Basic Gear

Okay, I know you have gear, probably issued, in CAA. I was checking out the packs and other gear you guys were carrying, today, at the CERT drill. I want to do the same, or very similar, for ZERO, with our own logo, of course.

Can you give us a list of gear, including the packs, that you guys carry and why? Obviously, there will probably be things that I will determine ZERO doesn't need. If you could include suggested brands/models, that would be great!

Thanks!

Okay, so specifically the pack?  We currently use the LA Police Gear 3 day pack as our basic backpack.

http://www.lapolicegear.com/la-police-gear-tactical-gear.html

We make two modifications to the base pack: We add two strips of 1" by 5" loop velcro between the rows of MOLLE on the upper part of the pack for name and reflective tapes, and we sew on a "C.A.A." nametape on the lower part of the pack.  Both modifications are fairly easy to do and could be adapted for ZERO.

We went with OD because it most matched our gear at the time and now we're stuck with it.  It still looks okay and does match our gear, but if I had to do it over again I'd probably go with black.

As far as contents for within the pack, we only require the basic CERT gear kit at present.  WE are talking about creating a more comprehensive gear list, but haven't actually done that yet.

Okay, cool, thanks!

When ZERO is assisting at CERT training, or other events, I want our gear to be fairly comparable to CAA. I'm thinking we will go with a black pack, it should go well with any uniform we wear. I say "we" in preparation for when we have more ZERO members, obviously. That's something I want to work on, after we get things going.

In the future, I'm envisioning ZERO on CERT call outs, or other emergency assistance type situations. I want to be sure we have good, functional gear that also looks professional to represent our brands well.

I want to add to the basic CERT equipment with things that will be useful in a more advanced role, like compass, knife, fire starting supplies, water bladder/filtration, high protein snacks, signaling device, paracord, folding shovel, muti tool, note pad/pen/pencil (Rite in the Rain) better medical equipment, more functional CPR mask, etc. Nothing heavy, but useful in an emergency. Anything else you can suggest? Is this too much?

Okay cool, yeah that would be very good and I think the look would be good since ZERO is more black-based anyway.

So for actually using ZERO beyond just training, there may be some things that we might want to consider.
#1 What kind of role would ZERO play, specifically?  If at the CERT level that would be easy because they could just attend the CERT class and be deployed through that.

#2 ZERO exists in a quasi-gray area between being an official part of TSI, and a separate organization entirely.  However TSI doesn't deploy, so to stay "in-house" they'd have to deploy with C.A.A.   To do that we'd have to develop some policies and procedures, since currently nothing like that really exists.  Especially since we would be assuming the responsibility for ZERO personnel, I would want to ensure that a system was in place to hold them to a similar standard of discipline, professionalism, and operational practices within the C.A.A. command structure.  Another option would be to consider ZERO entirely separate when it comes to deployments, but then they'd have to develop their own connections and agreements with outside organizations separate from the ones currently held by C.A.A.

#3 Firearms could be an issue.  ZERO is synonymous with firearms, but most disaster response organizations don't allow them for liability reasons on trainings or deployments unless you are sworn law enforcement, or sometimes security.  Even for C.A.A. we have a strict firearms and certification policy, and even then they are restricted for some units.

As far as gear goes, I like the ideas that you have there, that will be a good foundation to start with.  But really the gear requirements will mostly be dictated by what they will be doing and training for.

I think we could begin with CERT level to get our feet wet. I really want to become an instructor to better my knowledge and make myself more useful during times of response.

I definitely want to have ZERO contribute to the community in more than just a training role. Not only is it the "right thing to do", but the experience gained would be invaluable on a personal level AND is good "street cred".

I agree wholeheartedly that ZERO needs to be governed on potential response by set guidelines and procedures, and beginning by serving under the CAA umbrella makes the most sense at this point.

Completely understood regarding the firearms!

JCSarge wrote:I think we could begin with CERT level to get our feet wet.  I really want to become an instructor to better my knowledge and make myself more useful during times of response.

Yeah, I still haven't heard back from my contacts, it's possible they forgot.  I'll try them again since I'd like to get you certified as well.

JCSarge wrote: I definitely want to have ZERO contribute to the community in more than just a training role.  Not only is it the "right thing to do", but the experience gained would be invaluable on a personal level AND is good "street cred".

I agree wholeheartedly that ZERO needs to be governed on potential response by set guidelines and procedures, and beginning by serving under the CAA umbrella makes the most sense at this point.

Yeah exactly, and I think we can make that work.  It really makes sense for a variety of reasons, it's just that we've spent literally years building our reputation up to the point where it is now, and all of that could be undone quickly by one bonehead doing something stupid. lol  So I want to make sure if we do it we do it right, I figured we'd be on the same page there.  On the plus side, by putting ZERO under that umbrella we remove the redundancy of having to build those same connections under a different name.  And I think we can find a very effective relationship here where all involved benefit.

JCSarge wrote:Completely understood regarding the firearms!

Perfect!  Yeah you mention firearms in some of these meetings and you can just see people pucker! lol  I'm already carefully negotiating the concept of armed security for certain operational environments, so depending on how that goes may indicate how future things go (One of C.A.A.'s contributions to the COAD is security services for disaster scenes and shelters).  Basically the policy for C.A.A. personnel (and TSI by association) is you are allowed to conceal if you've been cleared and trained, open only if you are in a specific unit that allows it.  Our official use of force policy is basically the same as any other agency.  Our emphasis is on self defense, and doing what is justified and legal to get the job done, while being careful about it, and avoiding using force entirely if possible.  You personally have tons of training and experience so you're good to go as far as I and the policy are concerned.  But the idea of a bunch of folks with unknown character, experience, or training talking about packing in an official capacity; even I start to get a little nervous, so I'm glad you understand. Haha

I am so glad you have a good deal of common sense in these situations. So many people in your position wouldn't think of the liability and other problems that are inherently involved in this kind of business. Frankly, I wouldn't want to work with someone who didn't have that level of common sense.

Well thanks! That means a lot! The way I figure it in order to be successful you have to be three things: Easy to get along with, smart, and willing to learn from mistakes. I think we're on the right track here, and actually I heard from a friend about other ZERO units actually doing something similar to what you suggest. So it may be possible to look at them and get ideas.