Saturday, January 9, 2010

Frostival 2010 with a CERT Twist

"How can you get the CERT message across to 2 to 12 year olds without scaring them for life? Make it a GAME.

Our Outreach Team came up with a fun game that was informative as well as giving the player a prize. Who doesn't like getting a prize!!! So, the kids got to stick their hand in a green box filled with white plastic peanuts and pull out a piece of paper with a question. If the answer was given correctly (with help from mom or dad, or the ever helpful CERT booth babes or dudes) a nifty pen light or CERT pen was given. This game drew a crowd!!

We also had a quieter coloring page activity. 275 Preparedness Activity books were handed out as well. And we got a full page of parental sign ups for CERT classes. Those of you CERTs that were nursing a hangover; you missed a great event. We had a booth location near the stage." (Reprinted from Fairfax County CERT Blog)

Neighbors Helping Neighbors was pleased to suggest the concept of pulling questions out of the snow (box). And applauds the local CERT team for another successful outreach event.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Join Multiple Citizen Corps Organizations To Make A Bigger Difference

H1N1 Clinics
Fairfax County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC)

We Train. We Exercise. We Do.

Several folks from other Citizen Corps programs have inquired how they can join others and help out with the Fairfax County Health Department H1N1 Vaccination Clinics.

For example, the Fairfax Coutny CERTs you have seen at the clinics, are also Fairfax County MRC volunteers. Many volunteers in Fairfax County are also members of and trained in other Citizen Corps programs.

In order to volunteer with the clinics, you are required to be an MRC volunteer. If you are interested in joining MRC, you can signup at https://www.fairfaxmrc.org/regprocess.php

You will then need to attend MRC 101 Orientation. The next class is December 16th from 7-9pm.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Local CERT Helps with Regional Rail Hostage Disaster Exercise



"Members of Fairfax County CERT participated in a disaster drill conducted by the Virginia Railway Express. The premise of this disaster exercise was a train crash; with an active shooter taking hostages aboard one of the rail cars.

This drill involved numerous federal law enforcement entities, along with Fairfax County fire and rescue department assets. It was an AWESOME disaster exercise, folks." (Reprinted from Fairfax County CERT Facebook)


Monday, November 2, 2009

No Cost Outreach - Volunteer Police Programs in Washington Post

Another option to saving taxpayer and grant dollars for advertising volunteer programs is to have them featured in a story in the local newspaper.

The Fairfax County volunteer police programs were featured in the Washington Post Metro Section and also appeared in the Fairfax County Times.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors first discovered this article while riding the Metro, reading the free newspapers that are handed out every morning to thousands and thousands of riders.


The complete article about their program and benefits to the community, Officers in their off-hours: inside the police auxiliary is available online.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Fairfax H1N1 Mass Clinics Also Featured in NY Times

The Fairfax County H1N1 Mass Clinics were also featured in the New York Times, H1N1 Widespread in 46 States as Vaccines Lag".


"In Fairfax County, Va., officials had planned to have swine flu clinics at 10 different locations on Saturday. But the county did not receive the number of doses it requested, and was forced to offer the vaccinations only at the government building. People began lining up with camping gear the night before to get vaccinations.

Merni Fitzgerald, Fairfax’s public affairs director, said officials were aiming to administer 12,000 doses of the vaccine to those most at risk for serious complications from the H1N1 virus, mainly pregnant women and children 6 to 36 months." (Source: NY Times Article)

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Fairfax County H1N1 Clinics Featured in CBS Evening News

On the day President Obama declared a National State of Emergency for H1N1, Fairfax County and the H1N1 Mass Clinics held at the Government Center are featured in the CBS Evening News report.



The following CBS Evening News Video and news story are available online.

The clinics were run by Fairfax County Health Department Employees and hundreds of volunteers from the Fairfax County Medical Reserve Corps.

Other Citizen Corps volunteer groups also participated, including Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) and Auziliary Police Officers (APOs).