The TLAER Operations training in Hamptonville, NC, at Dusty Horses Farm, was very successful! Emergency responders, volunteers, veterinarians and vet techs were trained to respond to large animal emergencies of all types. The training was coordinated by PEART (Piedmont Emergency Animal Response Team), hosted by H.E.R.O. and partially funded by a generous grant from The Winston-Salem Foundation.

Brent Campbell of Fox 8 visited the training site and caught up with a few trainees. Take a look at Fox 8′s coverage of the training.

 Pictures were taken throughout the training and posted to PEART’s Facebook page. Take a look at some of those dramatic pictures….

TLAER Operations training 2013 – Day 1

TLAER Operations training 2013 – Day 2

TLAER Operations training 2013 – Day 3

A firefighter from Ohio attend the training and interviewed with an Ohio newspaper about her experience. Find her article posted here.

This training will serve to build regional capabilities for large animal response. PEART continues to prepare Piedmont counties for potential animal emergencies. Come join us and assist with closing gaps in animal response needs in our region. See the PEART calendar for meetings, training (most of which is FREE and open to the public) and events.

Follow us and  ’Like’ PEART’s FACEBOOK PAGE.

The “Are You Prepared? Zombie 5k/Walk/Shuffle”, coordinated by Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Emergency Management and held at Wake Forest University, raised over $1000 and over 600 pounds of food for Second Harvest Food Bank. The public, some dressed as zombies, came out to support emergency response personnel. Many local and state emergency response agencies, career and volunteer, dedicated their Saturday to reaching out to the public. Before and after the 5K/Walk/Shuffle, citizens were educated about the importance of being prepared for all types of emergencies as they toured the parking lot full of emergency response equipment and resources.

Take a look at pictures from the event!…….

Zombie 5k Pictures

THANKS TO ALL PARTICIPANTS!

SKYWARN Weather Spotter Training – Basic & Advanced

Saturday, May 25th / 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

Location: Forsyth County Cooperative Extension Building (Auditorium C)

1450 Fairchild Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27105

NWS-Raleigh webpage with SKYWARN information

The National Weather Service will present the SKYWARN Severe Weather Spotter program to help participants understand the warning process. Discussions of how and why buildings fail in high winds as well as thunderstorm development and severity will be covered. Attendees will learn to recognize cloud elements of developing thunderstorms and be able to determine storm motion, intensity and severity based on cloud structure. Lightning and its dangers will also be covered to help participants understand how lightning strikes and associated dangers.

The National Weather Service will also present the Advanced SKYWARN Severe Weather Spotter program. The class is designed to help students better understand the meteorology and dynamics behind all types of severe weather. The class will provide insight into the thunderstorm spectrum and how and why different types of storms develop.

Forsyth CERT will present WHAT IS FORSYTH CERT? between the Basic SKYWARN & Advanced SKYWARN training.

This training opportunity is FREE to attendees, open to the public & sponsored by Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Emergency Management and Forsyth CERT

Note: This will be the only Advanced SKYWARN training in the Triad this year!

Special thanks to the Raleigh Office of the National Weather Service for conducting the training and Forsyth County Cooperative Extension for providing the training location.

Forsyth CERT Brochure 2013

Forsyth CERT Description and CERT History

Meetings

Forsyth CERT Quarterly Meeting Minutes_23April2013

Other Forsyth CERT Information & Links

Forsyth CERT Facebook page   LIKE US!

Forsyth CERT Twitter page   FOLLOW US!

February 2013 TLAER Awareness. Photo courtesy of Georgia Taylor, DVM

TLAER – Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue

With funding assistance from The Winston-Salem Foundation and grant management assistance from H.E.R.O., PEART (Piedmont Emergency Animal Response Team) is proud to present the Operations level of  Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue (TLAER).

