A project developed by the Los Angeles Fire Department in 1985 to deal with mass casualties during earthquakes has turned into a tool in the defense of the homeland. CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) training was held locally over two weekends during the month of March.
\n\u201cThe class is offered to municipal workers and leaders,\u201d said CERT training team leader Cindy Whitby. \u201cOnce the municipalities get trained, classes will be offered to other members of the communities.\u201d
\nTyrone Borough Council Member Sharon Dannaway was one of the first CERT training class members.
\n\u201cI got a lot out of the training,\u201d said Dannaway. \u201cI knew nothing about what to do medically in the event of an emergency. I didn\u2019t know what to check for or how to check for bleeding. I never had that type of training. It was geared toward the lay person. The person who will help keep someone stable until the emergency responders arrive on the scene.\u201d
\nThe first week of class was a lot of classroom instruction and learning about fire suppression. In the second week it became more hands on.
\n\u201cAfter the training, I feel that I could save a life if I was in that situation,\u201d said Viola Dysart, Snyder Township Secretary. \u201cIt was an excellent training course. You learn how to do an emergency rescue and learn the procedures you go through to stabilize a patient. It is good training for everyone.\u201d
\nNot only does the CERT training teach you the hands on first aid support, but it teaches you about your \u201cto go\u201d kit.
\n\u201cThat is something I had never thought of,\u201d said Dannaway. \u201cIf you are a first responder, you have your hard hat, mask and gloves. You get your \u2018to go\u2019 kit ready at home in case you need to evacuate, including your insurance papers, any wills or medical documents you may have. You set a meeting point in case your family is separated. If you are out of town, you call home and let them know what time you left. Being prepared with your \u2018to go\u2019 kit is good common sense and doesn\u2019t just help in an emergency.\u201d
\nDysart hopes that more people go through the training.
\n\u201cI hope others in the township get involved in the CERT training,\u201d said Dysart. \u201cIt is very important that people become aware of what is happening around them and how to respond in the event of a disaster.\u201d
\nThe CERT training is funded by a grant by the Department of Homeland Security and according to Whitby, more funding is on the way for more training.
\n\u201cThis first class and the next group of classes will help spread the word,\u201d said Dannaway. \u201cHopefully we will have teams throughout the community and we will get together to update the training once every three months or so. I believe after the municipal workers and leaders, the next group to go through the training will be leaders from the hospitals and school districts.\u201d
\nOne thing that Dannaway learned through the course was about chemicals.
\n\u201cWhat I found out about the chemicals impressed me,\u201d said Dannaway. \u201cIf there was a chemical attack, I would have headed to my basement. I learned that they chemicals weigh more than the air and it is more beneficial to go to the second floor. I would have never known that if I had not participated in this class.\u201d
\nIn a time of crisis, there are many things that go into saving a life. Do you know how to treat for shock? Do you know how to check for an airway? Do you know how to stop bleeding? If you are a CERT team member, you would know the answer to those questions.
\nThe instructors tell you in the CERT training classes that the easiest thing to do is to be a good neighbor. If the lights go out, check on your neighbors to make sure they are okay. Being a good neighbor will save many lives in the event of an actual emergency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A project developed by the Los Angeles Fire Department in 1985 to deal with mass casualties during earthquakes has turned into a tool in the defense of the homeland. CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) training was held locally over two weekends during the month of March. \u201cThe class is offered to municipal workers and leaders,\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news-in-the-tyrone-pennsylvania-area"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46960","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=46960"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46960\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=46960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=46960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=46960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}