News and Alerts

Informational articles, links, and stories.

ALX VA Newsletter Oct-Dec 2023

From our friends at Alexandria VA CERT.

Please keep in mind the contact information you see in this newsletter are specific to Alexandria VA unless otherwise noted.

The theme of the October – December issue is emotional aspects of disasters and helping people cope. The second page addresses emergency and disaster preparation for persons with mental health or behavioral health conditions. It also includes tips when someone has autism or dementia.

As always, share the newsletter with family, friends, neighbors, and other colleagues.

All back issues of the newsletter are in the Public folder on the Alexandria CERT document portal.

CERTCON 2023 | Oct 20-22 | U of DC

Yes, you read that right, CERTCON. This event is open to EVERYONE, not just CERT members. 

The National Capital Region has been hosting a CERTCON since 2011. This year marks the second year it will be hosted by the National Capital Region CERT Consortium (NCRC) in conjunction with the DC Mayor’s office and ServeDC.

Some of the topics covered (including hands-on and interactive games):

  • Be Prepared Kits and Plans for disasters such as tornados, hurricanes, floods, etc
  • Communicating during a disaster
  • Fire safety
  • FEMA Be The Help Until Help Arrives
  • Basic First Aid
  • Mental Health First Aid
  • Disasterville simulation game
  • AND MORE!

If you are not a member of a CERT, here is your opportunity to see some of the things a CERT member can volunteer to take part in while giving you the opportunity to speak to CERT members from around the region.

The three links below will provide more details about the NCRC, CERTCON, along with a flyer for this event.

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

CERTCON 2023 Flyer

ABOUT CERTCON

ABOUT NCRCERT

 

2023 Emergency Preparedness Expo

We hope you will come out and join AAACERT and the Anne Arundel County Office of Emergency Management for the 2023 Emergency Preparedness Expo.

The expo will be held Saturday, September 16 from 10am-2pm at the Anne Arundel Community College Arundel Mills Campus.

This free, family-friendly event has hands-on displays, games, and activities for all ages provided by various County public safety agencies and our partners. This event is sponsored by the Anne Arundel County Office of Emergency Management as part of National Preparedness Month and is intended as a fun-filled way to learn about preparing for emergencies!

Please click HERE for FEMA’s Ready.gov 2023 Calendar.

Congrats, CERT Basic Class of May 2023!

 

Congratulations to the May 2023 CERT Basic training class. The final exercise at the Anne Arundel County Fire Training Academy in Millersville, MD consisted of 13 class members. It was a beautiful sunny day. The group performed excellently and found all our volunteer victims. Check out our Facebook page for more photos of this and other events.

Interested in taking part in our next class starting in April, check out our WEBSITE for more details or email our TRAINING team.

Ferndale Festival 2023

Thank you to AAACERT members Joy, Bruce, DJ and, of course, our partner Jim (far left) at AACo OEM.

We want to thank everyone who visited our booth at this year’s Ferndale Festival. It was a perfect weather day, and the turnout was fantastic. We look forward to the next community-based event where we can say hello and introduce you to CERT and our organization, Anne Arundel Annapolis CERT.

Check out our website for more information about CERT and how you
“Can Be The Help Until Help Arrives.”

See our Facebook page for more pictures of AAACERT in action.

Congrats Severn School TEEN CERT Basic Class of April 2023!

 

Congratulations to the April 2023 Teen CERT Basic training class from Severn School. What an amazing group. After two other local schools had to pull out, Severn School students stepped up and almost filled the class. The students participated in CERT training at their school before coming together for the final exercise at the Anne Arundel County Fire Training Academy in Millersville, MD.  The class performed extremely well and found and treated all the survivors. Check out our Facebook page for more photos of this and other events.

Interested in taking part in our next class, check out our WEBSITE for more details or email our TRAINING team.

ALX VA Newsletter April-June 2023

From our friends at Alexandria VA CERT.

Please keep in mind the contact information you see in this newsletter are specific to Alexandria VA unless otherwise noted.

