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Major earthquake imminent, report says
As the city's management assistant, Fraser is responsible for emergency management planning in Camarillo. Fraser's ears certainly perked up when he read the report released last week by the U.S. Geological Survey, the Southern California Earthquake Center and the California Geological Survey. The report stated that there is a 99.7 chance a magnitude 6.7 earthquake, or larger, will thump California in the next 30 years. "I think we're in pretty good shape, but obviously you don't know until you actually experience the severity of a given earthquake," Fraser said. Camarillo has a very specific process in case disaster strikes. It's called the Standardized Emergency Management System, or SEMS. All cities in the state have to comply with SEMS, which helps to make communication easier and reactions to all emergencies similar to how other cities would respond. The five functions of SEMS are management, operations, logistics, planning and finance, and together they are known as the Incident Command System (ICS). The national version of SEMS is the National Incident Management System (NIMS). If an earthquake were to strike Camarillo, the city would first activate its emergency operations center (EOC), which would most likely be at the police station. The city would then contact Ventura County officials and acknowledge that it has begun operating SEMS while city workers begin working under one or more of the five functions. If Camarillo needed extra supplies in the aftermath of a potential disaster, equipment would be sent relatively quickly. "It's a system of mutual aid," Fraser said. Part of emergency response is about interacting with other agencies. A few years ago, the city contacted various churches to discuss the possibility of using those sites as an alternative to emergency shelters at schools. Fraser said the Red Cross typically has agreements with schools to use gyms and cafeterias as shelters in times of need. Fraser also keeps tabs on locally based programs like CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), DART (Disaster Assistance Response Team) and VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters). Fraser coordinates CERT for the city. These types of organizations can be very beneficial for the public, said DART's Bill Foeller. "The more people that get involved with groups like CERT and go to classes, they become selfsufficient," Foeller said. "If there's a big event, the resources are going to be stretched thin. If the general public is prepared, that's going to make everything go smoother." CERT started its third sevenweek course Tuesday. A free service to the public, CERT teaches civilians first aid, triage, terrorism response, fire extinguisher techniques, and search and rescue skills including cribbing, which involves removing injured people trapped under heavy objects. Santa Paula Fire Department Capt. Steve Lazenby is teaching the current class, which meets primarily on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. at the Ventura County Fire Department's training facility at the Camarillo Airport. Fortyfive people have graduated from CERT training in Camarillo, and half of the graduates from the second course are taking EMT training at Moorpark College. CERT is funded by the Department of Homeland Security. Camarillo started its program in fall 2006. For more information on CERT, call (805) 388-5349. DART, which recently updated its equipment, including first-aid kits, is available to talk to groups. For information, call the Camarillo Police Station at (805) 388-5129. |
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