Outcomes and Benefits of OK Drill (It's as easy as 1-2-3-4!)

Outcomes of the OK Drill

Residents will:

  1. Review their Disaster Plan and check their emergency supplies
  2. Tune into (if available) their local AM Emergency Radio stations for instructions
  3. Post their OK sign in a window facing a street or mailbox


Benefits of the OK Drill

  1. People taking personal responsibility for their own welfare through Planning and Preparation
  2. Creating Community by participating in an area-wide drill
  3. Leadership Development through establishing CERT Emergency Response Teams

This simple, yet dynamic, drill provides opportunities to create and enhance teamwork, communications and leadership. Ojai Valley CERT contributes the success of our organization's growth and development to the first Ojai OK Drill held on 9/17/08.

This is how we do it!

  • Ojai Valley CERT (Ojai , CA) is inviting all CERT (and volunteer response) groups to join us for a coordinated drill on the third Wednesday of September at 7PM (your local time).
  • Create OK Signs - Print OK Signs (on Letter Size, Yellow Paper) with applicable information on reverse side
  • Distribute OK Signs - CERT members giving out within their neighborhood; Fire Dept visiting classrooms; Faith-based organizations; Libraries; City Hall; Farmers Markets, etc.
  • Create Neighborhood Areas - Based on Volunteer Response Team Jurisdiction, divide city/town into areas (maximum of 9)
  • Designate Neighborhood Area Command Post - Each Neighborhood Area has a command post with a Neighborhood Area Coordinator
  • Further Divide Neighborhood Areas into NERTs - Based on CERT Volunteer residence and geography, subdivide into smaller areas (Neighborhood Emergency Response Teams)
  • Designate Rendezvous Points - Each NERT has a specific rendezvous point with a Coordinator
  • NERT Assignment - Assign each CERT member to a NERT
  • Assign radio operators (ideally Ham Operator) -- Assign to each Neighborhood Area Coordinator and NERT Coordinator
  • Search Areas Planned - Plan ahead search areas for each NERT
  • Counting Begins - After teams rally at rendezvous point, count designated search area (Note: You have one hour to complete count)
  • Communication of counts - NERT Coordinators Communicate to Neighborhood Area Coordinators
  • Neighborhood Area Count - Area Coordinators tally NERT counts and communicate (via radio) to Command Center (Note: You should be complete by 8:30PM)
  • Command Center tallies Neighborhood Counts - Command Center adds up totals from all Neighborhood Areas
  • Command Center communicates to Ojai Valley CERT - Send email to ojaivalleycert@gmail.com with organization, location and total count.
  • We look forward to collaborating with you.
  • Files & Additional Information - please click on this link

Friday, September 18, 2009

Ojai Valley CERT assigned Ham Radio Simplex Frequencies

Wayne Francis (Emergency Coordinator for Ojai Valley Amateur Radio Club, Area 5), who represents our group to Ventura County Auxiliary Communications Service, assigned specific Ham Radio Simplex Frequencies to each of the nine (9) CERT Neighborhood Areas.

Last year's Ojai OK! Drill was a success because 11 local Ham Operators shadowed Neighborhood Area Coordinators and communicated total counts to the EOC.

Since then, there has been a concerted effort to license new operators, with over 50 additional operators becoming licensed. We recently held a licensing in Ojai which added 10 new operators.

For the October 14th Drill, we plan on having more operators within each Neighborhood -- ideally one for each NERT Coordinator. Most of the CERT Neighborhood Area Coordinators are now Ham Operators.

By using Simplex freqnencies within each Neighborhood it will allow each NERT Coordinator to effectively communicate to the Neighborhood Area Coordinator using a trusted and proven communications system.

Here are the Simplex frequencies for Ojai:

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Saturday, September 12, 2009

Radio Ojai Interview (9/11/09)



Check out "Lisa Interviews Paul Garth of the Ojai OK! Drill"
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Moorpark CERT OK Drill Video

Moorpark CERT OK Drill from Reel Life Pictures on Vimeo.