Neighborhood Watch 'Plus' Carnation-Duvall Citizen Corps Council 2003 This draws on several of the many sources of Neighborhood Watch information available on the Internet and elsewhere. Neighborhood Watch • Home Safety • Controllable threats • Human threats • Natural threats Neighborhood Watch educates you and your neighbors about home safety. Neighborhood Watch gives you and your neighborhood a way to join together to face some common threats. The first, "controllable threats," has to do with making your home safer: securing your water heater so that it doesn't fall over in an earthquake and flood your garage or set your house on fire, positive locks or stops for your windows, smoke detectors and so forth. The second, "human threats," has to do with making your home less attractive to folks who might want what you have. Under that heading is "suspicious behavior," what to look out for and how to report it. Lastly, "natural threats," are such as eruptions and earthquakes, wind and winter storms, flooding and fire. Neighborhood Watch • Home Safety • Controllable threats • Human threats • Natural threats • Terrorism These days we've an additional human threat, terrorism. LuAn Johnson, the person who put together Seattle's successful SDART program, Seattle Disaster Aid and Response Teams—and as of April 2003, 363 Seattle neighborhood SDARTs are organized!—spoke to last week's Partners in Emergency Preparedness conference. Dr. Johnson said that the chance of any one of us being affected by terrorism is very, very, very low. But, she added, the chance of someone being affected is very high. Does that mean we should just sit back and let the law of large numbers work for us? We don't think so. Neighborhood Watch 'Plus' • To Home Safety • Add CERT You've got Neighborhood Watch 'Plus' Neighborhood Watch gives you a way to prepare for all eventualities. CERT makes your neighborhood that much stronger and self-reliant: a real "Plus." Neighborhood Watch 'Plus' CERT -The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program helps train people to be better prepared to respond to emergency situations in their communities. When emergencies happen, CERT members can give critical support to first responders and provide immediate assistance to victims. A word or two about CERT: Here's an introduction of CERT. How many here have taken the course? The rest of you, wait until you do! It's fun and eye-opening, and it may be crucial to your neighborhood's, your family's, and your personal safety and survival. Neighborhood Watch 'Plus' CERT curriculum -Disaster Preparedness -Disaster Fire Suppression -Disaster Medical Operations -Light Search and Rescue Operations -Disaster Psychology -Terrorism CERT is a fast-paced seven week course—3 hours each Wednesday evening—to be taught locally in Carnation. Next fall, when the new fire station is open in Duvall, we'll be offering it there, too. You'll learn about the various disasters that can make life difficult and how to prepare for them. You'll learn about fire and actually put one out, safely. Remember most fires start out small and those are the ones we can put out. You'll learn about and do triage, the technique of sorting out the injured so that the ones that need the help the soonest get it from first responders. You'll learn search and rescue techniques. Ever hear of cribbing? As part of a team you can move victims out from under very heavy objects without straining yourself or risking additional injury to the victim. You'll learn what behaviors to expect and how to handle the emotions of disaster victims. And lastly, you'll learn about terrorism. The bottom line is you will learn how to help the most people in the least amount of time, safely and effectively. And you'll have fun learning. Get on the waiting list now. Register for CERT training. Neighborhood Watch 'Plus' If you've a radio telephone, you will be a valuable member of your CERT In case cell phones are out, CERTs will be in contact by radio telephone with the Neighborhood Center and with the nearest amateur radio operator who is in contact with first responders Communications will be critical, especially when normal phones and cell phones aren't working. Take up a collection in your neighborhood for the radio phones and we will help you establish a radio net for your Neighborhood Watch 'Plus'. Neighborhood Watch 'Plus' Five to 50 contiguous homes Neighborhood Response Center and Coordinators -First Aid Center -Sheltering and Care Center -Supplies We have all sizes of neighborhoods, from two or three homes, to a hundred or more. Neighborhood Watch seems to work best with at least five residences, but no more than 50. Smaller neighborhoods may have to pick and choose from our menu and establish alternative resources; larger neighborhoods may want to organize multiple Neighborhood Watches. Those neighborhoods who want to participate in Neighborhood Watch 'Plus' will identify a core group. Within that core will be a leader and some volunteer coordinators who take care that the emergency response is being performed adequately. That core also will identify a neighborhood home as the Neighborhood Response Center, maybe another home for the First Aid Center and perhaps a third home for the Sheltering and Care Center. Necessary supplies will have to be collected by the neighborhood and stocked at these centers. The American Red Cross has classes that can help train the volunteer staff at the First Aid Center and the Sheltering and Care Center. Neighborhood Watch 'Plus' How You Get There • Notice that there are several tasks ideally suited for CERT -Damage assessment -Light search and rescue -Small fire suppression -Communication with first responders Your CERT will perform several crucial tasks during an emergency. It is a key resource. At a minimum, one CERT is made up of a leader and a team of two. Organize it as soon as possible. Neighborhood Watch 'Plus' How You Get There The following is based on information from the National Crime Prevention Council So, how do you get there? 