Anybody Taken The CERT Course?

[glockgirl]

Just curious. Kirkland is offering an accelerated CERT course in cooperation with Bellevue, and I snagged a spot. It is three days (August 9, 12, and 13, 0800-1700 each day) instead of being spaced out in three-hour segments over nine weeks.

Wondering what I signed up for, exactly.

[Ops]

you learn basic first aid. take some quizzes. learn to kiss a dummy. go into simulated drills. how to setup during a disaster.

I enjoyed it but mine was a couple hours a day for a while

you learn to help your neighborhood so first responders can deal with the big stuff.

an idea

https://www.seattle.gov/emergency-manag ... onse-teams

Last edited by Ops on Mon Jul 31, 2017 8:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[golddigger14s]

Good stuff. Trains you how to react to a disaster like our anticipated 9.0. A real eye opener, the training situation has you, and your classmates responding to a building that has been damaged. You must search, clear, and triage all the subjects in a stressful environment. When you complete the training you will realize that you are the only person with access to your block to provide help, and you are actually on your own.

[dreadi]

Exactly what Chuck said.

[golddigger14s]

Confusion, & chaos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4qe9Svs378

[Guntrader]

I've been attending CRDR/PNWER classes and exercises for years.
You'd be surprised how many people in government work in emergency management.
http://www.regionalresilience.org/
Not too optimistic for our future, but they usually do have pretty good lunches.
Can't dawdle or all that's left is the vegan food.

[SporkBoy]

Was emergency response team leader and no matter the training or drills some people just don't have 'it' and become worse than useless when things go sideways. Trick is reading people and keeping them occupied with something you know they can handle.

[sportsdad60]

Was emergency response team leader and no matter the training or drills some people just don't have 'it' and become worse than useless when things go sideways. Trick is reading people and keeping them occupied with something you know they can handle.

That's going to be a big issue with as many snowflakes as Latte Land has (Seattle)

[cityslicker]

Last year I signed up with Kent Regional Fire Authority and got the 8 week class. I got to take my test at the training center. My classes were divided between the testing grounds and the learning center. It was pure awesome. I still was not enough time to learn and talk about everything.
Get these Rite in the Rain items:
#573
#571FX
C980
The forms book and field guide fit right inside the book holder.
Stuff a bunch of pens and highliters in there too.

[quantsuff]

Take it. One big lesson you must learn to succeed is that people are stupid,especially under stress, and *someone* has to lead in an emergency. Learn to give clear directions, and to plan for contingencies. These are valuable skills that require "live fire" practice. If you are lucky, and your FD is in on it, you may get fire control experience as well.
It doesn't hurt to get an understanding of local emergency services capabilities and terminology.
What's the downside?

[mislabeled]

GG, your past training should give you some good perspective on the course. Once you've finished it, I'll be curious to hear what you thought of it and what you learned.

[glockgirl]

Was emergency response team leader and no matter the training or drills some people just don't have 'it' and become worse than useless when things go sideways. Trick is reading people and keeping them occupied with something you know they can handle.

Yup. Had the team secondary to myself and my "buddy" completely freak out (well, one half did) when one of the already-triaged (by my team) "victims" in a low-visibility initial search drill grabbed his arm and was screaming "Help me, don't go". Poor guy in the second team--a USMC vet, natch-- freaked right out and had to drop out of the drill.

I think, from doing the class work and the lab modules and finding out that only about 30 people from Bellevue, Kirkland and Redmond, out of some couple of hundred who have taken the actual training, have indicated that they want to continue with CERT training, that there will be those who are able to help themselves so that they can help others, and those who won't be able to do either.

Since the prevailing opinion seems to be that since I'm a Democrat I must be a liberal, and by that logic a snowflake, well, you better hope this particular snowflake is the one coming to find you when we do have a major disaster or other MASCAL incident. FTR, this "snowflake" was designated as Incident Commander in all the drills requiring one.

This is me hot and disheveled after clearing a 5 story multi room building in low-visibility conditions. Yes, the safety glasses really make the look, don't they?

Optimized-IMG_1570 (1).JPG

You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

Last edited by glockgirl on Mon Aug 14, 2017 8:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[MadPick]

That's Commander Snowflake to you, mister!

Sounds like you enjoyed the class, Jen? Learned a lot, would recommend?

[glockgirl]

That's Commander Snowflake to you, mister!

Damn straight. Incident Commander Snowflake, boys.

The BFD Battalion Chief assigned to me during the fire-suppression part of the training (which was, admittedly, extremely fun) told me that I had (have?) something called a "command presence". Whatever. People kept trying to set themselves on fire by going in without a buddy or not checking for back fires or not having their head on a swivel or all of the above and every time I called a full stop, it was in stereo with Chuck.

Yes, I learned a lot--see my comments about "victims" and their potential responses to a given first search team tasked with only marking the victims for triage and rescue. Meaning that you ideally spend <20 seconds with each person, no matter their condition. Being a nurse, I think, actually made it easier for me to emotionally distance myself from the need to stop and try to help the individual I'd just tagged. Like I said, it was a USMC vet who freaked right the (swear word) out when a "victim"--who had done the same thing to me and my "buddy"--grabbed onto him and begged him to help her. He just couldn't leave her.

Agencies involved in the training: BFD, WSP, FEMA, Homeland Security. Very much worth the time and very worthwhile training.