Let’s face it, in San Francisco we live in Earthquake country. Now, if you ask me, I’ll take an earthquake over hurricanes or tornadoes or snow storms any day. Most earthquakes provide nothing more than a little jolt of adrenaline. But there is the very real possibility that an earthquake in San Francisco can have some very devastating effects. For that matter, we also face other real dangers including a tsunami, or even a terrorist attack. Any one of these can force the ENTIRE city’s emergency response professional into service, with many areas that will still be left completely unserved. As recent tragedies such as Katrina have shown us, we can’t truly depend on the government to help us, and much instead be prepared to rely solely on ourselves. So with all that being said, I am very proud to say that on Thursday July 12th, I began my NERT training. I’ve been to two sessions so far and now know how to shut off my gas from the street in gas of an emergency and how to use a fire extinguisher. There’s lots more to learn, but it’s a start! For those of you that have never heard of NERT, it stands for "Neighborhood Emergency Response Team Training." NERT is a 20 hour training program that the San Francisco Fire Department provides FREE to its citizens! The goals of NERT training in the event of an emergency situation are:

    -To prepare your family and home to survive
    -To protect yourself first so that you will be able to help others
    -To assist family and neighbors during time of disaster
    -To work as part of an emergency response team

Essentially, the goal of this program is to help the residents of San Francisco be self sufficient in a major disaster situation by developing multi-functional teams, cross-trained in basic emergency skills. Through this program, you can learn hands-on disaster skills that will help you as a member of an emergency response team and/or as a leader directing untrained volunteers during an emergency. There is no cost for NERT training, and the class sessions are approximately 3 hours. By the time the class sessions are over, you will be able to help not only yourself and your family in the event of an emergency, but you your friends, neighbors and fellow citizens as well. For more information the NERT training program, visit: http://www.sfgov.org/site/sfnert_index.asp P.S. You also get a cool yellow hard hat and a bright orange vest when you graduate. If being prepared in the event of an emergency isn’t enough incentive for you to sign up, the hat and vest should certainly be enough to prompt you to do it!