With summer upon us and thinking about the “GREAT CERT BBQ of 2016” I came across a quick FEMA grilling safety video on YouTube. Nothing that requires a cold beverage and popcorn, but some important reminders on how to GRILL SAFELY. In fact, I wanted to go get some facts and figures for Montgomery County regarding grill fire incidents, but I believe this WTOP report on a Germantown MD fire caused by grilling amounting in 150K in damage will say all that needs be said. This was just last April 2016.

In conjunction with the Beth Sholom Sisterhood, Montgomery County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) presents Storm Camp, a free half day interactive educational event for adults and children designed to help you be prepared, no matter the threat. Storm Camp will show you how to: Build a Home Disaster Kit Safely operate a fire extinguisher Respond to common life threatening medical emergencies Organize your neighborhood and workplace to be ready Prepare your home and loved ones for emergencies large and small Kids 4-11 will enjoy a special program of fun and learning that will turn ordinary youngsters into “Ready Pirates” equipped with age appropriate emergency skills. Our Next Storm Camp is Sunday April 3rd from 10:00 am until 1:00 pm at the Beth Sholom Congregation and Talmud Torah. Register Today! Powered by Eventbrite Storm Camp was developed by the CERT, which is part of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services’ Division of Volunteer Services, and is taught by FEMA certified instructors that include active and retired EMT’s and Firefighters.

Montgomery County Community Emergency Response Team (MCCERT) received an honorable mention in the 2013 Individual and Community Preparedness Awards in the category for Outstanding Community Emergency Response Team Initiatives. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator, Craig Fugate, will award MCCERT with a Certificate of Accomplishment and recognize the volunteer organization on its website this September at http://www.ready.gov/citizen-corps-awards. Also, Regional Administrator for FEMA Region III, MaryAnn Tierney, has awarded MCCERT with an Outstanding Community Emergency Response Team Initiative Certificate of Recognition for their “continued efforts to make the state of Maryland and their communities’ better prepared and resilient to disasters through community outreach, education, and partnership.” Additionally, the State Citizen Corps Program Manager for Maryland Emergency Management Agency, Robert Ward, congratulated the volunteer organization. On March 6, 2013, MCCERT successfully completed two initiatives in response to the snow storm that plagued the D.C. Region. MCCERT provided social media monitoring support at the local Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and developed and consolidated situational reports (SITREPs), proving trained volunteers are a valuable asset in times of emergency. Having trustworthy and credible sources to monitor social media platforms proved tremendously valuable to officials within the EOC. Also, MCCERT members from the confines of their home provided assessments on road conditions, weather conditions, and photos which all were essential to the day’s success servicing Montgomery County. Twenty-nine SITREPs were generated throughout 9 different zip code zones in the County. MCCERT Leadership is confident by promoting this successful effort to its members, future short-notice SITREPs will include a larger number of SITREPs, and wider area of locations throughout the County. Social media monitoring unveiled several areas worthy to monitor – transportation-related matters, authoritative agencies, news and weather. Key takeaways from the March 6th snow storm included: Hash tags were as dynamic as contributors to social media SITREPS sent by different communication means emphasizing importance of redundancy (text, email, social media) MCCERT’s Twitter followers increased as a result of communications Similar future initiatives will require additional resources Backup virtual support should not be heavily relied upon operationally Montgomery County CERT volunteers stepped up on to the tasks at hand and provided unique, first-of-its-kind support for the community utilizing an advancing technology. They are prepared to serve again.

Montgomery County CERT nationally recognized for using advancing technologies to provide community support during the March 2013 Snow Storm Montgomery County Community Emergency Response Team (MCCERT) received an honorable mention in the 2013 Individual and Community Preparedness Awards in the category for Outstanding Community Emergency Response Team Initiatives. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator, Craig Fugate, will award MCCERT with a Certificate of Accomplishment and recognize the volunteer organization on its website this September at http://www.ready.gov/citizen-corps-awards. Also, Regional Administrator for FEMA Region III, MaryAnn Tierney, has awarded MCCERT with an Outstanding Community Emergency Response Team Initiative Certificate of Recognition for their “continued efforts to make the state of Maryland and their communities’ better prepared and resilient to disasters through community outreach, education, and partnership.” Additionally, the State Citizen Corps Program Manager for Maryland Emergency Management Agency, Robert Ward, congratulated the volunteer organization. On March 6, 2013, MCCERT successfully completed two initiatives in response to the snow storm that plagued the D.C. Region. MCCERT provided social media monitoring support at the local Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and developed and consolidated situational reports (SITREPs), proving trained volunteers are a valuable asset in times of emergency. Having trustworthy and credible sources to monitor social media platforms proved tremendously valuable to officials within the EOC. Also, MCCERT members from the confines of their home provided assessments on road conditions, weather conditions, and photos which all were essential to the day’s success servicing Montgomery County. Twenty-nine SITREPs were generated throughout 9 different zip code zones in the County. MCCERT Leadership is confident by promoting this successful effort to its members, future short-notice SITREPs will include a larger number of SITREPs, and wider area of locations throughout the County. Social media monitoring unveiled several areas worthy to monitor – transportation-related matters, authoritative agencies, news and weather. Key takeaways from the March 6th snow storm included: Hash tags were as dynamic as contributors to social media SITREPS sent by different communication means emphasizing importance of redundancy (text, email, social media) MCCERT’s Twitter followers increased as a result of communications Similar future initiatives will require additional resources Backup virtual support should not be heavily relied upon operationally Montgomery County CERT volunteers stepped up on to the tasks at hand and provided unique, first-of-its-kind support for the community utilizing an advancing technology. They are prepared to serve again.

The following link is to a Gazette write up on an exercise recently performed at the Germantown Sportsplex. Montgomery County CERT participated by providing Moulage services and mock victims. We enjoy doing our part! EDIT: The original article from the Gazette is no longer online but can be found through the \”Wayback Machine, \” an online internet archive. Unfortunately, the images of our moulage teams work are not available. https://web.archive.org/web/20140511214020/http://www.gazette.net/article/20140509/NEWS/140509137/1261/mock-attacks-test-emergency-response-in-montgomery&template=gazette