CERT helped city prepare

I would like to comment upon the recent editorial in the Argus-Courier, “How prepared are you for a quake? (Aug. 28).

This editorial was, in my opinion, a very comprehensive and instructive article on the basic situation of the probable earthquake potential facing us here in the Petaluma area. However, I have to correct one small statement that was provided.

There does not today exist in the Petaluma area a Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, nor has one existed since 2010, when the City of Petaluma eliminated the program from being sponsored by the Petaluma Fire Department, a relationship that had been in place since 2006, when then Chief Chris Albertson approved sponsorship of the program.

From 2006 through 2010, CERT trained approximately 150 individuals from Petaluma in the FEMA certified course of disaster preparedness, without using any funds or the use of any personnel resources from the city. All instructors were volunteers, and any funds needed to cover the small cost of basic training materials were paid by the students.

However, following a car accident involving one of our CERT members, while going home after a final CERT class exercise, the city and the CERT member were sued by the injured party.

Petaluma CERT was not named in the lawsuit, nor was CERT sued for having any responsibility whatsoever for the accident. The city was sued simply because it represented the deep pockets that the plaintiff’s attorney wanted in that case.

Ultimately, in spite of California case law precluding any liability that could be assessed to an employer, entity or group, when the responsible driver in an accident was simply driving home after work, the city decided to settle rather than take the lawsuit to trial.

As a past Litigation Claims Supervisor, I have been involved in most every aspect of civil litigation involving auto and homeowner’s liability claims.

I have been involved in the defense of cases with very similar circumstances as this one and have seen attorneys prevail in receiving a judgment of no liability, and therefore, no responsibility for any payment for the injuries sustained by the injured person.

After the city settled the lawsuit against it, it became very clear, although not explicitly stated, that the city held CERT responsible for the expensive claim.

CERT’s relationship with the city was summarily terminated. And, although I wrote a lengthy letter to the city manager, to each member of the city council and the fire chief asking for reconsideration, I received only a single letter in return from the city manager denying any reconsideration of the CERT program.

Since then, Petaluma CERT has been considered “persona non-grata” and the disaster preparedness effort in Petaluma has disappeared because without the sponsorship of a municipality like the fire department, FEMA will not certify the program.

The lawsuit and subsequent payment from this claim against the city has had deep ramifications throughout Sonoma County. Practically no fire department or fire district has come forward to sponsor a CERT program in their area. And, as a result of this scare, no CERT classes are presently being given in any location in Sonoma County.

It is now up to each and every individual to use the information referred to in www.Ready.gov All needed information is available there; please take some time to look into this valuable source of being prepared for you, your family and your neighbors.

(Bill Paxton is a former CERT instructor and a volunteer with the Rancho Adobe Fire District.)