Important dates:

April 30th – Payment and registration deadline. Detailed instructions will be sent to selected participants

May 6th thru May 8th – course dates

• Times: 8am-5pm, daily (Mon, Tues & Wed)

Click here for map of location: 2532 Hamptonville Rd, Hamptonville, NC

DUSTY HORSES FARM….Yadkin County, NC

***Special thanks to Jim & Stephanie Danner for the use of their farm and facilities!***

There are two levels of participants for the TLAER Ops offering:

HANDS-ON  &  AUDITING/OBSERVING

Hands-on TLAER Operations level training – $200:

• Space is limited to 30 participants and will require participation in LIVE animal rescue scenarios. Visit TLAER.org for course details.
• Application link below. You will be given further course details, registration and payment instructions if you are selected as a participant.
• You will be notified if you are placed on a waiting list should we reach capacity.
• If selected, your NONREFUNDABLE $ 200 course fee is due on April 30th
• Course prerequisites for HANDS-ON: IS-100b, IS-10.a, IS-11.a & TLAER Awareness ….see below for link take those courses
• DO NOT apply for Hands-On to stand around and watch! All hands-on attendees must participate in scenarios and training!
• All hands-on attendees must provide their own protective headgear (helmet, hardhat), gloves, flashlight or headlamp and clothing appropriate for May weather in NC. You must also provide your own bug spray and sun protection. Firefighters should bring their gear to wear in the barn fire simulation.

Course Audititors/Observers – $100:

• Auditing/Observing provides TLAER Awareness (24 hours) certificate ONLY! This is NOT hands-on.
• Space is limited to 18 participants.
• Application link below. You will be given further course details, registration and payment instructions if you are selected as a participant.
• You will be notified if you are placed on a wait list should we reach capacity.
• If selected, your NONREFUNDABLE $ 100 course fee will be due on April 30th.
• Course prerequisites for AUDITING/OBSERVING: IS-100b, IS-10.a, IS-11.a, IS-111
• You must also provide your own bug spray and sun protection.

IS-100 (Intro to Incident Command System), IS-10 (Animals in Disaster – Module A), IS-11 (Animals in Disaster – Module B) & IS-111 (Livestock in Disasters) are on-line courses. You may take them here: http://www.training.fema.gov/IS/crslist.asp

You will be required to provide certificates for all prerequisites if selected to participate.

APPLY HERE

******************

Description of TLAER Operations Level Training….some details will vary, as determined by the instructor…..

The OPERATIONAL LEVEL Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue (TLAER) training is a 3 day (26 hour) course consisting of 4.5 hours of lecture (each morning), 3.5 hours of hands-on laboratory techniques each afternoon, and a 2 hour night operation on the second evening to practice SAR techniques and the Rescue Glide for recumbent animals. Hands-on experience is provided for all students and the overarching emphasis of the use of Incident Command System is featured throughout the course. OPERATIONAL LEVEL is intended for a specialized audience (CART/SART members, SAR members, large animal owners/groups, operational personnel in the emergency services, veterinary staff, animal control officers and specialty rescue teams, etc.) and anyone that needs to understand the specifics of TLAER operations and will expect to conduct live rescues.

Didactic instruction covers the foundation principles of all methodologies, techniques and procedures that are considered to reside within the “inventory” of modern tactics for response to the various types of TLAER rescue incidents; including a detailed of heavy / confined space / trench / fire / hazmat / swift & floodwater, unstable ground and vehicle extrication rescues, concluded with slingloading operations for large animal incidents. Incident Command System and the personnel that typically will respond with their duties and roles are introduced, with special attention to evacuation planning, disaster prevention, animal containment, and field euthanasia scenarios. Additionally, a heavy background is provided in the areas of large animal behavior in normal and rescue circumstances, critical medical issues encountered, and stress responses. Practicum is intensive and emphasizes instruction in rescue scene management regarding animal behavior, roles of responders, use of containment and basic to advanced manipulation methods. Live animals will be used for simple to difficult live demonstrations, students will perform these procedures and techniques with supervision from an instructor, to include basic to advanced handling skills. The use of live, trained large animals for the more difficult demonstrations (vertical lifts, recumbent animals, trapped in a confined space, etc.) and an intro to hands-on rope/mechanical advantage work is a feature of this course. A realistically weighted mannequin may be used in selected training scenarios to reduce the chance of injury to students and to demonstration animals (based on environmental factors, etc.).

Follow and ‘LIKE’ our PEART Facebook page for updates and other information

APRIL 27TH, 2013…..Get your zombie face on! This family event is designed to promote emergency, disaster and zombie apocalypse preparedness. Many agencies, organizations and emergency management partners will participate in this event to encourage community safety and preparedness. You do not have to participate in race activities to view the emergency and disaster displays, but we do ask that you donate canned food items for the food drive.

This event is a fundraising 5k and food drive that raises funds and food goods for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC. When grocery shopping, think of our neighbors who are hungry and grab a few non-perishables to take to the race for the Second Harvest Food Bank!

