Man on a mission: Tom Duker wants 40 volunteers for emergency response

By Jo Garcia-Cobb

Tom Duker is a man on a mission and he’s not letting up until Mount Angel’s fledgling Citizens Emergency Response Team or CERT has at least 40 volunteers.

“It isn’t a question of if, but when, a disaster strikes our community, and we’re unprepared,” said Duker, who started CERT in 2008. Currently, only five of the 19 Mount Angel CERT volunteers are fully certified.

“When a major disaster hits, the professional response teams would be totally overwhelmed,” Duker said, adding earthquakes and big storms are the most likely to hit the area.

A major quake is the county’s biggest worry. The Marion County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan corroborates Duker’s concern: “The majority of Oregon communities remain unprepared because there is a general lack of understanding regarding earthquake hazards among Oregonians.”

The report further stresses the need for Marion County residents to prepare for earthquakes, as it is almost certain that significant loss of life, injuries and property damage will occur during a strong earthquake.

This conclusion is based on the fact that a significant portion of the population and of the state government infrastructure is located within an area of greatest hazard. Also, many older buildings and utility facilities have not been designed to resist earthquake damage.

Duker hopes that the recent spate of natural disasters in Haiti, Chile, New Zealand and Japan will move citizens to do everything possible to mitigate the loss of lives and property.

“The big one may or may not happen within my lifetime, but it can also happen tomorrow,” said Duker, who assisted with preparedness and response training for state and county government agencies in New Mexico.

Based on research from the Oregon Department of Geology, a cataclysmic quake rocks the region once every 241 years on average. As it stands, 311 years have passed since the last big quake of Jan. 26, 1700, and the next one may be overdue.

The Mount Angel Fault has been identified as the most active faults near the Portland metropolitan area, and was probably associated with the March 25, 1993 earthquake that caused significant damage in Scotts Mills, Mount Angel and surrounding areas.

Duker points out the city of Mount Angel has a good emergency preparedness plan that he encourages residents to read. The plan, however, does not indicate the location of emergency shelters.  “It is the most commonly asked question I receive from Mount Angel residents, and the City Emergency Management Plan needs to make sure that it has those shelters identified,” he said.

The Mount Angel CERT, sponsored by the Mount Angel Fire District, has gained the support of the community’s major stakeholders, including the mayor, city administrator, and the police chief. It’s getting enough volunteers that’s been a challenge. “Many people have expressed interest, but haven’t been able to find the time to undergo training,” Duker said.

Mount Angel CERT is offering basic CERT training, that involves eight sessions, for a minimal fee. “We’ll do everything we can to get you trained,” Duker said. Chemeketa Community College is also the offering the CERT training for free this spring term.

The CERT concept was developed  and implemented by the Los Angeles City Fire Department in 1985 and has been adopted in towns across the nation and overseas.

CERT members receive basic training in fire suppression, light search and rescue, disaster medical operations, traffic control, disaster psychology, team organization and emergency preparedness. Some CERT groups, including Mount Angel’s, also supplement community agencies during large social events, festivals and celebrations.

CERTs also distribute guidelines for community residents on how to cope with an extended emergency, and help get victims to designated shelters, obtain food and other supplies and medical assistance.

Duker has been developing a database of citizens who can help out in other ways. “We’d like to hear from retired doctors, nurses, firefighters, contractors and farmers with equipment, and people who have generators. Or even those who simply want to help in some way.”

The Mount Angel CERT looks forward to having enough volunteers to assist schools and other establishments conduct earthquake drills, hold preparedness presentations and help the city develop a mass notification system during an emergency.

“Every bit of assistance could one day make a huge difference for your, your family’s or neighbor’s survival,” Duker said.