Better Waverly

SENIORS

Make Your Home Safe and Secure

Install good locks on doors and windows. Use them! Don't hide keys in mailboxes and planters or under doormats. Instead, leave an extra set of keys with a neighbor or friend.
Ask for photo identification from service or delivery people before letting them in. If you are the least bit worried, call the company to verify.
Be sure your street address number is large, clear of obstruction, and well- lighted so police and other emergency personnel can find your home quickly.
Consider a home alarm system that provides emergency monitoring for burglary, fire and medical emergencies.

Watch Out for Con Artists

Don't fall for anything that sounds too good to be true - a free vacation, sweepstakes, prizes, cures for cancer and arthritis, a low risk high- yield investment scheme.
Never give your credi card, phone card, Social Security, or bank account number to anyone over the phone. It's illegal for telemarketers to ask for these numbers to verify a prize or gift.
Don't let anyone rush you into signing anything- an insurance policy, a sales agreement, a contract. Read it carefully and have someone you trust check it over.
Beware of individuals claiming to represent companies, consumer organizations, or government agencies that offer to recover lost money from fraudulent telemarketers for a fee.
If you're suspicous, check it out with the police, the Better Business Bureau, or your local consumer protection office. Call the National Consumers League Fraud Information Center at 800- 876-7060.

YOUTH

The Police Department host the Baltimore City Police Explorers Program.
This youth group is for children between the ages of 14-21. They work hand and hand with police officers, attend meetings and events and participate in community projects. Meetings are held in each district on Friday nights.

POLICE AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCILS

Each of the nine police districts in Baltimore city has an independent, all volunteer council consisting of citizens from each of the communities in a district. The purposes of the councils are:

(A)   To acquaint citizens with the professional operation of police activities and acquaint officers with the citizens they protect. Also, to consider the ideas of these citizens on police matters, thereby promoting community policing by putting the needs of the community first.

(B)   To create understanding and cooperation between police officers and citizens and other agencies.

(C)   To assist in crime prevention through distributing information on crime deterrence and crime prevention tips. Sharing information from other city agencies that will benefit the communities.

(D)   To provide opportunities for citizens to suggest improvements in police service

(E)    To help support the district Police Explorers program (a program run by the Boy Scouts of America) which will help bridge the communications gap between youths and the police department.

(F)    To help the less-fortunate of the district at holiday time by providing food for the families.

The councils may have different names and most are many years old but all serve the many members of the district. Monthly meetings are instructional in nature, updating citizens on events and police initiatives. Many councils have guest speakers at their meeting regarding safety in our communities and programs such as Citizens On Patrol, block watchers and Crime Watch. Most councils have yearly events to honor our officers with breakfasts, lunches or dinners. The district councils working with the Police Departments Neighborhood Services Unit may attend neighborhood meetings and offer assistance with complaints and disputes. Most importantly, creating teamwork between citizens and police office

BALTIMORE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT
is committed to providing excellent service to our customers in a professional and humanitarian way. We will protect lives, property and the environment through safe and timely response. We will be innovative in fire prevention, suppression, rescue, emergency medical services, training, community outreach, public education, and other services.

Community Outreach is a privilege that we enjoy to share in. It gives us an opportunity to assist and support communities that we serve. Through the partnerships with the ambassadors we can improve the protection of our communities, help reduce the impact an emergency, save lives, and help our communities cope with the chaos if an incident does occur. One the best ways to protect our citizens is to educate them of preventive steps and forewarn them of any hazards. Remember that when a person is forewarned they are forearmed!! For this reason we are taking an active share in the Community Outreach initiative and we encourage you to invite us to attend your community association meetings. We are whole heartedly supporting the Mayor's mission to make Baltimore a "Cleaner, Greener, Healthier and Safer City".

Listed below are some of the general services that the fire department offers. Feel free to call any of your local firehouse if you have any questions. Also listed below are the phone numbers and locations of the District Battalion Chief office that serves your communities. Any questions please call the Battalion office.

Basic Services Provided by the Fire Department

Smoke Detectors

Public Education

Home Visits (safety inspection and exit drills in the homes)

Building Inspections

Disaster Preparedness

Blood Pressure Screenings

Mercury Thermostat Removal

Dirty Needle Receptacles

Code Red Bus Pass Distribution

Fire Prevention activities

Energy Assistance Pamphlets

Carbon Monoxide Monitoring

Community events -

Incident Action Plans

Baltimore City Fire Department Battalion Chief Offices

1^st Battalion office 520 South Conkling Street 443-984-1405

2^nd Battalion office 1100 Hillen Street, 21202 410-396-5773

3^rd Battalion office 1503 West Lafayette Avenue, 21217 410-396-0178

4^th Battalion Office 4522 Harford Road, 21214 410-396-3783

5^th Battalion Office 3906 Lafayette Avenue, 21215 410-396-0039

6^th Battalion Office 15 South Eutaw Street, 21201 443-984-1437

Dear Safer Neighborhood Ambassador and Community Leader,

I would like to introduce you to a citywide initiative that will better prepare your communities for a major emergency and will provide citizens training that will enable them to help their families and their neighborhoods during a disaster. I would like to invite your community to participate in the COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM PROGRAM (CERT).

Immediately following a large-scale disaster, first responders may be overwhelmed by the demand for fire, medical, rescue and other emergency services. The CERT program organizes, educates, trains, and equips community residents to deal with the aftermath of a disaster so that neighbors are better prepared to help neighbors under these circumstances.

CERT teams will augment the capabilities of first responders in a variety of ways in order to address the needs of the community during a crisis, and to help restore their communities to a normal, pre-disaster state. CERT teams will also better prepare their neighborhoods for emergencies by raising awareness of steps that families and communities should undertake before, during and after an emergency.

CERT is one of the several programs that comprise the National Citizen Corps initiative, a program that trains volunteers to protect America. CERT is coordinated by The Baltimore City Office of Emergency Management and is funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. These funds are allocated to the states and then passed down to local governments to support training, equipment and other costs associated with the establishment of CERT teams.

Our goal for CERT in Baltimore City is to establish geographically-based teams that consist of members of a single community or a cluster of communities. CERT teams will be focused on building the capability to assist their own immediate neighborhoods, but their training and organization will allow them to contribute to emergency response and recovery in any particular area of the city or region that is impacted by a disaster.

Each CERT team should consist of at least ten members, including a team leader and alternate, who are in direct contact with the Office of Emergency Management. The team will identify a meeting location or staging area that can also serve as a “neighborhood recovery center” once activated. Each of these teams will be provided with the necessary emergency equipment and basic skills to respond to their community’s needs.

The standard CERT curriculum for team members is approximately 18 hours. Its components are as follows:

Unit 1 Disaster Preparedness

Unit 2 Fire Safety

Unit 3 Disaster Medical Operations – Part 1

Unit 4 Disaster Medical Operations – Part 2

Unit 5 Light Search and Rescue Operations

Unit 6 CERT Organization, Incident Command System

Unit 7 Disaster Psychology

Unit 8 Terrorism and CERT

Unit 9 Course Review and Disaster Simulation

Additional training in Baltimore City includes shelter management, Health Department POD training for Health Emergencies (H1N1), traffic flagging, Amateur (HAM) radio training, and Animal Response Team Training.

CERT teams in your neighborhood are able to form 501(C)3 corporations for non-profit status to allow them to do fundraising and seek corporate donations.

To receive additional information on this great opportunity to prepare and protect your community, please visit www.baltimorecitycert.com, email CERT@baltimorecitycert.com or call our office at (410) 396-6188.

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Sincerely,

Scott L. Brillman

Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management