Following a major disaster, first responders who provide fire and medical services will not be able to meet the demand for these services. Factors such as number of victims, communication failures, and road blockages will prevent people from accessing emergency services they have come to expect at a moment's notice through 911. People will have to rely on each other for help in order to meet their immediate life saving and life sustaining needs.

One also expects that under these kinds of conditions, family members, fellow employees, and Spruce Creek Fly-In neighbors will spontaneously try to help each other. This was the case following the Mexico City earthquake where untrained, spontaneous volunteers saved 800 people. However, 100 people lost their lives while attempting to save others. This is a high price to pay and is preventable through training.

If we can predict that emergency services WILL NOT meet immediate needs following a major disaster, especially if there is no warning as in an earthquake or tornado, and people will spontaneously volunteer, what can we as a community do to prepare ourselves for this eventuality? The answer is, form a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) that is trained in needed life saving skills with emphasis on decision making skills, rescuer safety, and doing the greatest good for the greatest number-that's what CERT is about.

Background:

To this end, your prior Spruce Creek Fly-In Security Director, Ed Hickox, started CERT training sessions for Spruce Creek volunteers using local Voulsia County Fire Fighters as instructors. Currently, over 30 people have completed the 21-hour course.

The CERT course is a benefit to anyone who takes it. This individual will be better prepared to respond to and cope with the aftermath of a disaster. These people can provide immediate assistance to victims in their area, organize spontaneous volunteers who have not had the training, and collect disaster intelligence that will assist professional responders with prioritization and allocation of resources following a disaster. A typical training program covers...

• DISASTER PREPAREDNESS: Addresses hazards to which people are vulnerable in their community. Materials cover actions that participants and their families take before, during, and after a disaster. As the session progresses, the instructor begins to explore an expanded response role for civilians in that they should begin to consider themselves disaster workers. Since they will want to help their family members and neighbors, this training can help them operate in a safe and appropriate manner. The CERT concept and organization are discussed as well as applicable laws governing volunteers in that jurisdiction.
• DISASTER FIRE SUPPRESSION: Briefly covers fire chemistry, hazardous materials, fire hazards, and fire suppression strategies. However, the thrust of this session is the safe use of fire extinguishers, sizing up the situation, controlling utilities, and extinguishing a small fire.
• DISASTER MEDICAL OPERATIONS PART I: Participants practice diagnosing and treating airway obstruction, bleeding, and shock by using simple triage and rapid treatment techniques.
• DISASTER MEDICAL OPERATIONS, PART II: Covers evaluating patients by doing a head to toe assessment, establishing a medical treatment area, performing basic first aid, and practicing in a safe and sanitary manner.
• LIGHT SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS: Participants learn about search and rescue planning, size-up, search techniques, rescue techniques, and most important, rescuer safety.
• DISASTER PSYCHOLOGY AND TEAM ORGANIZATION: Covers signs and symptoms that might be experienced by the disaster victim and worker. It addresses CERT organization and management principles and the need for documentation.
• COURSE REVIEW AND DISASTER SIMULATION: Participants review their training in by reading their CERT manual. Finally, they practice the skills that they have learned during the 3 days of classroom work in disaster activity.

Maintaining Involvement:

When participants have completed this training, they are offered periodic refresher sessions to reinforce the basic training.

Conclusion:

CERT is about readiness, people helping people, rescuer safety, and doing the greatest good for the greatest number. CERT is a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where we in Spruce Creek will be initially on our own until fire and rescue arrive and their actions can make a difference. Through training, we can manage utilities and put out small fires; treat the three killers by opening airways, controlling bleeding, and treating for shock; provide basic medical aid; search for and rescue victims safely; and organize ourselves and spontaneous volunteers to be effective.

Point of Contact:

If you would like to join our CERT team or if you have questions about our CERT program, contact:

• Security Phone Numbers
  Director of Security - Captain Keith Sprague (386) 547-5086
  Email Captain Sprague: security@scpoa.com
  Main Gate: (386) 756-6125 - South Gate: (386) 756-3719
  

Updated: April 11, 2007