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CERT classes may provide skills to save lives
By ALLEN JONES
When Hurricane Edouard began its approach to the Gulf Coast region in early August, Tomball Fire Department Chief Randy Parr sent out an e-mail to an elite group of people telling them to be ready for what ever may come the city’s way.
This e-mail list was not made up of his regular fire station duty crews, but consisted of community volunteers trained to assist during just about any emergency situation.
The volunteers all took part in Community Emergency Response Team training classes offered to the public by the Tomball Emergency Response Team and the Harris County Citizen Corps, which is operated through the county’s office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Each participated in an eight-week training program to learn about disaster preparedness, fire suppression, basic medical operations, search and rescue techniques, disaster psychology and organization, terrorism identification, and take part in simulations. Those who passed the course received an identification badge from the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office and a certificate from County Judge Ed Emmett’s office.
When Edouard hit the region, volunteers helped set up emergency shelters. Although the storm had little impact in the area, if a major disaster had occurred, the volunteers would have been able to provide assistance to themselves and their neighbors if emergency services personnel are unavailable.
“It is always good to be prepared for emergencies, be it something simple in your own neighborhood or a major event,” said Misty Gunn, Harris County CERT Coordinator.
Gunn said the Tomball Fire Department is now registering residents who would like to learn how to be better prepared when a disaster situation arises. Tomball’s fire department will host its fifth Community Emergency Response Team class from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at the department’s main station at 12000 Rudell St.
The classes are free.
“This class will enable you to be prepared in the event of a disaster, a fire, or any emergency to care of yourself first, your family second, your neighborhood and business third and then your community,” Parr said. “One someone has survived an emergency situation, they will be equipped to go out and help others.”
According to a flyer advertising the class, when available, emergency services personal are the best trained and equipped to handle emergencies and even CERT volunteers should utilize them if needed. However, if a disaster is catastrophic, a CERT volunteer and their community may be on their own for a period of time due to the size of an impacted zone, lost communication and impassable roads.
Because emergency services personnel may not be be readily available to help everyone, Parr said CERT volunteers can make a difference by utilizing the training they receive to save lives and protect property. According to the CERT flyer, households and neighborhoods often must rely on their own resources for food, water, first aid and shelter often up to 72 hours after a disaster occurs.
Those who register for CERT training will learn basic skills to know during a disaster situation. Participants will train and practice by working as a team.
The eight-week class will include 8 units including Disaster Preparedness, Disaster Fire Suppression, Disaster Medical Operations I, Disaster Medical Operations II, Light Search and Rescue, Disaster Psychology and Organization, Terrorism, and Course Review and Simulation.
The units include CPR training, said Parr.
A ninth week class will be made available to teach volunteers how to use automated external defibrillator, or AED. The electronic devise is portable and automatically diagnoses potentially life threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia in a patient and treats them by applying electrical therapy to stop the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to reestablish effective rhythms.
Parr said will be taught by CERT coordinators as well as members of the Northwest Rural Emergency Medical Service and the FBI.
According to Gunn, the FBI will teach the unit on Terrorism and discuss its different forms: home-grown and overseas.
“You’ll learn what to do to be prepared,” she said. “You’ll learn what it means to ‘shelter-in-place’ and what to listen for on the radio during an emergency situation.”
Parr said when training is completed, CERT volunteers may then attend monthly Thursday night meetings and participate in additional specialized training.
Learn to Save Lives
To register for the Tomball Fire Department’s Community Emergency Response Team class, call TFD Administrative Assistant Lisa Griffin at 281-351-7101 or e-mail lgriffin@cit.tomball.tx.us. Those interested in the training may also visit www.harriscountycitizencorps.com to register. Classes will be held over an eight-week period from 6 to 9 p.m. beginning Tuesday, Sept. 16.
This e-mail list was not made up of his regular fire station duty crews, but consisted of community volunteers trained to assist during just about any emergency situation.
The volunteers all took part in Community Emergency Response Team training classes offered to the public by the Tomball Emergency Response Team and the Harris County Citizen Corps, which is operated through the county’s office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Each participated in an eight-week training program to learn about disaster preparedness, fire suppression, basic medical operations, search and rescue techniques, disaster psychology and organization, terrorism identification, and take part in simulations. Those who passed the course received an identification badge from the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office and a certificate from County Judge Ed Emmett’s office.
When Edouard hit the region, volunteers helped set up emergency shelters. Although the storm had little impact in the area, if a major disaster had occurred, the volunteers would have been able to provide assistance to themselves and their neighbors if emergency services personnel are unavailable.
“It is always good to be prepared for emergencies, be it something simple in your own neighborhood or a major event,” said Misty Gunn, Harris County CERT Coordinator.
Gunn said the Tomball Fire Department is now registering residents who would like to learn how to be better prepared when a disaster situation arises. Tomball’s fire department will host its fifth Community Emergency Response Team class from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at the department’s main station at 12000 Rudell St.
The classes are free.
“This class will enable you to be prepared in the event of a disaster, a fire, or any emergency to care of yourself first, your family second, your neighborhood and business third and then your community,” Parr said. “One someone has survived an emergency situation, they will be equipped to go out and help others.”
According to a flyer advertising the class, when available, emergency services personal are the best trained and equipped to handle emergencies and even CERT volunteers should utilize them if needed. However, if a disaster is catastrophic, a CERT volunteer and their community may be on their own for a period of time due to the size of an impacted zone, lost communication and impassable roads.
Because emergency services personnel may not be be readily available to help everyone, Parr said CERT volunteers can make a difference by utilizing the training they receive to save lives and protect property. According to the CERT flyer, households and neighborhoods often must rely on their own resources for food, water, first aid and shelter often up to 72 hours after a disaster occurs.
Those who register for CERT training will learn basic skills to know during a disaster situation. Participants will train and practice by working as a team.
The eight-week class will include 8 units including Disaster Preparedness, Disaster Fire Suppression, Disaster Medical Operations I, Disaster Medical Operations II, Light Search and Rescue, Disaster Psychology and Organization, Terrorism, and Course Review and Simulation.
The units include CPR training, said Parr.
A ninth week class will be made available to teach volunteers how to use automated external defibrillator, or AED. The electronic devise is portable and automatically diagnoses potentially life threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia in a patient and treats them by applying electrical therapy to stop the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to reestablish effective rhythms.
Parr said will be taught by CERT coordinators as well as members of the Northwest Rural Emergency Medical Service and the FBI.
According to Gunn, the FBI will teach the unit on Terrorism and discuss its different forms: home-grown and overseas.
“You’ll learn what to do to be prepared,” she said. “You’ll learn what it means to ‘shelter-in-place’ and what to listen for on the radio during an emergency situation.”
Parr said when training is completed, CERT volunteers may then attend monthly Thursday night meetings and participate in additional specialized training.
Learn to Save Lives
To register for the Tomball Fire Department’s Community Emergency Response Team class, call TFD Administrative Assistant Lisa Griffin at 281-351-7101 or e-mail lgriffin@cit.tomball.tx.us. Those interested in the training may also visit www.harriscountycitizencorps.com to register. Classes will be held over an eight-week period from 6 to 9 p.m. beginning Tuesday, Sept. 16.
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