NSPP, under the supervision of the City of Costa Mesa Fire Dept, was developed to encourage all of us who live in Costa Mesa to work with our neighbors and become more prepared to deal with emergencies. Although we work closely with the City of Costa Mesa, we who created and maintain this web site are not paid employees of the City. We are a group of Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) graduates and volunteers who work with NSPP. Our main purpose is to provide helpful safety and preparedness information. We also serve as a point of contact between residents of Costa Mesa, its neighborhoods, and all Costa Mesa organizations that work together as part of the Costa Mesa Citizen Corps Coalition.
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Prepare Now For Any Disaster!

Course Available for Groups at Your Location by Request

Course Details

Share the Word

Get Involved

Organize Your Supplies and Make a Plan

Grab n' Go Bag

Emergency Water

Family Communication Plan: Make an Emergency Phone Number Card for Each Family Member

Other Items in Session A Packet for every home to have

Family Disaster Plan and Personal Survival Guide

Don't Delay, Prepare Today - There is a very helpful calendar on the website for the Emergency Survival Program (ESP) of the Los Angeles County of Emergency Management. Each month has a focus sheet of survival information and simple steps to make you safer. You can download this year's calendar or a topic of interest from a previous year. www.espfocus.org.

Be Safer by Working with Your Neighbors

Neighborhood Organizing

 Help Your Neighbors Organize

Emergency Information Form

Registration Form for Hosting Course

Development Guide to Organizing for the CERT Grad

Disaster Response on Your Street

Communicate by FRS, GMRS and Ham Radio

Radio Training Net Flyer

Radio Communication Protocol

More about Radios

Preparing for Emergencies: Working Procedure of the Monday Night Radio Net

Radio Communication in an Emergency

In a Real Disaster, which 2 Meter Frequency will we use?

Q codes and American Radio Relay League (ARRL) disaster welfare message numbers, used most often in an emergency.

In an emergency, Amatuer Radio Operators (HAMS) can receive the National Weather Service continuous weather information on 162.400 hz, 162.475 hz, and 162.550 hz.

Phonetic Alphabet

NSPP Radio ID Map

Radio Operator Alphabetical Directory

Radio Operator ID Directory

WHAT IS MORSE CODE? WHY USE IT? CAN ANYONE DO IT? IS IT A DEAD LANGUAGE?

Morse Code is a language that substitutes short and long taps or pulses for our alphabet. It is no longer required or used in many official situations where it once was common. It is not completely dead as many people use it and anyone can use it.

It is important to understand why Morse Code is very useful. When there is static on a 2-way radio, it may be hard to understand what someone is saying. Morse Code is more easily heard and at greater distances in such a situation. If you were trapped and wanted help, you could wear out your voice quickly and not be heard as far away as when you tapped a regular pattern on a metal pipe or at least on a hard material so a tap sound could be heard. If you know the Morse Code for S-O-S, so much the better. If you and a buddy both know Morse Code, it can be a very useful private language in many public situations.

There is a wonderful chart that shows you how to understand Morse Code as it is being sent. You can look at that chart, see what the Morse Code alphabet is, spell your name in Morse Code or at least remind yourself how to spell out S-O-S.

When Ham operators talk about CW, they are talking about Morse Code.

AS AN ACTIVATED VOLUNTEER - WHAT SUPPLIES SHOULD YOU TAKE?

This page from the Harris County ARES Field Manual (www.harriscountyares.org) has lots of ideas.

NEWS, RESOURCES and LINKS

Please Take A Minute To Check Out These Websites

LOCALIZED RAPID ALERT SYSTEM IMPROVES EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS IN COSTA MESA

City Officials announced the launch of AlertCM, a Citywide mass notification system that will keep Costa Mesa residents and businesses informed during emergencies. The City is asking the community to register on the City's website,AlertCM.

Any listed primary residential and business landline phone numbers in Costa Mesa are automatically enrolled in the system.

However, community members can choose to add up to three phone numbers and two e-mail addresses to the database and receive emergency information via text messages to cell phones, PDAs, and e-mail accounts. They can also opt to have information delivered through special receiving devices (TTY/TDD) for the hearing impaired.

In addition, the City is asking those registering also to sign up for AlertOC, the regional mass notification system. Alert OC is a joint partnership between the County of Orange and cities such Costa Mesa. You can register at alertoc.com.

SHOULD YOU PREPARE FOR ANYTHING BESIDES AN EARTHQUAKE AT YOUR ADDRESS?,

The link below can tell you if any other natural hazards might cause an emergency at your address. Check it out: myhazards.calema.ca.gov  

The Great California ShakeOut Drill - an annual awareness event to help Californians prepare. There are lots of suggestions on how to drill and practice at home and at work and many related resources and links. Go to Shakeout.org/. 

To see the moment by moment description of a scientifically possible scenario, go to Shakeout.org/scenario.This is the report detailing the ShakeOut Earthquake Scenario. Keep in mind it is not a prediction. It is a timeline of events that explain how a 7.8 magnitude earthquake could progress in this area and how it could affect you, even if your own home structure survives the shaking. Add this 24 page report to your reading list and consider what you can do NOW to be less inconvenienced if such an earthquake happens.

If an earthquake occurs, you click on Recent Earthquakes in California and Nevada to find its location and how stong it was.

Other Websites of Interest

Check out http://readyoc.org/ and get prepared NOW for an emergency.

The newest program in Wildland Fire Defense Planning and Prevention is Ready! Set! Go!. Ventura County has created a booklet you can download from this link.

Basic Information on Sex Offenders and Pedophiles

FTC Website – tips, articles, videos and activities to help you stay safe online

CALIFORNIA POISON CONTROL WEBSITE: Look under “You and Your Family” for information, downloadable files and booklets, free phone stickers and flyers

Website Resources CPR and Emergency Preparedness Vendors

Governmental Scam Stopper Resources

Protecting Yourself from Suspicious EMail Messages - Information Available from the IRS at www.irs.gov, and from the Anti-Phishing Working Group www.antiphishing.org and from the FBI, www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.gov. 

Explore this website for the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASSA), www.nasaa.org, and find Investor Alerts and Tips to help you avoid investment scams and a link to contact your regulator if you have had problems.

On the website for the California Society of Enrolled Agents, www.csea.org, look under taxpayer help to find a section on Disaster Services and Preparedness with a list of things to do beforehand and a Record Reconstruction Guide to help you after a disaster.

FREE Emergency Training on the WEB - FEMA Independent Study Program

Some courses refer to your own household:

  • IS-22 Are You Ready?
  • IS-55 Household Hazardous Materials

Some Explain Disaster Response:

  • IS-5.a Introduction to Hazardous Materials
  • IS-10.a & IS-11.a Animals in Disaster
  • IS-100.b Introduction to Incident Command System
  • IS-200.b Introduction to Incident Command System
  • IS-700.a National Incident Management System (NIMS)
  • IS-800.b National Response Plan

There are many more (click on link): http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/

 

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