Prepare Fair '09

September 12, 2009 - Are you ready for an emergency?  Learn how to be better prepared for personal or community disasters at Prepare Fair ’09.  This free event, hosted by Cowlitz County Department of Emergency Management, will be at the Kessler Elementary School Gymnasium on Saturday, September 12^th from 10am-2pm.  Participants include local fire departments, law enforcement, search and rescue, Emergency Management and MANY more!  There will be tons of prizes, games, activities and informational demonstrations.  Bring the whole family for a day of learning and fun!  For more information, contact the Department of Emergency Management at 577-3130 or www.co.cowlitz.wa.us/DEM.

Senior Connections Fair

May 2, 2009 - DEM was an exhibitor at the 2nd annual Senior Connections Fair held at the Cowlitz County Regional Conference Center.  We teamed up with 9-1-1 to provide information about emergency preparedness, health care tips and 9-1-1 emergency communications information.   We look forward to participating again next year.

CERT Refresher

April 25, 2009 -- Several CERT grads turned out for the CERT refresher and new skills workshop.  The students learned all about emergency communications during a disaster and about long-term food storage.   After a delicious lunch provided by the Department of Emergency Management, Jean McGovern, Lieutenant Paramedic from Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue led a refresher section on disaster medical skills.

Vulnerable Populations

November 19th, 2008 -- Cowlitz County is looking for volunteers to assist in developing a plan emphasizing self-sufficiency for all vulnerable populations.   Vulnerable populations include but are not limited to those who are physically or mentally disabled (blind, deaf, hard-of-hearing, cognitive disorders, mobility limitations), limited or non-English speaking, homeless, and frail/elderly.   A meeting to identify the various organizations who serve vulnerable populations will be held at Cowlitz County PUD on November 19th at 1:00p.m.

Terrorism Awareness

September 8, 2008 -- Back by popular demand!  This class is instructed by Longview Fire Department Battalion Chief Kevin Taylor who was formerly employed as a consultant by the Department of Homeland Security.   The class helps students understand the threat to our society, how they can take part in protecting their community and some common sense measures everyone can take to keep themselves safe.

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Course

Tuesday, October 28, 2008 -- The Cowlitz County Department of Emergency Management is pleased to announce that a second Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) class of 2008 is being offered.  This course consists of eight  3-hour classes between October 28th and November 13th.   In order to obtain a certificate, attendance is required in all eight classes.  For more information view the flyer and class schedule. 

Cowlitz County Fair!

July 30th - August 2nd, 2008 -- The theme of the County Fair this year was "Celebrate in '08!"  The Department of Emergency Management staff and volunteers participated each day of the fair offering a disaster preparedness game, prizes, important safety literature, giveaways, tours of our communications van and much more.  

Terrorism Awareness

On Thursday, May 29th a Terrorism Awareness class was held.  The class was instructed by Longview Fire Department Battalion Chief Kevin Taylor who was formerly employed as a consultant by the Department of Homeland Security.   The class helped students understand the threat to our society, how they can take part in protecting their community and some common sense measures everyone can take to keep themselves safe.

Map Your Neighborhood!

Monday, May 19th, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. -- Several community members attended the most recent Map Your Neighborhood  training led by Washington State Emergency Management Division Public Education Manager LuAn Johnson.   "Map Your Neighborhood" is a program designed to help neighborhoods prepare for disasters.   Attendees learned the 9 Steps to Take Immediately Following a Disaster to secure their home and protect their families and neighbors.   Other topics discussed included creating a neighborhood map to identify the locations of natural gas and propane tanks, creating a neighborhood contact list and learning to work together as a team.   If you are interested in more information about the Map Your Neighborhood program, please contact Jennifer Engkraf, at 360-577-3130.

ARRL Review and Testing

Saturday, May 17th, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 pm. -- "Get Your License and Talk to the World!"   Lower Columbia Amateur Radio Association sponsored ARRL Review and Testing for Technician, General and Extra Ham Radio Licenses. 

On Tuesday May 13^th the seawall along the Lewis River Road was partially deployed as part of a planned exercise.  Crews from the City of Woodland and Cowlitz County Diking District #2 started the exercise about 8:00 AM and had erected the first seven sections of the wall 45 minutes later.  This is the first deployment of the seawall since the 1996 flooding.

The crew of four was able to erect the sections quickly because the materials were previously staged at the site.  It was estimated that a similar sized crew could put the full 25 sections of the wall (200 feet) up in less than three hours should an emergency require it.  Traffic along Lewis River Road was not disrupted although North Goerig Street was closed for about 4 hours. 

Seawall Exercise Plan
 

Prepare Fair `08!

Saturday, April 12, 2008 -- Prepare Fair ’08 was a hit!  A rare sunny day was appreciated by fair goers as they toured impressive emergency response vehicles, gathered emergency preparedness information, played games and met dogs from the Humane Society (while also discovering the basics of pet emergency preparedness). Attendees learned all manner of emergency preparedness and response from agencies such as Washington State Patrol, Red Cross, Search and Rescue and many, many more.  Putting out actual fires with a fire extinguisher was the most popular event of the day.  “What a great event,” said one attendee.  “Our son collected a vast amount of information to help him with a project he is doing to earn the Boy Scouts of America "Emergency Preparedness Award". This was a well organized and fun event that our whole family enjoyed.”  Several prizes including 72-hour emergency kits and emergency radios were handed out to excited winners.   More pictures of the event can be viewed here.   

Congratulations CERT Class of 2008!

 
Search Engine Optimization