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The
Training Area is NOW OPEN !
Just a few months
before the 2002 Olympic / Paralympic Winter Games in Salt Lake
City, AVERT was asked by the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS)
Subcommittee of the Utah State Department of Health (UDOH) to
participate in the development of an emergency response plan
and capability. AVERT drafted a survey letter to recruit at least
160 CERT trained citizens in Salt Lake County that could support
the repackaging effort if the SNS Plan were activated during
the games. Why CERT trained Volunteers in Salt Lake County? Because
CERTs were already trained in the local Incident Command Systems
(ICS), and Salt Lake City was hosting the World ... very soon!
In the event
of a biological, chemical or nuclear incident in Utah, the Centers
For Disease Control (CDC) will ship (generally within 12 hours)
necessary vaccines, medications and other supplies into affected
communities in bulk. When an incident occurs in Utah, the senior
State Health Official would ask CDC to send the "SNS Push
Packages". UDOH would then receive the bulk supplies, repackage,
label, and ship supplies to "Public Distribution Centers".
County or Local Health Departments will then distribute
the repackaged "meds", as needed, to the public.
CERT trained
citizens are needed at repackaging centers to operate pill counting
or other machines, material handling equipment or provide administrative
assistance to UDOH and Local Health Departments (LHD). CERTs
are also needed at LHD Distribution Sites to assist Doctors,
Nurses and Pharmacists with Triage and Medical Documentation
for incoming patients.
Should you volunteer
for this special SNS mission, you should know that some of the
functions you may be called upon to perform may be beyond the
scope of the normal CERT mission and will be based on the special
skills you identify in the registration form. Not all functions
require "special skills" and your willingness to assist
as a CERT volunteer will also be needed. You are considered to
be a "first responder" when activated, and as such,
UDOH will provide you and your immediate family members with
"first dibbs" so that you can perform your duties worry
free!
UDOH will perform
background security checks and notify AVERT of the results, who
in turn will notify the LHD of CERT SNS Volunteers residing in
their jurisdictions. State, Regional, County and Local Health
Departments will provide each volunteer with advanced training
opportunities in duty specific procedures during drills and exercises.
AVERT will provide class room facilities and other administrative
support for the State's and LHD's Training Program. AVERT will
also provide identification card services to CERT trained Citizens
that volunteer, pass background checks, and complete the SNS
Basic (or orientation) class. CERT SNS Volunteers responding
to an incident, class, drill or exercise, are required to display
these credentials using special lanyards that will be provided
by UDOH.
AVERT is still
recruiting CERT trained citizens throughout Utah that will volunteer
to: respond to a local repackaging or distribution center when
given up to 12 hours advance notice; allow background checks
for security reasons; and remain on this "on-call" list
for at least one year.
If you would
like to volunteer for this special group of CERTs in your community,
please select "SNS Volunteer Register" at the top of
this page. This information will remain strictly confidential
for Homeland Security reasons and will not be used for any commercial
or marketing purposes.
Thank
you for your interest in the CERT SNS Project! |
