Salem Reporter publishes a regular column from Mark Wardell, West Salem team leader for Salem’s Community Emergency Response Team, focusing on emergency preparedness and planning.
Spring 2025 CERT training class
A free certification course begins this April. This course will equip you with e
ssential skills to assist your community during emergencies. The class is provided by the City of Salem CERT, under the auspices of the Salem Fire Department. There is no charge to participate. To become a fully certified member of CERT, you must attend all the sessions.
The class begins on Thursday, April 24, and continues for six consecutive weeks, until Thursday, May 29, from 6-9 p.m. Each session will be held in the training room of Fire Station #6 at 2740 25th St. S.E.
If you or someone you know is interested in this training opportunity, preregistration is required. Please contact Lola Hackett at lolahackett@yahoo.com to register or for additional information.
Re-CERT-ificationIf you’ve previously completed CERT training but haven’t maintained active status, consider re-certification. Recertification is easy, and well worth your time. Once again, contact Lola Hackett at lolahackett@yahoo.com to register or for additional information.
Why I Joined CERT
This is a bit personal. I’ve been telling you about CERT classes and CERT activities—CERT this and CERT that. I thought it was time to share the two thoughts that have motivated my continued involvement with CERT and ultimately led me to become the team leader for here in West Salem. The first was a moment at a preparedness fair in Polk County several years ago, the second a radio ad.
I don’t remember when that preparedness fair was held, but I do remember it was in Dallas at the High School. There were many booths with people sharing preparedness information, or selling items, about food storage or water purification. There was also a booth from Polk CERT sharing information about the program.
Near the end of the day, Polk County Sheriff Mark Garton gave a presentation. He spoke about how Polk County worked to be prepared, and how we, as citizens, should also be prepared.
His answer to the last question is what stuck with me. That question was about all of the information that had been given out that day, and with his and other remarks from speakers, what was the one thing he would recommend people do to be better prepared. Without hesitation he said, “Get to know your neighbors, because when the big one hits, you’re not getting out of that alone.”
My second motivation was from a radio ad. The ad itself was produced by FEMA and the Ad Council to help encourage people to become better prepared. The ad itself is short, I think it was just a 30 second radio spot, so I’ll be printing it here. As you read it, imagine it being read by a monotone voice.
“Today you brushed your teeth.You skipped the floss.You combed your hair.You took the train.You did the crossword.You missed 22 across.You went to work.You had a meeting.You ate your lunch.You had another meeting.You wondered how anyone is supposed to get any work done around here with so many meetings.You left the office.You took the train.You ate your dinner.You brushed your teeth.You did all the things that one normally does the day before a brutal EF5 tornado rips through town leaving 30,000 people without power.You never know when the day before is the day before.Prepare for tomorrow.”
The whole ad was haunting and stuck with me, but it’s the last two lines that I’ve adopted as part of my motivation towards preparedness and CERT, and I use them often. We go about our daily responsibilities, going to work, going to school, going to church, walking the dog, stopping at the store, taking in a movie. All the day-to-day activities that make up our lives. Always the day before.
I’m not a “prepper” in the traditional sense, but I know we need to prepare for tomorrow. I know someday tomorrow we will have an ice storm, or a wind storm, and the power will go out. And yes, I know that someday tomorrow there will be a tornado or the earthquake we fear.
Now you know why I’m in CERT, so I can personally be better prepared and ready for whatever major or minor disaster might come our way. I became the team leader here in West Salem to help my neighbors, including you, become better prepared and more resilient to disasters. Because we never know when the day before is the day before, so prepare for tomorrow and get to know your neighbors. Help them prepare, because when the big one hits, we’re not getting out of that on our own.
Week by week to become 2 Weeks Ready
We’re nearly done with our week-by-week plan to gather the essentials of being two-weeks ready. Following these steps will help you build a two-week emergency preparedness plan over a one-year period. While two weeks is a good baseline, remember that preparedness is an ongoing process. Once you’ve achieved a two-week preparedness level, consider building upon it by adding supplies toward another two weeks.
Week 34 – Grab your heavy rope. Hold down a loaded car or truck, tie items to trees and make a barrier, pull someone to safety, hang clothes to dry: it has so many uses!
Week 35 – Every DIYer’s favorite: DUCT TAPE! This needs no explanation; we all know what duct tape can be used for—EVERYTHING!
Week 36 – A crowbar: open wooden gates, pry things apart, remove nails, break things and not get in trouble (during an emergency only).
Week 37 – To finish off tool month, pack a hammer and assorted nails in your kit: build a shelter, pull out nails, break more things!
Just three more months to go, and still so much more to come. Keep up the great work!
These steps are based on recommendations previously shared by Marion County. This is a suggested year-long plan to spread out the cost of acquiring supplies. Feel free to adjust the pace to fit your needs and budget.
Coming up next month
I’m going to twist this a bit. Instead of telling you what I’m going to write about, I want to see what you want to talk about. Each month, as part of this article, I offer to speak with any group, large or small, about preparedness. In doing so, I have the opportunity to answer their questions directly as we talk. This is your opportunity. Consider this a Q&A session. Feel free to ask me anything about preparedness, and I will answer you in a future article in the Salem Reporter.
If you have any questions about this article, preparedness in general, or if you’d like to inquire about joining CERT or scheduling a CERT presentation for your organization, please don’t hesitate to contact me, Mark Wardell, at PNMarkW2@Gmail.com.
STORY TIP OR IDEA? Send an email to Salem Reporter’s news team: info@salemreporter.com.
A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE.
The post COLUMN: Being ready for disaster takes all of us appeared first on Salem Reporter. ...read more read less
