STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• Comments
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

More Local News

• Body found in car identified as missing Marco vacationer
• Back to school: Things to know before school starts
• Georgia man last seen leaving Marco Island found near I-75 mile marker 103

Share and Enjoy [?]

At the culmination of the spring session of CERT training, Marco Island will have over 100 trained volunteers prepared to augment our local, county, state and federal disaster responders.

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) concept was developed and originally implemented by the Los Angeles Fire Department in 1985. They recognized that citizens would very likely be on their own during the early stages of a catastrophic disaster. Accordingly, LAFD decided that some basic training in disaster survival and rescue skills would improve the ability of citizens to survive until responders and more advanced assistance could arrive and take over.

LAFD’s program proved so beneficial that FEMA felt the concept and the program should be made available to communities nationwide. Further strengthened by the EMI (Emergency Management Institute), and as a response to President Bush’s request in 2003 that all Americans volunteer in service of their country, the Citizen Corps program was spearheaded to include CERT as a primary program offered to the American public to meet this challenge.

In the past Marco Island’s CERT volunteers have assisted in several search and rescue incidents for both young children and an elderly Alzheimer’s patient who had wandered away; responded to several hurricanes, especially Wilma and Charlie and numerous brush fires. The team also assisted in traffic control each year for the Annual Christmas parade, and a host of other events that occurred but were hardly noticed – and important none-the-less.

During this first week of training, led by Marco Island Firefighter Steve Fickling (the program coordinator) and Russ Rainy (the CERT leader), the new group of citizen corps was introduced to the history of CERT and began to learn about disaster preparedness.

Island resident Jim Von Rintelin, of the Collier Emergency Management Department, presented the most important aspect that a CERT team member must practice: At all times save yourself and your family, then branch out to your neighbors and finally the community at large. When an evacuation is called for, follow the directions to safety and wait until the danger has passed. Then, and only then, should you return to the island to be of aid and assistance where needed. You won’t be in a position to help your neighbors if you need to be rescued as well.

Jim further explained to us the types of emergencies that are prevalent in our area: Tornados, hurricanes, storm surges and flooding, grass and forest fires. We also need to be aware of possible health emergencies like a flu pandemic. In short, CERT training is designed to prepare you to help yourself, your family, and your neighbors because emergency services will not be able to help everyone immediately. Over the next seven weeks our education will continue with classes in Property damage assessment, light search and rescue, disaster medical triage, incident command and radio procedures, Health Department red plan staging, and terrorism and disaster psychology.

Look for more about our CERT training next week.