As readers know, I went through CERT training a few months ago. I was a member of Class #59.
Today's local newspaper has a nice profile of my instructor:
Ten Who Cared: Retired meteorologist Bob Jacobson preps residents as emergency response team trainer
Say what you want about the rainy marine climate in Bellingham, but for retired meteorologist Bob Jacobson, 66, the city sounded Goldilocks-approved - on the water, but not on the open water, not too hot, not too cold - just right.
Jacobson and his wife moved to Bellingham sight unseen in 2002. The two packed up their belongings into a U-Haul, drove cross-country from Washington D.C., and found a house within a week.
Aside from the weather and geographical considerations, the couple was attracted to Bellingham because of the colleges.
"Mentally you can't get old if you deal with young people," Jacobson says, laughing.
As a young retiree, Jacobson knew he needed to find something to occupy his free time, so he looked into volunteering for the county.
"When a person retires, especially at age 56, you can't just sit around and wait to die," he says. "You have to have something to do, something to look forward to each day."
Jacobson started volunteering with the Whatcom County Division of Emergency Management. He had never heard of Community Emergency Response Team training before, but he had dealt with preparedness planners while working as a weatherman for the National Weather Service.
CERT is a national program that offers training materials and classes to average citizens. The idea is that friends and neighbors with a little bit of training will be able to help one another out in case of a major disaster or emergency, when 911 and other help is likely to be overwhelmed.
After Jacobson had volunteered with emergency management for a few years, Sheriff Bill Elfo asked if he would be willing to manage the county's CERT program. Jacobson gladly took on the task in 2004.
That was a fun class and very useful. Will be doing the Red Cross training in the coming year.
