|
June 2024
Inside: Find important hurricane preparation resources, and meet our newest members and new managers. Plus, see photos from May CERT Basic Training, LWR CERT Night at the Ballpark, and Tribute to Heroes Parade.
View as Webpage
| |
As of June 1, LWR CERT is now in Readiness Condition 5 - Awareness. This status change indicates that Lakewood Ranch has entered Hurricane Season. Each of our members has a role during each Readiness Condition. In RC-5, they are individually preparing themselves, their families and their homes for possible hurricanes. The LWR CERT leadership team is preparing for hurricanes on the team level by reviewing procedures, inventorying and restocking Team Kits. | |
To our new members who completed Basic Training in May, welcome! You are joining an amazing group of people who volunteer their time to help their neighbors after a disaster.
Now that we are in hurricane season, you will see news stories about how many storms are predicted this season. We don’t know if we will be impacted in Lakewood Ranch, but we are smart to prepare. Our lawmakers even make preparing easier by giving us a sales tax holiday (see story below). Please take the time now to build a plan for what to do if severe weather comes our way.
Thank you to the LWR CERT volunteers who provided safety support at the Tribute to Heroes parade at downtown Lakewood Ranch Memorial Day weekend.
Jim Emanuelson (KN4VMK)
President, LWR CERT
941.404.8606
| |
Welcome to Our Newest Members! | |
Congratulations to the Lakewood Ranch area residents who graduated from CERT Basic Training May 17. Graduates listed in bold below are the newest members of LWR CERT. Welcome! We look forward to seeing you at a future LWR CERT member event soon!
Graduates in their green and yellow CERT vests Art Borders, Heather Borders, Paul Carlson, Joyce Dolce, Jim Dolce, Anthony Guiliano (Team 17), Carol Jenckes (Team 26), Jennifer Jordan, Michael Kelly (Team 31), Warren Petrie, Steven Sadowski (Team 10), Bob Scott, Tina Stevens (Team 26), Richard Svertesky (Team 26), Diane Wagner, John Wilkey (Team 22), Mark Witek (Team 26), and Phyllis Woods are joined by East Manatee Fire Rescue Firefighters, Manatee County Chief of Emergency Management Matt Myers, and LWR CERT leadership team members.
| |
Welcome to our Newest Managers | |
Technology Manager
Anna Albano AnnaAlbano@lwrcert.org
We welcome Anna Albano as LWR CERT's Technology Manager. She is pursuing a career in Cyber Security, and we look forward to utilizing her knowledge and experience.
Anna lives in Terrace in Greenbrook and is a member of Team 16. She graduated from Basic Training in February 2023. In her new role, Anna is responsible for maintaining LWR CERT's technology tools, including laptop computers, software licenses and cloud-based applications such as the Google suite of products. She also plans to serve as webmaster of the new LWR CERT website, which we expect to be released this summer. Anna is currently working with the LWR CERT leadership team to re-work and update the Member Section for the new website redesign.
| |
Logistics Manager
Jim Troeller JimTroeller@lwrcert.org
Less than two weeks after retiring from his fulltime position, Jim Troeller accepted the role of Logistics Manager for LWR CERT.
Jim lives in Ravines in Greenbrook and is a member of Team 17. He graduated from Basic Training in February 2023. In his new role, Jim is responsible for ensuring that all teams and individuals are properly supplied with the necessary medical and non-medical supplies. He also maintains the inventory of all supplies and prepares backpacks for new graduates of LWR CERT Basic Training. Jim enjoyed meeting some of our Team Captains on June 1 during Team Kit Pick Up Day.
| |
RECAP: May CERT Basic Training | |
LWR CERT Basic Training is the product of many volunteer hours, all under the guidance of Basic Training Manager Mike Modisett.
Thank you to Mike, Alan Blair, Dave Cashbaugh, Gary Cockfield, Sharon Defferding, Jim Emanuelson, Karen Emanuelson, Jim Hermiston, Polly Greene, John Harkey, George Haralampoudis, George Jenckes, Pat Knowles, Jan Kuhn, Kalena Ostrosky, Jill Perlin, Jordan Perlin, Dick Plotkin, Rich Raymond, Jim Schmidt, Ken Strahs, Jim Troeller, Valerie Voutsas, and Paula Willis for all your efforts to ensure graduates of the May CERT Basic Training class are prepared to serve our community.
Thank you, also, to the firefighters of East Manatee Fire Rescue for our hands-on training, to Manatee County Emergency Management for sponsoring our program, and to our Refreshment sponsor, Lakewood Ranch Realtor Pamela Modisett.
| |
RECAP: LWR CERT Night at the Ball Park | |
We had a great time at LWR CERT Night at the Ball Park on May 22, as we watched the Bradenton Marauders and the Dunedin Blue Jays at Lecom Park. This was the second annual LWR CERT Night at the Ball Park, and, it was, once again, a very fun time.
Thanks to all our members, LWR residents, and friends who came out to help us celebrate.
The Marauders never gave up the lead and won the game 7-1.
