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Not sure why, but the neighborhood CERT trainings (and re-training for those that need updated training to remain active) in Hilo & Kona, that were to begin the second week of January, have all been canceled by Mayor Kim, CERT members received this email from the CERT coordinator today:
"Aloha CERTs,
We are cancelling the Kona and Hilo CERT basic training, the Amateur Radio Technician Licensing Training and all other trainings and meetings offered to CERTs during January and February 2017.
CERT teams can continue to meet on their own.
We are unable to tell you, at this time, the Mayor's reasons for this action. We will keep you posted as we learn more and this situation resolves.
Thank you for your support of the CERT program, your contributions to your communities and for your generous giving of yourselves to help make Hawaii Island a safer place to live.
We are looking forward to a strong and renewed CERT program,
A Hui Hou,
Patti Pinto
Hawaii County CERT Coordinator"
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'strong and renewed CERT program' ....this is prob the answer,, you wrote it down....
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save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha
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save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha
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HKim is kinda an expert on this stuff, that was his job at times too.... disaster/emergency stuff
maybe he bringin in his own kine?
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save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha
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save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha
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That is an odd program to cut. It is quite cheap to run and provides a good bang for the buck on an island prone to disasters.
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This is a volunteer program that utilizes a standardized training program (even the instructors are volunteers) & the volunteers need to remain certified.
Many have scheduled their weekends for this training.... to just cancel the island training 3 weeks prior...seems odd.... I could see if there was a major cost (I think there is just the cost of replacement items, like disposable gloves, & new manuals for the new students, but sure even that is backed by Fed. monies) If you let your certification lapse, you must re-do the whole training, rather than just do the test & practical that is offered at the end of the training sessions.... something that is more than a little inconvenient for those that need to renew this session...
I have until next fall to renew, so hopefully this will not effect me, but could see how some would not want to have to re-do the whole training ... Not sure how this will make a completely volunteer program "Strong & Renewed", unless the mayor thinks that there are too many people volunteering for CERT!
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Kim needs to make clear whether this is a temporary reset or a permanent change. Whichever it is, he needs to give reasons. I hope this isn't some indication of his intent to micromanage the county because, having spoken with him recently, I don't think he still has the cognitive ability to do so.
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To ask volunteers (who are willing to assist the county in times of disaster) to cancel training plans, pretty much at the last minute & to also make it so that some will end up spending many more weekends re-certifying, WHEN THERE IS NO REAL BUDGET ISSUE, seems to be at odds with anything most county managers would want to do....
The fact there are some in this county that are wiling to volunteer to assist their neighbors in times of disaster & that they are wiling to train seems to be something most county managers (and Mayor Kim in the past) want... really not sure WHY this training is what he wants to cancel last-minute.... (I was actually thinking of re-certifying at this training, so I would`t need to make sure my schedule matched on the fall re-certifying, when I would need to to avoid re-taking the whole certification course...so I have a little bit of a vested interest... if the fall is cancelled....well... )
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At least when you vote Harry Kim, you know what you're getting .... nothing!
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I e-mailed Patti Pinto regarding her e-mail that was posted at the top of this thread. The suspension of the training program is only temporary. The new CD director starts on January 4th, 2017. They wanted to give him the opportunity to get up to speed, hence the temporary suspension of these training sessions.
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I suspect it's about control and the unions dislike of volunteers
And I cannot forget Harry's " those people can go back to where they come from " plan to permanently evacuate lower puna!
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