLUNTEERS!

CONGRATULATIONS TO SEVEN HILLS RESIDENT JOE YAKO THE WINNER OF OUR RAFFLE–A WEBER GRILL

We will again raffle a Weber Grill this year. Tickets will be available at

community events. As you attend these events and visit our table/tent/display, try your luck and support Quadcity CERT by purchasing

tickets.

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Annual report of activities for 2014

2014 - 4th. Quarter volunteer hours: 445.5 hours

2014 (Full Year): 1721.2 hours

Number of Volunteers with documented hours: 82 Active volunteers (15 or more hours): 27

Our most active volunteers: Phyllis Glaeser 95 hours Mary Benedek 87 hours

The Executive Board would like to extend a BIG thanks to all those

volunteers who attended training sessions, responded to call-outs, or helped at community events in 2014 to make Quadcity CERT a great organization.

Please try to attend as many functions as you can in 2015. You are

encouraged to attend the General Meetings each quarter to learn about subject specific topics and receive updates regarding Community

Emergency Response Teams and their importance to the community.

NEXT GENERAL MEETING IS MARCH 18, 2015 At the INDEPENDENCE CIVIC CENTER

7:00 PM

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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Quadcity is starting to plan programs for fundraising

events for 2015

If you are interested in

participating in the planning

session, please email Peter Nelson

at quadcitycert@gmail.com.

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Important Contact Numbers for All Four Cities that are part of CERT

___________________________________________________________

Please note the NEW Quad City CERT email address: quadcitycert@gmail.com. We have discontinued the quadcitycert@cox.net address.

FEMA INDEPENDENT STUDY CHALLENGE

OK! Here’s a course that is both interesting and has good information that you can use around the workplace or in the event you get deployed.

The online course is titled, “Multihazard Planning for Childcare”

Go to: independent.study@fema.dhs.gov Select: Course IS-0036

Read the material provided by FEMA and then take the final exam. When completed

and you passed the course, send your email confirmation from FEMA to quadcitycert@gmail.com.

Good luck! I completed mine in just over 1 hour.

CONTACT NUMBERS

FIRE

Non-

Emergency

POLICE

Non-

Emergency

Brooklyn Hts. 351-3542 741-1327

Independence 524-4001 524-1234

Seven Hills 524-3321 524-3911

Valley View 524-6469 524-9687

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What to Do During a Tornado The safest place to be is an underground shelter, basement or safe room. If no underground shelter or safe room is available, a small, windowless interior room or hallway on the lowest level of a sturdy building is the safest alternative. • Mobile homes are not safe during tornadoes or other severe winds. • Do not seek shelter in a hallway or bathroom of a mobile home. If you have access to a sturdy shelter or a vehicle, abandon your mobile home immediately. Go to the nearest sturdy building or shelter immediately, using your seat belt if driving. Do not wait until you see the tornado. If you are caught outdoors, seek shelter in a basement, shelter or sturdy building. If you cannot quickly walk to a shelter: Immediately get into a vehicle, buckle your seat belt and try to drive to the closest sturdy shelter. If flying debris occurs while you are driving, pull over and park. Now you have the following options as a last resort: • Stay in the car with the seat belt on. Put your head down below the windows, covering with your hands and a blanket if possible. • If you can safely get noticeably lower than the level of the roadway, exit your car and lie in that area, covering your head with your hands. Your choice should be driven by your specific circumstances.

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What to Do After a Tornado

Continue listening to local news or a NOAA Weather Radio for

updated information and instructions.

If you are away from home, return only when authorities say it is

safe to do so.

Wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt and sturdy shoes when

examining your walls, doors, staircases and windows for damage.

Watch out for fallen power lines or broken gas lines and report

them to the utility company immediately.

Stay out of damaged buildings.

Use battery-powered flashlights when examining buildings – do

NOT use candles.

If you smell gas or hear a blowing or hissing noise, open a window

and get everyone out of the building quickly and call the gas

company or fire department.

Take pictures of damage, both of the building and its contents, for

insurance claims.

Use the telephone only for emergency calls.

Keep all of your animals under your direct control.

Clean up spilled medications, bleaches, gasoline or other

flammable liquids that could become a fire hazard.

Check for injuries. If you are trained, provide first aid to persons

in need until emergency responders arrive.

The bow of sunken ferry MS Estonia, on which more

than 800 people died in 1994 (Getty Images)

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How to survive a disaster

IN DEPTH January 28, 2015

At seven o’clock in the evening of

27 September 1994, the cruise ferry

MS Estonia left Tallin with 989

people on board, heading for

Stockholm through the Baltic Sea. It

never got there. Six hours into the

journey, pushing through a force

nine gale, the bow door broke open

and the ferry started taking on water.

Within an hour it had sunk, taking

with it 852 of its passengers and

crew.

“My role as a psychologist is to

teach people not to die” — John

Leach, University of Portsmouth

Even given the speed of tragedy, the

stormy sea and the length of time it

took rescuers to arrive (a full-scale

emergency was only declared half

an hour after the sinking), survival

experts were astonished at the high

death toll. It appears that many

people drowned because they did

nothing to save themselves. “A

number of people… seem to have

been incapable of rational thought or

behavior because of their fear,”

concluded the official report into the

accident. “Others appeared petrified

and could not be forced to move.

Some panicking, apathetic and

shocked people were beyond reach

and did not react when other

passengers tried to guide them, not

even when they used force or

shouted at them.”

