Wentzville teen class graduates from CERT

Youth learn disaster response skills

Sunday, July 27, 2008 7:25 AM CDT

There's no age limit when it comes to emergency responders.

The Wentzville Fire Protection District and Wentzville Police Department, sponsors of the Adult and Teen Community Emergency Response Teams, graduated six members in May from their first Teen CERT class.

The 20-hour Teen CERT program offers training to youth ages 13 to 18. The training teaches first aid procedures, search and rescue procedures, mental health aspects in dealing with disasters, fire suppression and organizational procedures. Two-hour classes were held twice a week at the Wentzville Law Enforcement Center, 1019 Schroeder Creek Blvd. Representatives from the fire district, police department and the Crider Center for Mental Health taught the classes.

Prior to the graduation, the teens spent three hours at Rotary Park, where they practiced their new skills in simulated exercises. Parents of the teens acted as victims of a disaster during a search and rescue simulation, the teens also conducted a simulation search of the area for a missing child. Upon finding the child, they administered the required first aid, stabilized and transported the victim for further assessment.

Program officials say the teens will be a great asset to an already successful CERT program, and that emergency responders can count on them when resources become depleted because of large-scale events.

The next Wentzville sponsored CERT and Teen CERT classes are to start in early September. To sign up or for more information, e-mail officer Phil Yocum at phily@wentzvillemo.org or call him at 636-639-2131.

Crestwood receives equipment to help train residents

Homeland Security money used for citizen response teams

By Steve Birmingham
Saturday, July 19, 2008 9:56 AM CDT

Crestwood citizens trained to help their neighbors during a catastrophic emergency will have a place to store the tools of their trade.

Thanks to the city of Crestwood and the St. Louis Area Regional Response System, or STARRS.

STARRS, an effort of the East-West Gateway Council of Governments, uses federal grants to help local governments plan for, protect against and recover from natural or man-made crises.

The agreement to accept the donation from STARRS of 55 backpacks, valued at $50 each, means residents trained as Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, members will be able to carry first-aid kits, tools, safety equipment and other items if they ever have to respond in times of emergencies, said Crestwood Deputy Police Chief Frank Arnoldy.

Arnoldy, who is part of the city's CERT training staff, said "if we didn't have this agreement with STARRS to get these backpacks we'd have to decide whether we would fund it or not."

"What we do is fund, through Homeland Security grants, various resources, whether it's in the fire department, police department, public health or hospitals, that could be needed when a disaster occurs," said STARRS Executive Director Dominic "Nick" Gragnani.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security provides the money to the St. Louis metropolitan region and STARRS directs it to different initiatives and groups that are underway to help mitigate a disaster or get prepared for one when it does occur, Gragnani said.

One of those initiatives is the Citizen Corps, which "is similar to the Peace Corps, although at the local level they help citizenry get ready for when something major does occur," Grignani said.

"Within the Citizen Corps are different component. One of them being the Community Emergency Response Team concept," he said. "CERT helps prepare neighborhoods to deal with the disaster on their own until the emergency response is there to assist them."

The Citizen Corps trains neighborhood watch groups, clubs and other smaller groups to perform damage assessments, light searches and rescues, fire suppression and general first aid, Grignani said.

The city's agreement with STARRS allows the group to bring the residents a deeper understanding of what it takes to deal with disasters and the aftermath.

"I kind of refer to it as the Godfather agreement, where we're willing to do this for you, with the understanding that come someday that need is going to be there and you will respond to the citizens of Crestwood," he said.

Crestwood's CERT program teaches volunteers, after a 20-hour training course by the city's police and fire department, "to care for themselves and their neighbors if we have a major event or incident," Arnoldy said.

The specially made backpacks will hold, among other items, a mask, hard hat, work gloves, safety goggles, whistle and lanyard, orange CERT safety vest, flashlight, four-in-one spark-proof tool for shutting off utility lines and appliances, an adjustable wrench, duct tape, blanket, tarpaulin, utility knife, ear plugs, first aid kit and triage equipment.

Arnoldy said in times of catastrophic emergencies people have to be prepared to possibly fend for themselves for at least 96 hours without outside help.

