I wrote about the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) program a couple years ago when Dave and I started attending meetings. When I heard that they were holding a certification class, I asked Dave if he wanted to attend with me. Even though I was already certified, I knew it would be a good review and I could see how things have changed in the past six years.
These are the training topics that we will learn about over the next six weeks, from the CERT website:
Disaster Preparedness: Addresses hazards to which people are vulnerable in their community. Materials cover actions that participants and their families take before, during, and after a disaster. As the session progresses, the instructor begins to explore an expanded response role for civilians in that they should begin to consider themselves disaster workers. Since they will want to help their family members and neighbors, this training can help them operate in a safe and appropriate manner. The CERT concept and organization are discussed as well as applicable laws governing volunteers in that jurisdiction.
Disaster Psychology and Team Organization: Covers signs and symptoms that might be experienced by the disaster victim and worker. It addresses CERT organization and management principles and the need for documentation.
Light Search and Rescue Operations: Participants learn about search and rescue planning, size-up, search techniques, rescue techniques, and most important, rescuer safety.
Disaster Medical Operations, Part I: Participants practice diagnosing and treating airway obstruction, bleeding, and shock by using simple triage and rapid treatment techniques.
Disaster Medical Operations, Part II: Covers evaluating patients by doing a head to toe assessment, establishing a medical treatment area, performing basic first aid, and practicing in a safe and sanitary manner.
Disaster Fire Suppression: Briefly covers fire chemistry, hazardous materials, fire hazards, and fire suppression strategies. However, the thrust of this session is the safe use of fire extinguishers, sizing up the situation, controlling utilities, and extinguishing a small fire.
Course Review and Disaster Simulation: Participants review their answers from a take home examination. Finally, they practice the skills that they have learned during the previous six sessions in disaster activity.
CERT Training – Week 1
01-25-2011
Jennifer Callahan
Kim Dahle
Andy Miller
Travis Basavage
George Balowski
Training Objectives:
Introductions
Disaster Preparedness
- Introduction to disasters.
- Impact of disasters on infrastructure
- Hazards posed by building structures and non structural items
- The role of CERT in disaster response
Disaster Psychology: The post-disaster emotional environment
CERT organization
CERT decision making and documentation
We started our first class by signing in and introducing ourselves to one another. Dave saw Ken, one of his former Minneapolis clients from seven or eight years ago – small world!
Jennifer Callahan, Sherburne County’s Emergency Services Director gave us an overview of what we would be covering. We met several people involved in various aspects of emergency preparedness, including sheriff department personnel, Skywarn storm spotters, ham radio operators, people from the volunteer organization Hope Filled Hands, already-certified CERT members, and ready-to-be-certified CERT members.
It’s great to know that there are so many people who are willing to sacrifice their time to help their friends and neighbors in the community, and in some cases, even as far away as New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and New York City after 9/11.
We had to do a team-building exercise where we broke into groups and had to figure out how to build a five-foot tall structure using only paper and tape. Our group did okay, but one group nailed it with a Greek Parthenon-looking multi-layer temple with columns. Kudos to them!
We learned how being trained members of the CERT program will enable us to help in a variety of possible emergencies starting in our own families and neighborhoods, and extending to being activated to assist in the aftermath of man-made and natural disasters such as tornadoes, flooding, and even earthquakes. We learned about the organizational structure of the program and the importance of following the proper chain-of-command.
We watched a video on disaster psychology and learned of the importance of taking care of ourselves as well as others during an emergency. Safety first was strongly emphasized because one hurt volunteer can make two or three other workers unavailable to do their assignments. We will have to wear helmets, goggles, and gloves whenever we are activated.
We met some wonderful people and learned a lot of good things tonight – this is going to be a great class!
