Every time sirens wail nearby, I am transported back to the few critical minutes before exploding onto the scene of who knows what crisis. We didn't need coffee back then. Adrenaline was reliable enough.

Every squawk of the radio - the right combination of tones... it was like dispatch was dialing up the combination to our adrenaline vaults. When we heard tones for our unit, the vault was open, chemicals flowed through our veins, fog cleared, our backs got a little stronger and our…

This post has a bit of a local (Maryland) flavor to it, but the tips are sound and some resources I list below are national resources. 

Use common sense and take some simple steps to significantly lower your chances of becoming a victim of a violent crime. Here are some tips I got from a person I spoke with within the Montgomery County Police Department.

I’m just going to outline a few basics in bullet points. These are by no means exhaustive, but just some basic…

It's a scene that repeats itself over and over again: the power goes out, you find a flashlight, you settle in and it hits you... the food int the fridge is going to spoil!! Hundreds of dollars of good food is about to go to waste! Should we eat it? Should we pack ice into the fridge? Should we just write it off??!

The fact is,…

Being proficient means more than just knowing how to do something. We have to be able to do whatever "it" is consistently, completely, and under pressure. It's difficult to become proficient in a classroom setting for a few reasons: 

• there isn't usually enough time available in a classroom setting to master skills
• the environment in a classroom is very different than it is in the real world
• the internal environment (your state of mind and emotional control) is…

When disaster strikes, we all need water. We actually need water all the time. A person can easily consume between one and three gallons of water per day:

• for washing
• for cooking
• for flushing the toilet
• for drinking
• for our pets

When disaster strikes, our water supply can be threatened. Supply lines could be broken, purification plants could be shut down. Contaminants…

It's August 26th and that means We're also only 5 days away from the start of National Preparedness Month. This is an exciting time for people who like to promote preparedness! This event calls for a nation-wide push to promote preparedness throughout the country. FEMA is involved. DHS is involved. Ready.org is participating, and private companies who are members of the…

Being prepared is more than a kit. We've all seen a of of gear over the years, but gear can actually be a liability in the wrong hands. The most important piece of gear anyone brings to a crisis is themselves, and the most important thing you can do for a crisis happens well before the crisis occurs. 

The right mindset is not difficult to understand or adopt. It's boils down to your ability to ask good questions. If you can sit down for five or ten minutes and think about…

No matter where you are or what level of training you have, part of being prepared means knowing what services are available to you and your neighbors in your community. Knowing what services are in your community helps you understand what kind of response you will get during an emergency, and how your own response during times of crisis can be most effective. 

USA.Gov publishes an awesome resource to help you. This link will take you to …

Whether deploying in support of a CERT mission or going on a camping trip, getting closer to mother nature comes with the territory. Being prepared for what we find out there - or what finds us - is something that deserves some quality discussion. Making sure unwelcome woodland hitchhikers stay where they are supposed to be may save your life or the life of someone in your family. 

CERT missions, by their very nature, usually mean going into disturbed…

Rockville - - - The Montgomery County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is pleased to announce the spring class schedule for 2012. The goal of the CERT program is to train members of the community in basic emergency preparedness and response skills so they can better help themselves, their families and others in an emergency.



CERT consists of programs that serve in more than 170 communities nationwide. Montgomery CERT is managed by the Montgomery County Fire and…

For those who live in Montgomery County, the following radio frequency reference may be useful. It's produced by RadioReference.com:…

The Community Emergency Response Team Program at FEMA is…

Check out this very cool video of Montgomery County CERT team's trip to…

Children can be particularly vulnerable to the stressful effects of a disaster. They may suffer from anxiety because of disaster losses and the upheaval of family life.

Most children bounce back quickly with social support and the aid of their families, but it is important to be aware of your child's reaction to stress and anxiety and to seek additional help if necessary.

Officials of the Pennsylvania and Federal Emergency Management Agencies (PEMA and FEMA) recommend that…

Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) urge residents throughout the state to focus their attention on the weather, assemble and keep disaster emergency preparedness kits close by and be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice if notified by local officials to leave their homes.

Put together a disaster kit and store it in a portable container in case of evacuation. The kit should…

Some good tips from Montgomery County CERT:

Keeping fire hydrants clear of snow and other obstacles saves lives. As a former fire fighter, I can tell you from personal experience that not having ready access to a fire hydrant puts fire fighters in danger and may cost lives and/or property. 

One of the best things we can do as citizens to make our neighborhoods safe from fire hazards is keep our fire hydrants clear. This means shoveling out around hydrants near our home in heavy snows and helping our neighbors understand the…