Dave and I attended our first CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) meeting at the Sheriff’s Department in Elk River. I was certified as a CERT member in Tennessee in 2005, so I am familiar with the program. Dave is new to everything. The person who leads the group here is Larry Narikawa, who has done a terrific job putting trainings together.
This evening, Larry and John Olsen, the Sherburne Emergency Services Director went over the basics of the program. I saw a couple of the guys from the Citizen’s Academy at the meeting–that was pretty cool.
This is a great program for people in the Sherburne area to get involved with–not only to help neighbors but themselves as well. Here is a description of the program from the Citizen Corp website:
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.
Here is a picture of Larry showing us the supplies that CERT members receive after training:
