COURSE READIES ALL FOR DISASTER VOLUNTEERS HELP IN EMERGENCIES.

Byline: SUSAN ABRAM Staff Writer

Tomorrow's heroes kiss a grandchild on the forehead, then scan their neighborhoods for suspicious activity.

They dress themselves in button-down shirts and ties as they imagine pulling bodies from rubble, or cook in restaurants as they commit medical triage basics to memory.

Every day, Angelenos -- grandmothers and waiters, accountants and commercial actors -- train for the worst. They are taught that emergencies and disasters are not about ``if,'' but about ``when.''

``I always felt it was important to be prepared,'' said Mary Paterson, a 42-year-old Canoga Park resident whose apartment rattled through the Northridge Earthquake in 1994.

``I know we're going to have another earthquake,'' she said. ``It's only a matter of time. I believe in being self-reliant.''

Paterson is one of thousands of residents enrolled in the Los Angeles Fire Department's Community Emergency Response Team, a free program that trains everyday citizens how to become self-reliant or serve on a voluntary, emergency work force.

Since the first class in the San Fernando Valley 20 years ago, CERT classes have swelled from 25 members -- attended by the Devonshire Neighborhood Watch in 1987 -- to 50,000 Los Angeles County residents enrolled this year alone. The seven-week, 20-hour curriculum is recognized by FEMA and duplicated nationally and abroad.

``We are the originators of it,'' said Los Angeles Fire Capt. Stacy Gerlich, who oversees the program.

``In the event of an emergency, these people have made themselves available via cell phone or pager,'' she said. ``With them, I can get the ball rolling.''

During the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, for example, CERT volunteers shut off utilities, distributed water, made telephone calls, passed out informational fliers and, in some cases, helped pull survivors from rubble, Gerlich said.

But those who teach the courses emphasize that nothing learned is too small. Even knowing how to pull a pin from a fire extinguisher can help someone from losing a house. And they want residents to understand that after a major disaster, first responders may not be able to reach victims for days.

``If you as a student know one thing more than you did before that relates to a major disaster, than I am a success,'' said Marc Shapiro, a firefighter-paramedic who has taught CERT courses for five years.

During a recent session in Winnetka, Shapiro discussed fire safety, such as the proper way to store household chemicals, and how to determine if a building contains hazardous materials. He talked about how to survive if trapped inside a big-box store when an earthquake hits.

Upcoming class topics include search-and-rescue techniques, basic medical triage and ``cribbing,'' or how to lift heavy objects with simple tools.

The last week is reserved for a discussion on terrorism and homeland defense, added to the program after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

``Nothing's more frustrating than that helpless feeling of not knowing what to do,'' Shapiro said. ``I want to probe your mind and make you look at things the way you have never looked at them before.

``This program is a 100 percent practical, useful class.''

Winnetka resident and community activist Marilyn Robinson has taken the CERT classes three times before. She says there is always something new she can learn, something else she can do to protect the neighborhood she loves.

``There are so many of us who take from our lives and put back into the community,'' she said. ``A lot of these people who are retired sit at home and that's not good for them. We shouldn't leave out the seniors. We definitely need to have seniors in a lot of what we do.''

Every person who takes the program can become a valuable link in the community, said Gerlich, the fire captain who oversees the program.

``We have a very wide range of people,'' she said. ``As far as the age range, as long as we don't have to baby-sit people, we'll take them.

``We've had people that use canes and walkers. We use everybody.''

The course also is offered in Spanish, and plans are in the works to offer classes to the deaf community.

But one of the challenges is reaching out to more people. There are 180 languages spoken in Los Angeles, said Gerlich, who has proposed a program that would encourage students from local colleges to translate pamphlets for school credit.

Gerlich said the Northridge Earthquake shook the compliance toward preparedness out of some residents, as did the televised images of floodwaters swallowing whole houses following Hurricane Katrina, but there are many who will still be unprepared when a disaster strikes.

``A lot of people's attitudes are, `I'll deal with it when it happens,' but you know what, that's going to be too late,'' Gerlich said. ``That's when you're going to be knocking on your neighbor's door.''

susan.abram(at)dailynews.com

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For information about the Los Angeles Fire Department's Community Emergency Response Team, go to www.cert-la.com.

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Judy Ruiz at the The Valley Dispatch Center. Community Emergency Response Team volunteers help in emergencies when first responders aren't available in time.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

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