CERT group takes a tour of Fire Station 48

On July 28, the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) went on a field trip to Fire Station 48. It was eye-opening to hear about what the firemen in the station are responsible for, how they live, and how they’re trained to help in the event of a big earthquake or tsunami. But mostly they covered what they do as paramedics and how they help the LW community every day.

The firefighters told the group that about 95% of the emergency calls they receive are for medical emergencies, though they also report to fire and traffic emergencies.

The station did a great presentation after a tour of their spotlessly clean living and sleeping areas where four people work at a time on 72-hour shifts, three days a week, with four days off. Since the station is staffed 24 hours a day and seven days a week the station house boasts a state-of-the-art kitchen facility.

The CERT members asked a lot of questions concentrating on what LWers can do in their homes in case of a fire. The station suggested having a plan to escape quickly through a door or window, and making sure to have a File of Life with a current list of emergency contacts and medical data. The File of Life should be posted on the refrigerator or inside a medicine cabinet in the bathroom so that first responders can easily find it in an emergency.

The station pointed out the fact that the buildings in Leisure World are built with a common

A group of firefighters stand next to a fire truck attic. As a result, a fire could spread quickly in the attics. It is essential to make sure smoke detectors are working properly. The station encouraged people to know the location of fire alarms and fire extinguishers and to keep their bedroom door closed at night in case of a fire to slow the fire’s spread into where people are sleeping.

Towards the end of the presentation, the station received an emergency call and had to leave immediately, but they left the group in good hands with Elizabeth Denney, the Orange County Fire Authority’s community relations/ education specialist, to continue answering questions.

CERT’s next meeting will be on Friday, Aug. 25, in Clubhouse 3, Room 9, where the topic will be finding resilience after a disaster.

—Jan Friedland