The house down the street is on fire. Would you know what to do?

The earthquake has passed — the ground has stopped shaking. Do you know how to search for your friends and neighbors?

The hurricane has passed. Do you know how to tend to your family's injuries?

Now is the time to get some training and prepare yourself with lifesaving skills. There are many community classes to learn CPR and basic first aid. There are classes to teach organizational skills. Local colleges often have classes teaching survival skills. But if you want really comprehensive training to give you the skills and self confidence to face an emergency, it's time to check out CERT training.

The purpose of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program is to educate members of the community about disaster preparedness for natural disasters and other emergencies which may affect their area. The program trains individuals in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical response. Trained CERT members are prepared to assist in their neighborhoods or workplaces following an emergency before professional responders are available to help.

The CERT materials were originally developed by the Los Angeles City Fire Department. They were adopted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 1993, as an approved and preferred training. Professional emergency responders are always the best people to handle an emergency, but when they are not immediately available, community members will need to step in to help.

CERT-trained individuals gain an understanding of the potential threats to their home, schools, workplace and the greater community, and are better prepared to evaluate and deal with emergencies as they occur. Participants receive training in disaster preparedness, fire safety, disaster medical operations, light search and rescue, team organization and crisis management. Training culminates with a disaster simulation.

There is nothing like hands-on training. All classes are taught by trained emergency responders, including firefighters and emergency medical personnel. When a disaster occurs, first responders will be overwhelmed. This is when those with CERT training can temporarily fill in and meet immediate needs. When help does arrive, CERT responders can provide professionals with the information they will need to begin immediate aid to victims.

CERT team members may also be used in their communities to promote emergency preparedness and to help educate others. In some communities they have helped to install smoke detectors, teach the use of fire extinguishers, educate neighborhood watch groups, and much more. Immediately after a disaster they can assist with evacuation, coordinate collection and distribution of clothing and other donations, prepare food for first responders, answer phone calls for fire and police departments, and offer comfort at evacuation sites.

There are currently more than 1000 CERT programs established in the United States. You can find a local group by contacting your fire department. Any group you may belong to — neighborhood watch, parent club, church group — can arrange to become CERT-trained. CERT training would be a great way for a family, neighborhood, school, or ward to prepare for the possibility of an emergency. It will help you to be able to plan ahead and organize the response which may be necessary to care for the specific needs of your group. You will be better prepared to coordinate medical care, cleanup, and temporal and emotional support.

I recently spoke with Jill Stevens, Miss Utah 2007, about her platform, “Emergency Preparedness.” She expressed the belief that all high schools should require CERT training. Jill commented that she believes we are facing many threats — from natural disasters to terrorism — and we should prepare if we are to protect our families and our nation. If your high school has a requirement for community service hours before graduation, CERT training would be a great way to accomplish this.

I agree with Jill. We have eliminated home economics, wood shop, auto shop and so many classes from our schools that taught students life skills. Now we wonder why young couples are having such a difficult time caring for their families. If our schools are no longer going to prepare our children with these important skills, then we must.

Would your children know what to do if there were a disaster at their school or in your home while you were away? The students at Winter Springs High School in Florida would. To quote a government website:

The students in Winter Spring High School's Environmental Class have successfully completed C.E.R.T. training. These adventurous students and teachers were the first graduates of our special Pilot C.E.R.T. Program provided within the Environmental Vocational Program. Students received high school credit for learning how to help themselves and fellow students in their own environment. The teenagers are quick and eager to learn, enjoying the practical training. Even more, these trained students know their campus and community better than any administrator. Ask any student where to find something on campus; you have a very good chance of getting it if it is available. The students know who should be around an area or wing. They also know the ins and outs of the cafeteria, gymnasium, storage locations and equipment lockers.

After learning proper techniques, the students were amazed with their abilities and newfound skills. They were able to perform tasks they did not believe they could perform. The teenagers had an eye-opening experience as they crawled through a dark closet and science laboratory searching for their fallen peers. They experienced firsthand gratification as they rescued their injured classmates and brought them to safety. Many other students at the school were impressed with the young C.E.R.T. members' abilities and recently learned firefighting skills during the fire extinguisher practical, along with the "survival" first aid training.

To view the entire article in its entirety, go to
https://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/sup_wintersprings.shtm)

There have been many times when CERT teams have been called upon to provide assistance during a disaster. CERT team volunteers from across the country were used after Hurricane Katrina to assist during the first days and weeks. One man recalled:

We were assigned to work in a center that was located in an abandoned Super K-Mart that served as both Katrina's administrative headquarters and also a warehouse for most of the relief supplies that were being shipped to the affected areas and shelters across four states. Basic necessities were being distributed in spite of tremendous logistical problems. Our assignment was to work in the headquarters canteen that served upwards of 250-350 volunteers, many of whom were housed in the building on cots. What started out as serving snacks and sodas turned into catering meals for 300 people as local businesses began donating food. In a K-Mart with no kitchen facilities and one small refrigerator, this became a real challenge from 7AM to 7PM. 1

Another said:

It was August 30, 2005 that I was notified the Chesapeake CERT teams were requested by the American Red Cross to assist in the humanitarian efforts resulting from Katrina. August 31, 2005 was the last day of my working career as President and General Manager of the Norfolk and Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad as I was slated to retire from service on September 1, 2005. The magnitude of Katrina and the effects upon fellow Americans left me with the compelling desire to assist the displaced families as best as I could. Three other members of the Chesapeake CERT team made the same choice and we reported for duty together. 2

Several members of the Charlottesville CERT program volunteered to go down to Florida to help with disaster recovery after Hurricane Charley.

An F2 tornado touched down in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, New York around 6:30 a.m., Wednesday, August 8, 2007. A thunderstorm dropped three inches of rain in an hour, and the tornado added 135 mile-per-hour winds. The combination of storms flooded subways, basements, and underpasses, and left more than 4,000 buildings without power. Homes were badly damaged and 50 families had to be evacuated. CERT teams provided help in many ways, including language translation and help relocating families.

Following a hazardous materials spill in Virginia, teams were called upon to canvas a two mile wide area with 112 homes, alerting families to avoid using their water. They posted notices with emergency numbers and information on homes where no one was at home.

You too can be part of the solution for your family and friends. If you have not already been trained, give it some serious consideration. It can be fun.

If CERT training is not for you, then consider taking a class to learn to cook for a crowd, or get your ham radio license or take that CPR class. You could volunteer to organize a school or workplace phone tree, or volunteer to help with a ward emergency plan. Whatever you choose to do, learn a new skill and do something.

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Carolyn Nicolaysen grew up in New Jersey and joined the Church while attending Central College in Pella, Iowa. With a degree in home economics, she later worked as a high school teacher, then served a term as an elected trustee on her local school board. Carolyn has taught Personal and Family Preparedness to all who will listen. Having lived in areas that were threatened by hurricanes and tornadoes, and now living in an earthquake-prone area, she has developed a passion for preparedness. Carolyn started her own business, TotallyReady.com, when she saw the need for higher quality emergency kits that could truly sustain families in a disaster.

Carolyn and her husband, Don, are the parents of four children and grandparents of seven. They live in Oakdale, California.

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