Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to complete my course on Community emergency response training (CERT). In my previous blog I’ve mentioned that I had started this course but was unable to attend the 3rd session which was field day! I was most excited for the field training so I really decided to attend the last session when this CERT course was re-installed.

The day started with lectures regarding terrorism, disaster psychology and search and rescue. I was most interested with the terrorism topic. Of course in the US it’s very much real. And terrorism wasn’t equated immediately to muslim faction but according to the lecture it could be anyone – from a religious sect, or a political group, and of any race. At 2009 alone, US had 12 terrorism attack.

Since I was looking forward to the field work, the lectures kind of bored me. They were really informative though. For our field work we get to do

cribbing, a little bit of first aid training, and a brief search and rescue. Of course these are all in an ideal situation – no sense of panic, no disaster, everything is scripted. So somehow I felt deflated doing those exercises because it’s all mock-up. The only exciting part I was able to do was put out a fire using a fire extinguisher. We used the water hydrant instead of the regular fire extinguisher type ABC.

We ended the day with the officers of CERT giving out certifications for the completion of course. All in all, CERT is a good training for disaster preparedness. Having that extra training can help alleviate panic and process quick thinking during a disaster. So I recommend people to take this course if it’s available in your community. Knowledge is always handy!

Related posts:

1. Disaster Preparedness Training
2. Emergency Supply Kit 101
3. BAD DENTISTRY