Our group was also featured on the Jumbotron during the Smile Cam!
| |
RECAP: Tribute to Heroes Parade | |
The Tribute To Heroes Parade was a huge success and a great display of community spirit. Thank you to LWR CERT Liaison Jim Hermiston for coordinating the 16 CERT volunteers for this event as they supported our safety marshal commitment to LWR Community Activities. | |
Pictured above (left photo) are Tribute to Heroes Parade CERT volunteers Priya Ketkar, Carole Bernard, Phil Westerman, David Berkowitz, Linda Gooen, Jim Hermiston, Paulette Kessler-Westerman, Jim Curran and Arcinee Hermiston. Pictured with the motorcycle (right photo) is Phil Westerman. Volunteers not pictured are Susan Fink, Diane Vazquez, George Vazquez, Mike Wolf, George Haralampoudis, Rosemary Stack and Bill Rogers. | |
Teams Preparing for Hurricane Season | |
Under the leadership of Team Captain Cynthia Olcott, Team 8 held one of the first Team Meetings featuring a Team Refresher Kit on May 17. Pat Knowles presented updated guidance on the ABCs of emergency care and reviewed backpack and Team Kit items. Jay Heater from Your Observer attended the meeting; click on the photo to read his coverage of the event.
| |
Team Captain Jim Curran held a Team 32 meeting the morning of May 18. George Jenckes presented updated information and hands-on demonstrations of the three killers and new guidance on Epi-Pens from the Team Refresher Kit.
| With 11 new members in the past year, the May 22 Team 26 Team Meeting began with an ice cream social and introductions by all members. Team Captain George Jenckes reviewed Better Impact skills refreshers and the team's activation procedures, including placement of Team Kits throughout the team's service area. Richard Svertesky, who graduated from Basic Training just 2 days earlier, agreed to serve as TC/GL backup, if needed during activations. | |
2024 Hurricane Season -
Prep Events and What You Need to Know
| |
LWR CERT Emergency Radio Communications Network conducts test with IDA
The LWR CERT Radio Committee conducted a test of the Emergency Radio Communications Network (ERCN) with members of the Inter-District Authority (IDA) on May 1. IDA staff was dispatched in trucks to drive the perimeter of Phase 1, which encompasses the neighborhoods within Country Club, Edgewater, Greenbrook, Summerfield and Riverwalk. The test demonstrated that communications to various locations in the area were successful.
New Resident Orientation
LWR CERT Manager of Neighborhood Engagement John Harkey shared the LWR CERT story at the May 21 New Resident Orientation at LWR Town Hall, informing residents of the importance of hurricane preparations.
| |
Protecting Your Home: Wind Mitigation | |
A great time to start securing - or retrofitting - your house is when you are making other improvements or adding an addition.
Remember: building codes reflect the lessons experts have learned from past catastrophes. Contact the local building code official to find out what requirements are necessary for your home improvement projects.
Click the following links for more information:
Additional Hurricane Prep aids, including Pet Preparedness tips, are available on the LWR CERT website, lwrcert.org/hurricane.
| |
Stop The Bleed
River Club CERT is sponsoring a Stop the Bleed class on Tuesday, June 18 from 6-7:30 PM at the Firehouse Administration Building on LWR Blvd. Seating is limited, and advance registration is required. Click here to register.
Manatee County Sheriff's Citizen Academy
Six LWR CERT members recently graduated from the Manatee County Sheriff's Citizen Academy and all highly recommend this free course. Click here to learn more.
| |
June Birthdays
Happy Birthday to members Maria Ade (Team 10), Carole Bernard (Team 20), Linda Creager (Team 36), Mel Davis (Team 17), Bob Donato (Team 33), Jim Emanuelson (Team 26), Doug Feingold (Team 25), Michael Gaffney (Team 26), Carole Jenckes (Team 26), Gary Miller (Team 32), Kalena Ostrosky (Team 25), Allen Pfaadt (Team 13), Janelle Rydberg (Team 35),Tim Sherer (Team 10), and John Wilkey (Team 22).
| |
June Service Anniversaries
Congratulations to these members, who are celebrating June CERT Basic Training graduations. Thanks for your service to LWR and LWR CERT!
17 years - Mary Balazic (Team 13), Posy Havens (Team 10)
13 years - Bill Sgro (Team 13), Paul Jackowski (Team 8)
8 years - David Benfer (Team 32), Mary Benfer (Team 32), Jim Curran (Team 32), Deb Diven (Team 22), Don Diven (Team 22), Amy Franceschini (Team 20), Kathy Maloney (Team 25), Greg Stratakes (Team 09), and Douglas Webber (Team 09)
6 years - Pablo Acevedo (Team 11), Rinita Acevedo (Team 11), Jerry Swanson (Team 25), and
Judy Williams (Team 25)
4 years - Eileen Amesbury (Team 22)
3 years - Alan Blair (Team 8), Stephen Bloom (Team 36), Mike Defferding (Team 36), Sharon Defferding (Team 36), Doug Feingold (Team 25), Lahin Kahn (Team 2), Jack Mathews (Team 35), Mike Modisett (Team 31), Eddie Russell (Team 36), and Julie Russell (Team 36)
2 years - Diana Hines (Team 35), Mark Holmes (Team 35), Lori Martin (Team 10), Kathy Simes (Team 35), and Yue Wu (Team 25)
| | | | |