RESIDENTS RESPOND TO SAFETY CALL.

Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer

VAN NUYS - Long before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Linda Underwood volunteered for training to help other people in case of a major emergency.

Now, the Encino woman is in the vanguard of a new army of volunteers that Mayor James Hahn has encouraged to form.

Since 1994, shortly after the Northridge Earthquake, Underwood has been involved in the Community Emergency Response Team program operated by the Los Angeles Fire Department - one of 40,000 people trained for emergencies since the program began in 1985.

``It absolutely changed my life,'' Underwood said Wednesday. ``And I've seen it change other people's lives. They grow more confident and less afraid. They know what they have to do in an emergency.''

The CERT program, headquartered adjacent to Fire Station 88 in Van Nuys, has received more attention in recent days as Hahn has asked people to contact the department to receive its specialized training.

Officials estimated that more than 100 people have contacted CERT since Sept. 11 to get information on the training it provides.

Capt. Don Lee, who oversees the operation, said it is more than a civil defense program.

``This is an all-risk program,'' Lee said. ``We give people training that can help us in any sort of emergency.''

The program involves 17.5 hours of training - provided over a two-day period at no charge - in courses as diverse as first aid and identifying injuries, how to move injured people, building safety assessment, fire suppression techniques, how ordinary household items can be used to move large objects and the psychology of disasters.

Lee said he was pleased with the number of people who have gone through the course - but wants more.

``We've trained over 40,000 people but that's just not enough in a city of 3.6 million people,'' Lee said. ``We only have 101 fire stations. In a major disaster, we would be wiped out. I'd like to see 100,000 people trained.''

Once the volunteers complete the program, they are provided with green helmets and vests with the CERT logo to identify them in emergencies. They are encouraged to buy other emergency equipment, such as gloves, flashlights, first aid kits and the like on their own.

Lee said the training focuses on volunteers taking care of themselves and their families first and then looking in on their neighbors.

``Eventually, I'd like to see teams of people working together in their neighborhoods,'' Lee said, adding that the program also involves training for businesses with a large number of employees.

Such an effort would allow the Fire Department to organize the volunteers.

``We could have had a situation where the CERT teams could patrol an area and tell a crew if there were problems on a particular street or if it was clear,'' Lee said. ``I could have used them here on Sept. 12 when the (search and rescue team) was called up to go to New York to get in touch with people and not tie up firefighters.''

Underwood is doing her part.

The part-time proofreader said she devotes about 25 hours a week to the CERT program, managing the unofficial Web site for the program and keeping in touch with others.

``After Sept. 11, a lot of people went to the Web site and sent me messages,'' Underwood said. ``A lot of people had received training years before and were asking about refresher courses.''

Coincidentally, the department is planning a refresher course for Saturday at the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank.

``We had to limit it to 350 people because of the size of the lot,'' Lee said. ``Hundreds more wanted to come.''

Lee said the program began as a result of the 1985 earthquake that hit Mexico City.

Councilman Hal Bernson, who has led the city effort to make buildings safe in earthquakes, asked the LAFD to put together a program to teach basic emergency techniques to community groups in his district.

In 1987, then-Mayor Tom Bradley made it a citywide program.

Since then, Lee said, the CERT program has been adopted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a model and is now copied in 33 states and three foreign countries.

Lee said the training courses are offered on a regular basis to groups of at least 25 people.

AT A GLANCE

Here are the steps for Los Angeles residents to become part of the Community Emergency Response Team program:

--Contact the Los Angeles Fire Department team at [phone] or through its Web site at: www.cert-la.com.

--Optional: Try to arrange for at least 25 other people to participate.

--Take 17.5 hours of free training over a two-day period.

--After training, volunteers receive a green helmet and vest with the CERT logo. Volunteers are encouraged to buy other emergency supplies, such as first aid kits, flashlights and gloves.

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AT A GLANCE (see text)