"We're always looking for more people to get involved so they can be trained to take care of themselves and their families and neighborhood," Arnoldy said. "During an earthquake or weather-related things like tornadoes and ice storms, even electrical outages, during all those things you need to have supplies set aside and know how to take care of yourself and others until help arrives."

There are approximately 100 CERT-trained residents in Crestwood, Arnoldy said, and about 3,000 in the entire St. Louis metropolitan area.

There is a CERT training session already in progress in Crestwood but there is a waiting list for future classes.

Interested residents can contact Assistant Fire Chief Mark Menning at (314) 729-4741, or at www.metrowestcert.com.

Emergency helpers

Maryville to form amateur response team

By Mike Terry
Thursday, July 10, 2008 8:57 AM CDT

The Maryville Community Improvement Board is currently on the lookout for volunteers interested in joining a response team that would assist emergency services if a major disaster ever hit the village.

The new Community Emergency Response Team will be open to anyone over 14 and will hold its first training session on July 17.

"We did some research," said team organizer Dan Wright, who is also a member of the improvement board. "With the storms we have had and the recent earthquake, we thought it would be a good idea."

In a community like Maryville, which utilizes an all-volunteer fire department and operates with a limited number of police officers, Wright said that emergency officials can find themselves with their hands full very quickly.

Members of the CERT team will be trained in basic first aid, search and rescue, evaluating a disaster scene and how to survive without help for a period of at least 72 hours. By having CERT members taking care of the small matters, the professionals will have more ability to handle more serious situations.

"Nobody (on the CERT team) will be doing advanced medical procedures," he said. "But we can help by checking on people."

Once organized, Wright expects the team will operate through a phone tree with a centralized meeting point somewhere in Maryville. In the instance of something like a widespread power outage or a major storm, members would be dispatched to check area neighborhoods, senior living centers and other parts of the village to make sure everyone is all right.

Training will be handled by members of Collinsville's Emergency Response Team.

No experience will be necessary to join, although teenagers under 18 will need to obtain permission from their parents. Wright said they would be able to find a place for anyone, regardless of their age or physical capabilities, and nobody would be asked to do something they couldn't handle.

"We will only put people where they are comfortable," he said. "It's only as strenuous as you would make it."

Materials and training will be provided at no cost. Wright said they would like to have around 25 on the team and have already been spreading the word with fliers. Those interested should contact him or his wife Courtney at 205-3204.

ROCK COMMUNITY: Citizens train as emergency workers

By Trish Wallace
Wednesday, July 2, 2008 10:23 AM CDT

When local disasters threaten Jefferson County communities, trained volunteers are ready.

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program educates citizens on how to care for themselves and their surrounding areas in the first few hours of an emergency, before first responders arrive.

The Rock Community Fire Protection District is teaming with the Jefferson County Citizen Corps (JCCC) to offer a new branch of the Jefferson County CERT program.

Through CERT, citizens learn about disaster preparedness and receive training in basic response skills including first aid, CPR, fire safety, light search and rescue, medical operations, team organization and an overview of terrorism.

Ron Harder, Rock Community public information officer, said CERT training teaches volunteers how to identify and reduce potential hazards in their own homes and neighborhoods.

The new program will offer a localized group of CERT volunteers to serve as an extension of the fire district.

"It will create an arm of Rock Community in conjunction with Jefferson County CERT," Harder said.

The goal of the Rock Community CERT team will be to not only have a trained citizen team trained and ready, but to have a team that will also volunteer for projects that improve community emergency preparedness in their own neighborhoods.

Rock Community is hosting an informational meeting 7 p.m. July 8 at House 4, located at 3889 Miller Road in Arnold. Attendees are under no obligation to commit to training or volunteering at the meeting, and no qualifications are required to begin CERT training.

To become a trained CERT volunteer, local residents must participate in a 20-hour training program approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Expenses for CERT training is covered by the Department of Homeland Security's Citizen Corps Grant program.

For more information, visit the district's Web site at www.rockfire-rescue.org or call 636-296-2211.