What's in your Go Bag?

Berryessa CERT's inaugural monthly training meeting! We've got this! The May training subject was Go Bags.

We had completed the CERT training in January. What were the next steps? After meeting with several of my neighbors who had taken the CERT training with me, we decided that we wanted to pursue a CERT team in our area and I offered to lead the effort. My first step was to attend the Napa CERT teams monthly training meeting, which happened to be on go bags. The team members from Napa CERT were very supportive and welcoming and it was a great eye opener as to how we should form our new Berryessa CERT team.

Working with Ken Arnold, the Napa County CERT program manager, I formed the Berryessa CERT team and we held our first monthly training session on May 16, 2019. The Capell Valley Volunteer Fire Chief, Sandy Storck, kindly allowed us to use the fire station as our meeting and training ground. I read everything I could about other CERT teams in other California counties and other states and plotted out our training schedule topics for the rest of the year.

After polling the CERT training class attendees, 10 graduates from the Napa County January 2019 class opted to become active members of the newly minted Berryessa CERT team. We were off to a great start!

Our first Berryessa CERT training meeting was on CERT go bags. We had received a CERT helmet, CERT vest, work gloves, goggles and training materials from Napa County CERT upon completion of our training. After reviewing the hazards that we may face in our local area, what other items might be useful in our gear bags? We had fun comparing items from all of our gear bags and it was a great way to learn about new things we had never thought of.

I find I'm always on the look out now for items that would be useful for use in CERT. Home Depot or Dollar Tree, there's always something that catches my eye. - Joe Sponseller, Berryessa CERT

Following is the list that we came up with. I hope all of you find something useful you can apply to your own emergency preparedness kits! Everything on this list would make a great kit to keep in your home or car, ready to grab at a moments notice if a disaster strikes or you've told to evacuate. I know in the last few times I've had to evacuate due to a wildfire, my pre-packed CERT go bag came in handy more than a few times. I've also made a paired down version of this kit for my daughters and it makes me feel better know they have them in their cars.

CERT Gear Bag Required Items:

Cert Hard Hat

Cert Vest

Safety Goggles

Knee Pads

Leather Work Gloves

Sturdy Closed Toe Shoes

Long Pants

Flashlight

Extra Batteries

N95 Mask

Note Pad

Pen, Pencil, Black Sharpie

Fog (Field Operating Guide)

Bottled Water

Utility Shut Off Wrench

Hand Sanitizer

Small Tissue Packs

Whistle

Latex Free Gloves

Suggested Supplemental Items

Headlamp For Your Helmet

Extra Batteries For All Items Requiring Them

Caution Tape

Triage Tape (Red, Yellow, Green, Black)

Triage Tape Holder (Snap Buckle Dog Collar)

16” Glow Stick

Folding Shovel/Pick Combo

Pocket Knife (4” Or Less)

Rain Poncho

Sunglasses

Bandana

First Aid Supplies

Gallon Ziplock Bags

Multi Tool

Duct Tape

Glow Sticks – Red, Yellow, Green With Strings

Emergency Blanket

Wool Blanket

GMRS Radio & Charger/Extra Batteries

Pry Bar

Crescent Wrench

Tarp

Collapsible Water Bottle

Water Purification Tablets Or Filter

Lumber Crayon

Extra Black Sharpie

Zip Ties

Sunscreen

Chapstick With Sunscreen

Lighter

Snacks (Non-Perishable)

4 Large Garbage Bags Rolled Up & Secured With Thick Rubber Bands

Ear Plugs

Nice to Have Extra Items

Halo Bolt Portable Charger Car Jump Starter

Packable Down Jacket

Reflective Rain Jacket Or Rain Gear

Green Laser Pointer

UV Pen Light

Hand/Face Wipes

Crank Emergency Radio

Nylon Braided Rope

LED Flares

Hand Warmers

Spanish/English Dictionary

Rechargeable Batteries & Charger

Long Sleeve Shirt

2 Pairs Of Socks

2 Pairs Of Extra Underwear

Extra Cell Phone Charging Cord

Cell Phone Charging Stick

Lighter Weight Work Gloves

Deodorant/Toothbrush/Toothpaste

Signal Mirror

Compass

Maps Of The Area

Rite In The Rain Notebook & RITR Pencil

Window Markers

Luci Inflatable Solar Lantern

Travel Hairbrush/Mirror Combo

Gum

Extra N95 Masks