This new issue of the Alexandria CERT newsletter focuses on flooding: Flooding is one of the more costly natural disasters that can affect a community. More frequent, more intense storms in the Mid-Atlantic are
bringing heavier rainfall to storm systems that were never designed or outfitted for weather this severe.

Please share the newsletter with family, friends, neighbors, and work colleagues.

CLICK HERE FOR THE NEWSLETTER FOLDER

Congrats, CERT Basic Class of March 2023!

 

Congratulations to the March 2023 CERT Basic training class. The final exercise at the Anne Arundel County Fire Training Academy in Millersville, MD consisted of 14 class members. It was a beautiful sunny day, the calm after the storm. The group performed excellently and found all our volunteer victims. Check out our Facebook page for more photos of this and other events.

Interested in taking part in our next class starting in April, check out our WEBSITE for more details or email our TRAINING team.

AAACERT Has a New Logo

We are proud to introduce our new logo. After over two years of planning and many rounds of votes and edits, members have chosen this logo and we couldn’t be more excited.

ALX VA Newsletter Jan 2023

From our friends at Alexandria VA CERT.

Please keep in mind the contact information you see in this newsletter are specific to Alexandria VA unless otherwise noted.

This new issue of the Alexandria CERT newsletter is for your pets: how to prepare yourself and them for disasters and things to do for them during and after disasters. You can also learn about CARTs — Community Animal Response Teams. Please share the newsletter with family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.

Please share the newsletter with family, friends, neighbors, and work colleagues.

CLICK HERE FOR THE NEWSLETTER FOLDER

Congrats, TEEN CERT Basic Class of October 2022!

 

Congratulations to the October 2022 Teen CERT Basic training class from Meade High School and Severn School. Each class participated in CERT training at their schools before coming together for the final exercise at the Anne Arundel County Fire Training Academy in Millersville, MD.  The class performed extremely well despite not knowing each other. Checkout our Facebook page for more photos of this and other events.

Interested in taking part in our next class, checkout our WEBSITE for more details or email our TRAINING team.

CERTCON 2022

Thank you to everyone who came out to the CERTCON 2022 event held in Alexandria, VA.

CERTCON is open to everyone interested in emergency preparedness and response, including volunteers for Medical Reserve Corps, Red Cross, Team Rubicon, among others. We encourage anyone, a member of CERT or not, to attend the 2023 CERTCON.

Check out the CERTCON website and links to photos.

 

 

 

EPLEX 2022

Bruce Morgenstern is loaded into the back of an ambulance during EPLEX 2022.
Bruce Morgenstern is loaded into the back of an ambulance during EPLEX 2022.

AAACERT is proud to have helped support the 2022 EPLEX event at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport on November 5, 2022 by providing over 30 volunteers to help first responders from the BWI Fire Department and surrounding jurisdictions train for a mass casualty incident such as a plane crash. Great moulage added to the realism. The scenario started with a mass casualty incident (nearby fire and 87 passengers in various states of distress). Firefighters and paramedics did initial triage, secondary triage, and then transported victims to a treatment area.

Check out our Facebook page for more photos provided by AAACERT member Rich Saad.

 

 

 

ALX VA Newsletter Nov-Dec 2022

From our friends at Alexandria VA CERT.

Please keep in mind the contact information you see in this newsletter are specific to Alexandria VA unless otherwise noted.

Here is the holiday edition of the CERT newsletter, with a focus hazards and safety tips for cooking. The second page of the newsletter covers safety for shopping online, winter travel, and preventing fires during the winter.

Please share the newsletter with family, friends, neighbors, and work colleagues.

CLICK HERE FOR THE NEWSLETTER FOLDER

CERTCON 2022 | Nov 18-20 | GW MS in Alexandria

Yes, you read that right, CERTCON. This event is open to EVERYONE, not just CERT members. 

The National Capital Region has been hosting a CERTCON since 2011. This year marks the first year it will be hosted by the National Capital Region CERT Consortium (NCRC).

This multi-day event will feature sessions on community safety such as stop the bleed, emergency chef, and duct tape triage; just to name a few.

