October 26, 2004 > Community Gets Prepared and Makes a Difference

by Mekala Raman

This last Saturday, October 23rd, was Make A Difference Day and the Mission San Jose High School's (MSJHS) Disaster Preparedness Club, Fremont Fire Department and American Red Cross hosted a Personal Emergency Preparedness and First Aid workshop for 3 1/2 hours from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The trainees included students from Mission and American High Schools, and adults from various parts of Fremont.

The officers of the MSJHS Disaster Preparedness Club would like to thank all the volunteers who made this program possible and a success. Mr. Gordon Yost, who is part of the Fremont (CERT) Support Services Staff and Centerville's CERT District Coordinator, volunteered more than 5 hours on Saturday morning to prepare the site and teach the Personal Emergency Preparedness (PEP) class. He taught the basics on how to keep "yourself and your family" safe in the case of a natural, biological, or terrorist disaster and how to devise a proper evacuation and reunification plan.

Mr. Yost also stressed the important issue of utility control, knowing when it is necessary to turn off the gas, electricity, or water controls to avoid sometimes fatal accidents. He also briefed the class on hazardous materials, how to read a placard, some basic first aid, and how to handle a person with a bleeding wound before help is able to arrive.

Berkeley student Jennifer Lee from the American Red Cross taught a 1-hour course on basic first-aid. Information included how to deal with a situation by carefully assessing a disaster area and its condition to make sure you don't put yourself at possible risk and then attending to the victim. She also taught the class how to assist a profusely bleeding, unconscious, or choking person.

The club would like to extend a special thanks to the Tri City Voice for sponsoring and providing them with delectable donuts and hot coffee, which really hit the spot by comforting and easing the class through the cold, rainy weather conditions.

Thank you to all for helping to make the class such a success.