10 Neighborhood Watch 'Plus' How You Get There • Getting Started -Meetings -Neighborhood Coordinators -Maps Getting started will take some time and effort, but the road map is laid out for you. 11 Neighborhood Watch 'Plus' How You Get There • Meeting—form a small planning committee of neighbors • Get ideas from law enforcement; invite them to the first meeting • Publicize the meeting; schedule in accessible "Neighborhood Center" • Hold the first meeting; gauge interest; explain the Watch idea First, you have a planning meeting of kindred spirits. You get law enforcement involved. You publicize a neighborhood meeting, maybe in tandem with your homeowners association. Make sure the meeting can be attended by all your neighbors. Hold that meeting and get a reading on where your neighbors want to go. Help them get there with Neighborhood Watch 'Plus'. 12 Neighborhood Watch 'Plus' How You Get There • When the Watch is adopted 1. Elect a chairperson/leader 2. Ask for Neighborhood Coordinator volunteers 3. Establish regular means of getting the word out 4. Prepare a neighborhood map You've identified a critical mass of neighbors at your meeting who want to be safer and more secure. Elect a leader and ask for volunteer coordinators. Organize a telephone committee to get the word out when necessary. Have someone volunteer to prepare a neighborhood map with names, addresses and telephone numbers penciled in (pencil, not pen and ink that can get messy when folks move away and you have to change the map). Highlight with a star or two those homes that have special situations such as shut-ins or latch-key kids. 13 Neighborhood Watch 'Plus' How You Get There When Watch is adopted (continued) 5. With help from law enforcement, train members in home security techniques, observation skills, and crime reporting 6. Post Neighborhood Watch signs 7. Hold drills and exercises Start the training of your members. Check with the police about some Neighborhood Watch signs to be posted at the entries to your neighborhood. Start drilling your teams by walking the neighborhood, setting up the first aid station, organizing the shelter, testing communications. Hold desktop exercises of the procedures you've put in place. Remember, you will be testing the procedures not the people. If something doesn't work it's because the procedure is not adequate. Fix the procedure. 14 Neighborhood Watch 'Plus' When You Get There Hold regular meetings so everyone gets to know each other; build the network Canvas door-to-door to recruit members Involve everyone Get information out immediately— quash rumors Build the network regularly with everyone involved. 15 Neighborhood Watch 'Plus1 When You Get There • Gather facts about crime and share with neighbors • Sponsor clean-ups and beautification; encourage all to leave outdoor lights on at night • Celebrate success with an occasional potluck Information, community improvement, social events...all help to make your Neighborhood Watch 'Plus' ready to go. 16 Neighborhood Watch 'Plus' After You Get There • Keep your enthusiasm going • At regular meetings discuss current issues, e.g., drug abuse, child care before and after school, recreation for young people, victim services • Review your "Best Practices" at Citizen Corps • Make it fun Human nature being what it is, however, success will breed complacency and that's where some creativity will come in handy. Work to keep your Neighborhood Watch group a vital force for community well being. Make it fun and people will come. 17 And When It Happens. And when it happens...maybe the Big One... 18 Neighborhood Watch 'Plus1 SDARTV Nine Steps Care for home Dress for safety Shut off gas if - Smells - Audible leak - Meter is spinning - Obvious EQ damage Shut off water Post OK/HELP sign Put extinguisher outside Go to Neighborhood Response Center Follow checklist Report back to Neighborhood Response Center 'Seattle Disaster Aid and Response Team In the Event, first stabilize your family and your home. Put on work clothes and sturdy shoes. CERT members should have goggles, dust masks, gloves, hardhats, and other recommended equipment such as flashlights, rope, utility wrenches and one radio telephone per team. Utilities: shut off the gas if it smells or hisses, or the meter is spinning faster than it should be, or if there is obvious earthquake damage. It may take a little while to turn the gas back on, but if you've weighed the risk and shut it down, you're likely to have your house standing when you get back to it. Shutting off water will insure that the water inside the house will be drinkable. If everything is okay or if you need help, post your homemade, big-enough-to-be-seen, OK/HELP sign (one word to a side) prominently in a window that can be seen from the road. Put your fire extinguisher outside on the sidewalk or driveway where it will be of use to someone who sees smoke. Go to the Neighborhood Response Center and find out what you can do to help. "Neighbors helping neighbors!" If you have an assignment, follow your checklist. When complete, come back to the Neighborhood Response Center. Your team will be responsible for developing the checklists for your Neighborhood Response Center, Communications, First Aid Center, Sheltering and Care Center and CERT, checklists that will fit your particular neighborhood. 19 Neighborhood Watch Plus' • So, you want to start Neighborhood Watch 'Plus'? • We will have this presentation on our website, www.cdcncl.org. or ask us for a printed copy • We will come to your meeting and help you organize Neighborhood Watch 'Plus' • Do it now We will help. Organize your core group and your meeting. We will come and make a "Starting Neighborhood Watch 'Plus'" presentation to your group and answer all your questions. 20