If you are not a member of a CERT, here is your opportunity to see some of the things a CERT member can volunteer to take part in while giving you the opportunity to speak to CERT members from around the region.

The three links below will provide more details about the NCRC, CERTCON, along with a flyer for this event.

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

CERTCON 2022 Flyer

ABOUT CERTCON

ABOUT NCRCERT

 

Elktonia Carr’s Beach Signing Ceremony

View of Elktonia Beach
Image from the Chesapeake Conservancy website.

AAACERT was very proud to provide traffic and parking support to the City of Annapolis during the historic Elktonia Carr’s Beach Signing Ceremony.

AAACERT President Bruce Morgenstern posing with Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford.
AAACERT President Bruce Morgenstern posing with Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford.
CERT member Mark Demyanovich greets Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford.
CERT member Mark Demyanovich greets Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following snippet is from the Chesapeake Conservancy website at: https://www.chesapeakeconservancy.org/elktonia-beach/

Elktonia Beach, a 5-acre waterfront parcel on the Chesapeake Bay, is the last remnant of the original 180-acre property purchased by Fred Carr in 1902. Carr’s and Sparrow’s Beaches were privately-owned and operated by Fred Carr’s daughters, Elizabeth Carr Smith and Florence Carr Sparrow. The “Beaches” (1930s-1970s), as they were called, represented the heart of entertainment throughout the mid-Atlantic region and welcomed Blacks during a time of segregation.

Elktonia Beach Parcel
Image from the Chesapeake Conservancy website.

Last CERT Basic Class of 2022

Minions With Bullhorn

Friends, we need your help!

Please post this to your social feeds and ask your friends and family
members if they are interested.

Our last CERT Basic class of 2022 is quickly approaching and seats are still available. The first class is starting September 9th. Please visit our website for details on the class including scheduling, topics covered, and the sign up link.

Keep in mind you do NOT need to join AAACERT after completing CERT Basic. But you WILL have piece of mind knowing the ‘what’ and ‘how’ you can help yourself, your family, and your neighbors in the event of an emergency.

An emergency isn’t always a global catastrophe. Sever weather like tornadoes, micro-burst storms, and blizzards along with “normal” injuries are all examples we can and do face in every day life. CERT Basic class will provide you the knowledge to help UNTIL HELP ARRIVES.

2022 Emergency Preparedness Expo

We hope you will come out and join AAACERT and the Anne Arundel County Office of Emergency Management for the 2022 Emergency Preparedness Expo.

The expo will be held Saturday, September 17 from 10am-2pm at the Anne Arundel Community College Arundel Mills Campus.

This free, family-friendly event has hands-on displays, games, and activities for all ages provided by various County public safety agencies and our partners. This event is sponsored by the Anne Arundel County Office of Emergency Management as part of National Preparedness Month and is intended as a fun-filled way to learn about preparing for emergencies!

 

Emergency Preparedness Expo 2022

First Sundays with The Arc

The Arc Central Chesapeake Logo

The Arc, “…advocate(s) for equity and access for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live self-determined lives and foster opportunities towards self-sufficiency.”

Since June, AAACERT has been proud to set up our community tent next to The Arc Central Chesapeake Region during the First Sunday Arts Festival in Annapolis. AAACERT provided emergency and disaster preparedness material for visitors and answered questions about our mission and how people can better prepare themselves.

Young visitor from The Arc pets Dudley, unofficial fur baby of AAACERT.

The Arc set up a very special tent where visitors, mainly children and young adults, would sit and paint their vision of what First Responders and Preparedness mean to them. They would first sketch out their ideas and once completed, they would paint them on a tile. All paintings will eventually come together in a tapestry-type display.

We look forward to working with The Arc on many more events in the future. We encourage you to check out their website at www.thearc.org

If you’d like to print out a copy of the emergency preparedness forms and checklists, visit our new BE PREPARED page on our website at www.aaacert.org/be-prepared/

Sunday Arts Festival — Karen and Mark Demyanovich with Dudley