Entry fees:

Individual – $25 + 3 non-perishable food items

Teams of 5 or More – $20 + 3 non-perishable food items per person

WFU Students & Staff – any monetary or non-perishable food item donations with STUDENT or STAFF I.D.

REGISTER here

Registration Closing Date: Thursday, April 25, 2013 @ 11:59 PM US/Eastern

All activities will take place on the campus of Wake Forest University (1834 Wake Forest Rd, Winston-Salem, NC)

CALLING ALL ZOMBIES….1:30 pm, Poteat Field…… there will be a group photo taken of all participating ZOMBIES!

WFU Campus Map

• Parking: Lot Q or Lot W2
• Registration packets and Check-In: Lot X
• All races begin and end in Lot X
• Emergency & Disaster Displays: Lot W1 & Poteat Field

 Follow ReadyFORSYTH’s Facebook page for updates.

Downloadable flyer: AreYouPrepared_Zombie 5K_2013Flyer_UPDATED

Visit National Weather Service’s new website: Be a Force of Nature. This website is specific to our area in North Carolina and is managed by the Raleigh NWS Office. At this website learn how to “become a force of nature”: Know Your Risk, Pledge and Take Action & Be An Example. Daily weather topics are posted at this useful website, as well.

 Wednesday, March 6th, 9:30am, STATEWIDE TORNADO DRILL

North Carolina’s annual statewide tornado drill for 2013 will take place on Wednesday, March 6, at 9:30 AM EST. Every school, business, work place, and family across the state is strongly encouraged to participate in the statewide tornado drill. Here are some key points to remember about the drill:

• The drill will be broadcast on NOAA Weather Radio and the Emergency Alert System via the Required Monthly Test (RMT). There will not be an actual Tornado Warning issued.

• This drill and RMT will take the place of the usual weekly NOAA Weather Radio Alert test (RWT). That is, there will not be a weekly radio test done between 11 AM and Noon on that day.

• Most NOAA Weather Radio receivers (including the Midland WR-100 that many schools have) do not sound an audible alert for the RMT product, but instead, may have a blinking light on the display to indicate that an RMT was received. As such, when the RMT for the statewide tornado drill is initiated at 9:30 AM on Wednesday, March 6, 2013, there’s a good chance that your NOAA Weather Radio will not sound an alarm.

• Since your NOAA Weather Radio may not sound an alarm at the time the RMT is issued, you will want to do one of the following: simply plan to start your tornado drill own your own at 9:30 AM; or, you can manually turn on your NOAA Weather Radio receiver and simply listen to the audio broadcast to hear when the RMT is issued, which will mark the beginning of the statewide tornado drill.

• There will be no followup statements issued by the NWS to mark the end of the statewide tornado drill. It will simply be over when your group, school, business, organization, or family feel that you have adequately practiced your tornado shelter procedures.

• If there is actual severe weather occurring on the morning of March 6, 2013, the statewide tornado drill will be postponed. The alternate date for the drill is Friday, March 8, 2013 at 9:30 AM EST.

Due to scheduling conflicts, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools will be conducting their system-wide tornado drill on Friday, March 8th.

Piedmont Emergency Animal Response Team (PEART) is coordinating a Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue- Awareness Level (TLAER) training on February 23 & 24th. The training will be held at Davidson Community College. This highly-regarded course was made possible due to a generous grant from The Winston-Salem Foundation. In partnership with PEART, Horse Education & Rescue Organization (H.E.R.O.) applied for the grant.

This course will provide much needed training for emergency responders, veterinarians, emergency managers, farmers and other large animal welfare stakeholders. It is very rare that the training is offered at such a reasonable cost to the participant, $30. Course details, payment information and registration can be found HERE.

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Emergency Management coordinated a multi-agency exercise in the Union Cross Road/Kernersville area in Dec of 2012. Over 140 participants from local, state and federal agencies came together to practice response operations for a potentially large-scale incident.

Local media covered the exercise. Click here for more information.

In 2013, include technology in your personal emergency plans. Visit Ready.gov/Resolve to learn more about incorporating technology into your plans, such as saving important information to the cloud, using Google docs and using your mobile device to send messages during emergencies.

Knowing what to do before, during and after an emergency is a critical part of being prepared and may make all the difference when seconds count. In order for you and your family to be safe, planning in advance is critical.

RESOLVE 2B READY in 2013