What is CORE? > >The Oakland Fire Services Agency Office of Emergency Services is proud >to offer the CORE program to Oakland residents. CORE sets a new >standard for emergency preparedness and residential hazard reduction. > >Since its inception in 1990, the CORE program has provided training to >more than 5,000 Oakland residents. Many of the neighborhood groups who >attended training are still maintaining their skills through regular, >area-wide activities. > >CORE was designed to accomplish three goals: > >? Minimize natural hazards and risks around the home > >? Increase self-reliance skills at the individual and neighborhood level >during a disaster and during the first critical 72 hours after a >disaster. > >? Augment public safety and other emergency response personnel with a >cadre of trained volunteers. > >CORE has successfully accomplished these goals and more! The 10-hour >CORE training program is offered to individuals, neighborhood groups, >PTAs and community-based organizations free of charge! The three >training courses include: > >CORE I Home and Family Preparedness (one 2-hour class) Citizens learn >how to reduce common household hazards, prepare emergency kits, develop >evacuation plans and know what to do in the event of an earthquake, >wildfire, chemical emergency or severe winter storm. > >CORE II Developing Neighborhood Response Teams (one 2-hour class) >Citizens learn how to set up a neighborhood response area, select a >group leader and develop emergency response teams (e.g. Search and >Rescue, Safety and Utilities, Damage Assessment, Communication, First >Aid, Shelter and Special Needs). CORE I and CORE II classes are >conducted at a neighborhood site. > >CORE III Advanced Hands-on Training (three 2-hour classes) Citizens >acquire hands-on experience in fire suppression, light search and >rescue, damage assessment, incident management and disaster medical. >The third session includes a functional exercise based on a magnitude >7.0 earthquake. All of the hands-on training is conducted at the Oakland >Fire Services Agency Training Center. >CORE Products > >The CORE program offers three specially designed emergency preparedness >and response training workbooks to augment each of the courses. A CORE >video, produced with KTVU-TV, provides a valuable enactment of CORE >teams in action. In addition, neighborhood exercise packets have been >developed for use throughout Oakland to add to the on-going training >efforts of all CORE-trained groups. > >The CORE program produces and distributes a quarterly newsletter, Esprit >de CORE, which provides interesting details about active CORE groups, >training programs that are available and other safety information. >Anyone who would like to be on the Esprit de CORE mailing list may call >510/238-6351. > > >AWARDS AND HONORS > >CORE was the proud recipient of the prestigious California Governors >Outstanding Service Award in 1991, an award of merit for outstanding >creativity from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 1993 >and a certificate for excellence from the Northern California Disaster >Preparedness Network. > >The CORE program has been featured as a model program at FEMAs >Emergency Management Institute and the Western Canadian disaster >preparedness annual conference. The CORE program has been the basis for >other neighborhood preparedness training program in Mexico, England and >throughout the United States. > >CORE was one of the founding members of Baynet, a Bay Area-wide >consortium of public agencies that strive to enhance public safety >through disaster preparedness. > > >MORE INFORMATION > >Anyone who is interested in more information about CORE training or >emergency preparedness can call 510/238-6351. >

-- Daren Henderson (TryChange@aol.com), June 18, 1999