CERT training session starts on Oct. 4.
South county residents who want to be more prepared in emergency situations have a chance to take the Community Emergency Response Team training for free.
The seven-week course covers topics ranging from fire safety and suppression to medical treatment. The classes are open to anyone 11 years or older of any physical ability. The training session starts Oct. 4 and will meet every Tuesday from 7 pm to 10 pm at the Morgan Hill Police Department Emergency Operations Center. On Saturday, Nov. 19, participants will meet for a five-hour disaster simulation exercise to put what they have learned in class to practice. Those individuals who complete all 23 hours of training will become CERT certified.
The hands-on training is offered by the South County Neighborhood Disaster Project, a non-profit organization that coordinates the trainings, two to three times a year.
“We have people do fire suppression, where they put out a small fire in a controlled environment,” said Donna Krein, who works with SCNDP. “We have them do light search and rescue. We use drama students from the high school for the drill.”
The South County area has more than 200 graduates of the program, but CERT coordinator Deborah Suzuki said that is just a drop in the bucket.
“I am hoping we can eventually have 1,000 or 2,000 trained,” Suzuki said.
She first got involved in disaster training in 1989, after the Loma Prieta earthquake from which she suffered post-traumatic stress. She contacted the city of Sunnyvale, where she lived at the time, to find out what she could do to prepare. She soon organized disaster preparedness plans for her family and her neighborhood.
“A lot of people think, ‘If I don’t do anything, I won’t think about it and maybe nothing will happen,’” Suzuki said.
Most people start out taking the CERT classes so they can feel prepared to help themselves in an emergency, but many people realize how they can help their community, according to Suzuki.
With earthquakes, floods and wildfires a possibility in the area, Suzuki said people should be prepared to survive on their own for at least a week.
“We learned that from Katrina, you are on your own for at least a week,” Suzuki said.
Melissa Flores is an intern, who recently graduated from the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles. Reach her at 842-6400, ext. 207 or mf*****@gi************.com.
