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CITIZENS EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM
(CERT)
5/5/05 Duxbury Firefighter Chris West instructs members of C.E.R.T (Citizen Emergency Response Team) during their second class on Flammable Liquid fires. (photo by Rob Reardon)
A program called “Citizens Emergency Response Team” (CERT) has been implemented by Duxbury Emergency Management Agency and the Duxbury Fire Department. CERT, although not a new concept in other areas of the country, is new to our Town. Through Homeland Security Grants, we can pay trainers to teach the courses that are required to develop this program.
What is CERT? It is, as the name implies, a team of citizens who are trained in certain areas of emergency response. On April 28, 2005, we held the first of nine (9) classes discussing various emergency response situations in which Duxbury residents could find themselves involved in, either locally or perhaps even in their work place. These classes are designed to teach basic response skills in a given emergency scenario. The topics covered over the course of the nine (9) weeks are Disaster Preparedness, Fire Safety, Medical and First Aid Skills, Light Search and Rescue Operations, CERT Organization, Disaster Psychology, and Terrorism.
Earlier in April, a notice went into our local paper “The Clipper,” explaining this new program to be developed. It prompted curiosity from Duxbury residents with varying backgrounds and interests. An application packet was made up that explained what CERT was, what the courses were, and when and where they were being held. Those interested, picked up this application packet, and a class of about ten (10) people was put together.
This program has been successful in larger cities in Massachusetts, such as Quincy and others. It originated in California when assistance was needed for all the earthquakes they were experiencing. In Florida, hurricane season found CERT very helpful as well.
The class members were enthusiastic and eager to learn. Since this was a new experience for all of us, including those teaching the class these skills, we’ve helped each other along the way. The class participants have asked great questions, provided lots of input from their own personal experiences, and are formulating the skills they will need to act together as a team. There is a combination of class time, as well as hands-on training.
In the first module of “Disaster Preparedness,” they discussed preparedness planning in the home and workplace, and the differences in mitigating structural and non-structural hazards. In the Fire Safety module, they all had a chance to learn the “buddy” system when approaching a small fire, and each had the opportunity to extinguish that fire. Week three they learned the first half of some basic first aid in a classroom setting using dummies and props. Week Four, they will continue with basic medical information before going on to “Light Search and Rescue” in Week five.
Duxbury Firefighter John Sjostedt instructs members of C.E.R.T (Community Emergency Response Team) on first aid.
Please think about joining us in the fall where we hope to start up a new program. If the caliber of people that join that class is as good as the latest group, we will be well on our way to having a fantastic volunteer base should we ever need them in an emergency. As they are learning, and you will too, there are many ways in which CERT personnel either individually or as a team, can be of great assistance when disaster strikes.
Triage....
...and treatment
CERTeam #1
Learning fire suppression tecniques
Search and Rescue training
Nancy Eriksson with a CERT kit each graduate received, which was full of equipment for them to use in an emergency.
CERT graduates George Reinhart, Dave Robinson, Irv True, Effie Lewis, John O'Sullivan, Dorothy Pilla, Monica Billard, and Kevin Carr (not pictured: Ken Shine) (Photo courtesy Duxbury Clipper)
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