Those interested in joining the Camarillo Disaster...
Those interested in joining the Camarillo Disaster Assistance Response Team can meet the team’s coordinator, Sgt. Rob Larson, Thursday evening and learn how the team assists the Camarillo Police Department.
The team has lent a hand in several incidents, including the Greenmeadow fire in Newbury Park, the La Conchita mudslide and the 1994 Northridge earthquake. It also assists at parades, carnivals or other festivities and helps detectives during crime scene searches.
“Some people need to be involved in their community when something happens, and this gives them the avenue to go out and fulfill that wish,” Larson said.
Interested people need to attend a meeting, fill out an application and go through a background check and training before receiving their uniform and equipment.
Other cities in Ventura County have DART teams, but they don’t go beyond the basic first aid training, Larson said.
Training for the Camarillo DART team, which totals 100 hours, also includes urban search and rescue, damage assessment, hazardous material handling, mass casualty management, fire suppression, media relations and disaster psychology.
Former Cmdr. Ray Abbott started the Camarillo DART team in 1990 after witnessing how citizen emergency response teams assisted in the aftermath of the Loma Prieta earthquake in the Bay Area.
The talk will be at the Camarillo Police Department, 3701 Las Posas Road, from 7 to 8 p.m.
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