Community Emergency Responce Team

Wife and I are in training to be part of the CERT program team in our area. The training in START (Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment) took me back to my Army Medic days. Next week we take on advanced first aid, another trip down memory lane for me. There are 9 sections to the training and when you complete the training you become a part of the team that will respond in the advent of a disaster in your area. If any of you want to be trained contact your county Judge's office for info. The classes are free and the goal of the training and team is to save ourselves, family and those in our community in the event of a disaster.

Even if you never go out in a community disaster the training will help any one who is serious about survival.

And their rules about being armed while activated are...

As the deputy that helped with one of our classes said......
Concealed means concealed right? :wink:

I am actually active with two of our OEM's units and have been told by each that as long as I have a CHL they have no issue with me being armed.

Did I ever mention how much I LOVE living in Texas?

Searcher 45, depending on the temperment of the rest of your class that might be a question to ask the powers that be quietly during a break.

Searcher45,
Just to add it depends on your area who you contact to be able to join. Here you contact the emergency management agency.

For what its worth, not aloud to be armed here by the local cert policy.

Sent from my EVO via Tapatalk pro.

There are a lot of CERTs popping up, difeerent missions. Ours primarily runs a canteen for supporting long-duration events, fires, DUI checkpoints, etc., Next town does Search and Rescue. As a career firefighter, I hear some co-workers call them yahoos and whackers, but mostly the idea has been received well. CERT teams provide services that regular agencies don't have the resources to provide. It's a great way to 'get involved', learn something, maybe teach something, without too much time commitment. As far as concealed carry, I'll check the rules (our team leader is a buddy and a carrier) and let you know, but our town policy prohibits weapons in our buildings. 'Workplace Violence Policy.' Next town over to where the Hartford Distributors massacre occurred.

I've seen news footage of the CERT team training in Virginia Beach. Not sure what to make of them. Looks like a bunch of housewives, elderly and kids looking for some way to be involved in the community who don't want to or can't volunteer in the EMS system or elsewhere . Seems like rather rudimentary training, not sure how often they retrain. I've got to imagine apathy being a problem since they will almost never be used. But in a large scale incident, I am not turning away help.

Ours is a very structured course, I believe it's a national curriculum. Basic fire, EMS, rescue, stuff like that. Ours is taught by FD guys on overtime with the CERT director, who is our Emergency Manager (schedule all emergencies through him). We do have a few younger members, a lot of middle aged women, some men. Most are trying to get involved but can't commit to riding regular shifts on ambulances, plus we don't have volunteers so they'd be volunteering in towns they don't live in.

Any survival training you can get is important. It may help you take care of your family and immediate neighbors. I'm not going to depend on FEMA. "Nice job, Brownie."

My wife and I took the course earlier this year. Yes, it is not a long, drawn out course where you learn all the in's and out's of all first aid. But it is a good course to learn basic first aid, splints, triage etc in case of emergency. Police and fire depts cannot be everywhere in a large scale emergency so this course teaches the basics to keep you and yours alive until help can arrive. Also, if emergency happens at your workplace, you know what to do to keep your co-workers alive and safe until help arives.

I am a CERT instructor (more so in the past than current schedule allows) and love to see the light go on in someone's eyes when they "get it".
My wife and step-son are CERT grads as well. It gives me great peace-of-mind knowing that they are prepared and know what to do.
One of my favorite parts of training CERT volunteers is designing and running the exercises, both class-room and post-grad exercises.
My most favorite part of the program are the volunteers. God bless them.
Congratulations on taking yet another step in being responsible for you and yours.

Be Safe! Always go with a buddy!

I think one of the biggest issues with educating the general public is that they just assume that when they pick up the phone and call 9-1-1 help is going to show up. Folks that have not been through a disaster can't seem to wrap their heads around the concept that they might not be able to dial 9-1-1. Or that if that even if they do get through that they might be told that it could be literally days before help is going to be able to get to them.

In preparation for Ike, Fort Bend county called people in on overtime and equipped all of their reserve ambulances. They were ready! Ambulances can't drive over trees that are down across the road. They can't drive through eight foot deep water very well either. Some times all you are going to have is what you have right there.

There is about 100 folks trained in CERT in our very rural county.

There is a unit of about 25 folks that are horse mounted and work in the 7 county area in search and rescue.

There is a lots of work involved in this unit as the horses have certain equalizations and training that they have to meet before they can be used.

I have been told that if you have CHL you can carry while out on a search and rescue with the mounted team.

I'm not a horseman but may find a way to help this also.

I'm Communications Officer for the local CERT team. I've been kinda wondering about whether I'm allowed to carry, but I don't want to deal with the fall out if I ask and the higher ups in the team are anti's