Has anyone taken CERT training?

Carol

Carol

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Has anyone here taken a CERT (community emergency response training) class?

I'll be taking one this weekend -- 20 hours of all hazards/all risks training for disaster responses. That's a lot to squeeze in to a weekend but I am looking forward to it :)
 
Carol said:
Has anyone here taken a CERT (community emergency response training) class?

I'll be taking one this weekend -- 20 hours of all hazards/all risks training for disaster responses. That's a lot to squeeze in to a weekend but I am looking forward to it :)
Click to expand...

Not personally, but it has been recently offered among Boy Scouts (my kid didn't do it)
The big problem they had with the boys finishing the process was that they had to enter their social security number online ...a lot balked at that.

(It was 'teen CERT' I think though)
 
Yes. I am an active member of our local CERT team. I currently assist with the medical training. I haven't had the chance to go to the Train the Trainer portions yet but, I expect to get that done sometime this year.

We split our training up over several weekends. Not that is couldn't be done but, that is a lot of information to absorb in one weekend. Just wait until you have to practice cribbing.
 
Takai said:
Yes. I am an active member of our local CERT team. I currently assist with the medical training. I haven't had the chance to go to the Train the Trainer portions yet but, I expect to get that done sometime this year.

We split our training up over several weekends. Not that is couldn't be done but, that is a lot of information to absorb in one weekend. Just wait until you have to practice cribbing.
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We're starting the training Friday evening (instead of waiting until Sat morning) but it does sure seem like a lot.

Cribbing I'm ready for. But then again I'm someone who does trail maintenance for fun ;)
 
Great service to your community....go for it!

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Carol said:
Has anyone here taken a CERT (community emergency response training) class?

I'll be taking one this weekend -- 20 hours of all hazards/all risks training for disaster responses. That's a lot to squeeze in to a weekend but I am looking forward to it :)
Click to expand...

Haven't taken it - but my dad used to teach them in Delaware. Lots of good info, geared well for the likely participants. Enjoy it.
 
Carol said:
We're starting the training Friday evening (instead of waiting until Sat morning) but it does sure seem like a lot.

Cribbing I'm ready for. But then again I'm someone who does trail maintenance for fun ;)
Click to expand...

Good for you. I am ranch raised and my father (retired firefighter) taught CERT for another jurisdiction for over 10 years I grew up doing a lot of these skills and I still feel that cribbing is as much an art as an applied science. I guess I am not artistically incline for this application. Now give me a come-along and I can pretty much anything you need any direction you need it to go....

Sounds like that portion is something that you are going to be comfortable with. That will certainly take some pressure off on while learning the other skill sets.

After you our done I would love to get a rundown on how it went. Especially the disaster simulation at the end of training. That is fun (for both sides)!
 
I'll be comfortable with trying anyway. I'm sure cribbing will be tough and not something I'm immediately good at.

First day went well. We did an interesting team building exercise, went over KIT building and did an overview of the command structures. I have my FEMA NIMS certs already so that was pretty much review. Getting more hands-on tomorrow!

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Today was a blast!

We did Mass Casualty Incident responses, medical training and simulation, hazmat, fire, gas, electrical. I got to put out a live fire in a snowstorm....that was definitely a first! :D

Class was cut 2+ hours short due to heavy snow fall, so unfortunately we will be missing a bit from our training...but I'm glad they kept everyone's safety in mind. .
 
Another good day today. We went over some more medical training, transport (carries), as well as cribbing and extrication. The time after lunch was dedicated to disaster sims. The sims were exellent! Our training took place in a medical center, so we had a number of realistic hazards to through in our way. Our carries were performed with live people as well as dummies, but the extrication and cribbing was just done with dummies.

It was a very good group to work with. Everyone picked up on the matierial quickly...which was good because we had to proceed at an accelerated pace -- especially with yesterday being cut short due to the snow. The age range was quite diverse -- I'd guess the youngest participants were in their mid 20s, while the oldest were in their 60s. There were a few variations in abilities too. Our instructors were clear about how duties can be matched up with ability, but I think the intensity of the training took a few people by surprise. Not everyone finished. I lost a younger fellow on my team in the cribbing and extrication sim due to stress and exhaustion.

I did apply to join the CERT team in my city, although I'm really hoping to do more outdoors. The cool thing about the CERT program is that the programs are universal, you can volunteer for more than one geographic area. I'm hoping to explore how I can tie this in to my work at my (very busy!) park. Either way, I'm better prepared to assist the folks around me when an emergency strikes, and that is alone is very gratifying :asian:
 
Thanks for the update. I am always pleased to hear such a positive response come from someone who just completed the training. The fact that you have already have your NIMS out of the way is definitely a big bonus.

From the sounds of it you have the same type of response that we do during our disaster sims. People just don't anticipate how much exertion (both mental and physical) that this type of simulation entails.

How did they simulate for the structural assessment and SAR?
 
I'm seeing a lot of parallels to my volunteer work at the park with regards to exertion. There are ways for people of all abilities to help, but the crucial element is for people to be honest about their own abilities. Not only is there no shame in admitting that one cannot do something - its critical that one says so.

For the structural assessment and SAR, we basically had full run of the lower level of a medical center. We were shown a picture of a damaged building on doors to different hallways and asked to assess whether it was safe to enter or not, and why. One was safe, the other was not. We identified the safe building, and a volunteer set up an easel for us to mark off that we were entering and exiting. Once in, we had to break in to teams and conduct a search of several rooms off that hallway that were staged to simulate a Mass Casualty Incident. Hospital trash, disposal devices, and features of the building were worked in to the sim, so we had to conduct our search while avoiding biohazards, chemical spills, and locked doors. We had to quickly triage the people we did find, then mark off the building reporting on what we did find...including noting that we could not access part of the building due to the hazards or the locked doors.
 
Sounds like a really good set-up. And I agree with you about their being in no shame in saying "I can't do this." Better and safer to find out in training than when the pressure is really on.
 
Carol said:
I'm seeing a lot of parallels to my volunteer work at the park with regards to exertion. There are ways for people of all abilities to help, but the crucial element is for people to be honest about their own abilities. Not only is there no shame in admitting that one cannot do something - its critical that one says so.
Click to expand...

Knowing, recognizing, and admitting your limits is an essential emergency skill. The last thing you need to do when you're trying to help other people is become a casualty yourself. Close to that is making things worse by your effort to help.

I'm really impressed by your volunteer work on the mountain, as well as this. All that on top of a really demanding job...
 
Who did your moulage? Looks like some good work from the pictures.
 
The moulage was done by folks with the city OEM. It was excellent. Especially with this fellow who had significant burns, I don't think I could have told the difference between that and a real wound, had it not been for the lack of odor. Having volunteered with a vet at an animal shelter in the past (including assisting with surgeries), its not the sight of gore or internal tissue that gets to me -- its the smells.

View attachment $moulage.jpg
 
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interesting moment in time: Niagra falls with no water

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