What happened? One person who

knows the answer is John Leach, a

military survival instructor who

researches behavior in extreme

environments at the University of

Portsmouth. He has studied the

actions of survivors and victims

from dozens of disasters around the

world over several decades (and as it

happens he was present at one of

them, the fire at King’s Cross

underground station on 18

November 1987 which killed 31

people). He has found that in life-

threatening situations, around 75%

of people are so bewildered by the

situation that they are unable to

think clearly or plot their escape.

They become mentally paralyzed.

Just 15% of people on average

manage to remain calm and rational

enough to make decisions that could

save their lives. (The remaining 10%

are plain dangerous: they freak out

and hinder the survival chances of

everyone else.)

Stories about survival often focus on

the 15%, and what is so special

about them that helps them stay

alive. But Leach thinks this is the

wrong question. Instead, we should

be asking “why do so many people

die when they need not, when they

have the physical means to save

themselves? Why do so many give

up, or fail to adjust to the unfolding

crisis?” In most disaster scenarios,

he says, you don’t need special

skills to survive. You just need to

know what you should do. “My role

as a combat survival instructor is to

teach people how to survive. My

role as a psychologist is to teach

people not to die.”

Emergency exit

We haven’t always had a clear

picture of what people really do in

emergencies. Engineers designing

evacuation procedures used to

assume that people respond

immediately when they hear an

alarm, smell smoke or feel their

building shake or their boat begins

to list.

Yet as cases in recent decades began

to show, the real challenge is getting

them to move quickly enough. On

22 August 1985, 55 people died in a

Boeing 737 on the runway at

Manchester Airport in the UK after

the plane, which was bound for

Corfu, suffered engine failure during

take-off. The government’s Air

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(Getty Images)

Accident Investigations Branch

reported: “Perhaps the most striking

feature of this accident was the fact

that although the aircraft never

became airborne and was brought to

a halt in a position which allowed an

extremely rapid fire-service attack

on the external fire, it resulted in 55

deaths. The major question is why

the passengers did not get off the

aircraft sufficiently quickly.”

Rather than madness, or an

animalistic stampede for the exits, it

is often people’s disinclination to

panic that puts them at higher risk.

Passenger behavior in a fatal fire at

Manchester Airport in the 1980s

puzzled experts.

One of the most graphic examples of

crowd passivity in recent times

occurred in New York’s Twin Towers

after the hijacked planes hit them on

9/11. You’d have thought those who

survived the initial impact would have

headed for the nearest exit pretty

quickly. Most did the opposite: they

prevaricated. Those who eventually

got out waited six minutes on average

before moving to the stairs, and some

hung around for half an hour,

according to a study by the US

National Institute of Standards and

Technology (NIST). Unprepared for

what was happening to them; they

either carried on as normal or hung

around to see what would happen,

waiting for others to move first. One

study found that half of those who

survived delayed before trying to

escape, making phone calls, tidying

things in drawers, locking their office

door, going to the toilet, completing

emails, shutting down their computer,

changing their shoes, etc. One woman

accustomed to bicycling to work

even returned to her office to change

into her tracksuit before trying to

leave.

Survival mode

The prevailing psychological

explanation for these kinds of

behaviors – passivity, mental

paralysis or simply carrying on as

normal in the face of a crisis – is that

they are caused by a failure to adapt

to a sudden change in the

environment. Survival involves goal-

directed behavior: you feel hungry,

you look for food; you feel isolated,

you seek companionship. Normally,

this is straightforward (we know how

to find food or companions). But in a

new, unfamiliar environment,

particularly a stressful one such as a

sinking ship or a burning aircraft,

establishing survival goals – where

the exit is and how to get to it –

requires a lot more conscious effort.

“In emergencies, quite often events

are happening faster than you can

process them,” explains Leach. The

situation outruns our capacity to think

our way out of it. Jerome Chertkoff, a

social psychologist at Indiana

University, puts it another way:

“Being in a situation where your life

is in danger increases your emotional

arousal, and high arousal causes

people to limit the number of

alternatives they consider. That can be

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bad when trying to determine a course

of action, since you may never

consider the option most likely to

result in escaping safely.”

This explains why in emergencies

people often fail to do things that

under normal circumstances would

seem obvious. So the only reliable

way to shortcut this kind of impaired

thinking, most survival experts agree,

is by preparing for an emergency in

advance. “Practice makes actions

automatic, without [the need for]

detailed thinking,” says Chertkoff.

This means making a mental note of

the fire exits when you go to the

cinema (and imagining yourself using

(Getty Images)

them), reading the evacuation

guidance on the back of the door

when you stay in a hotel, and always

listening to aircraft safety briefings

however frequent a flyer you are.

“Every time I go on a boat the first

thing I do is find out where my

lifeboat station is, because then if

there is a problem I just have to

respond, I don’t have to start thinking

about it,” says Leach. Typically,

survivors survive not because they are

braver or more heroic than anyone

else, but because they are better

prepared.

What about how you deal with other people? No matter how well-primed you are, one aspect of emergency situations will always be out of our control: how those around us behave. Here, too, the scientific understanding is at odds with common wisdom or what we are likely to read in the media. Commentators often highlight the supposed stupidity or madness of crowds during disasters – a stampede of pilgrims, the crush of a football crowd, and the

blind scramble for the exits in a burning nightclub. In reality, this is rarely what happens. Research shows that in most scenarios, groups of people are more likely to help each other than hinder. “In emergencies, the norm is cooperation,” says Chris Cocking, who studies crowd behavior at the University of Brighton. “Selfish behavior is very mild and tends to be policed by the crowd rather than spreading.”

Check your exits beforehand - you may not have the sense to in a crisis (Thinkstock)

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