In case of a natural disaster or county-wide emergency, a select group of students at Windsor High School could be their classmates' saving grace.
The students make up the school's teen version of Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), groups of citizens who are trained to respond to emergencies in their areas in the first several hours following a disaster, such as an earthquake. The trained individuals maintain their immediate locations until emergency personnel can arrive.
Members of Teen CERT at Windsor are chosen from among the school's most elite academic performers. Training for the program occasionally requires students to miss class, so the school is careful to select students with strong academic standing to participate.
This year's Teen CERT training began last week.
Ron Harder, public information officer for Rock Community Fire Protection District, said the first day of training consisted of mostly classroom instruction and included an entire walk-through of the school building. During the walk-through students learned about potential danger sites, such as the commons area that is surrounded by many windows, and where resources such as tools and wood are located.
The second day included more hands-on activities, including cribbing and lever practice for moving heavy material in the event of a building collapse, light search and rescue training and use of fire extinguishers.
As students approached a controlled flame in pairs, Harder said teamwork is the most important goal.
In addition to putting out fires and handling structural damage, the teens involved with the program learn basic first aid, triage and disaster psychology-the impact a disaster can have on them. After the initial two days of training, the group meets again every month.
Teen CERT began four or five years ago with the influence of Deputy Chief Kevin Grimshaw of Rock Community. The idea for Teen CERT was developed during a phone conversation with Ruth Wisdom, a former school nurse at Windsor. She asked Grimshaw how the school should respond to a disaster. Through their conversation, Teen CERT was born.
As a 1984 Windsor graduate, the program is close to Grimshaw's heart.
"That makes it really neat for me," he said. "It's neat to give back."
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