Antelope Valley Community Emergency Response Team, holds Grid Search Training Exercise in Lake Los A

AV CERT holds Grid Search Training Exercise in LLA

Lake Los Angeles – Vicinity of 180th Street East and East Avenue P - Saturday morning May 19 at 8:00am a training exercise for the Antelope Valley Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) gathered on the acreage of LLA CERT member Raymond Harrell to conduct a mock grid search exercise.

The weather was cooperative with light breezes, blue skies and warm temperatures. The preparations and briefing were done with the backdrop of the beautiful buttes and the peacocks giving their opinions in the background. Harrell explained, “The basic scenario we're running is a search for a family in the location their car was located. There will be multiple victims. The CERT members will be given the opportunity to learn the system of a grid search, radio communications, medical evacuation, as well as the Incident Command System. Our goal is to conclude the drill just after 11am. Tom Fischer will be the Incident Commander and the instructor for the grid search is Captain of the Lancaster CERT team is Mark Hagan. I and another Lake LA Squad Leader will lead two teams in a search of the desert. If or when located we'll then have to communicate and coordinate moving the victims to the command post for transport to a medical facility.”

Mark Hagan who was the instructor is with Lancaster CERT as their Team Captain. By profession Mark is a wildlife biologist who normally grid searches for plants and animals and performs wildlife surveys. He was with the Federal government for thirty years and is now a consultant.</