Course prepares locals to help in an emergency

PLEASANT GROVE — In the event of an emergency, it would be helpful to have someone like Christina Davies living next door.

Davies, a full-time mother of five, was one of 25 who participated in last week's Citizen Emergency Response Team training in Pleasant Grove that takes ordinary residents and teaches them how to take care of their families and community in the event of a disaster.

"I know that we live on an earthquake fault, and when the big one hits, people are going to say 'What kind of wackos would live on a fault line? ' " Davies said after she practiced putting out a fire with a powder extinguisher. "I don't want to be afraid at all. I want to be prepared."

Saturday was the culminating event of the week's CERT training, following three previous days of four-hour classes. Volunteers learned light search and rescue techniques, disaster preparedness, fire suppression, team organization skills and disaster medical operations.

Trainees put their skills to the test in a disaster simulation Saturday morning.

"I've never even done more than put on a Band-Aid — that was the extent of my emergency training," Davies said. "Now I feel like if somebody would come up to me with their eyeball hanging out, with a piece of glass in their arm, I know what to do." The CERT program was developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a way to prepare communities to support emergency professionals in disastrous situations or handle catastrophic events until more qualified teams arrive.

Individuals who participate in CERT trainings become part of a team of volunteers overseen by a group leader. If a disaster were to strike, CERT volunteers would first make sure their families and neighbors are secured, then assist the rest of the community. Teams are divided into groups of eight to 10. Pleasant Grove has about 15 teams of qualified CERT volunteers.

"These (volunteers) are on-scene responders that respond at the level of training they have, which is a basic level," said Sherri Atwood, program manager for CERT. "They can be a great resource, right in their own neighborhoods, so they can help until other teams can respond."

Training sessions in Pleasant Grove take place two to three times a year. The course costs $25, which pays for a hard hat, CERT vest, gloves, protective glasses and a backpack. Registration is open to any interested individual, but classes are limited to 25 people each time. The next training will take place on Sept. 13. The registration deadline for the course is Aug. 31.

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