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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 24, 2017)
November 24, 2017 T he C olumbia P ress 5 CERT: Building teams of citizen emergency responders benefits communities Continued from Page 1 struction and hands-on exer- cises created in 1988 by the Federal Emergency Manage- ment Agency (FEMA). CERT is comprised of un- paid volunteers willing to as- sist their own – and neighbor- ing – communities when there aren’t enough professional re- sponders to go around. It’s a game-changer in a major disaster, especially in small towns where police, fire and medical teams face staffing shortages. Instead of pleading with voters for ev- er-larger disaster response budgets, a community can de- velop volunteer CERT teams from trained citizens. The CERT philosophy fits in nicely with Warrenton’s plans. When the City Commission set goals for the 2017-18 fiscal year, disaster preparedness was high on the list. “The CERT team is very im- portant for Warrenton and any community,” Police Chief Matt Workman said. “The bottom line is that everybody knows what we have for re- sources for the police and fire. If we have a disaster, they’re going to be way overtaxed.” Many team members buy their own specialized equip- ment “kits” and handheld two-way radios. And the fed- eral government offers fund- ing grants for CERT teams connected with local city or county governments. Kimber Townsend, pro- gram director for Polk County CERT, and her team of four instructors sprinkled in prac- tical tips while sharing their own experiences as early re- sponders to local crises. Some of these disasters were so extensive that area agencies – overwhelmed by demands from everywhere at once -- could not arrive until hours later. Often first on the scene, CERT members are ready to assess and alleviate the most life-threatening conditions known as the “three killers:” breathing, bleeding and shock. A victim’s tongue might be blocking her airway. A child could be spurting blood. An- other might be in shock from internal injury. While addressing injuries, team members attach colored bracelets to victims indicating medical severity: green for the “walking wounded,” yellow for those likely to survive with later treatment, red for those in urgent need of a medical professional. While radio calls are made to report the red “immediates,” team members respectfully tag and cover the dead. Victims who are able and willing are recruited to help while CERT continues its sweep through the neighbor- hood. All who can walk would go street by street, house by house, documenting and mapping disaster conditions for when professional crews can roll in over the damaged, blocked and busy roads. Clatsop County’s CERT in- cludes small teams in Astoria, Warrenton, Gearhart, Seaside and Cannon Beach. Some are connected to local police, others with fire depart- ments comprised of volun- teers prepared for times more normal than The Big One. Nationwide, 70 percent of the teams work with local po- lice, who generally welcome disaster response volun- teers – especially when they come trained and partially self-funded. Warrenton’s CERT is a half dozen strong and preparing for Cascadia subduction zone earthquakes, which have a 50 percent chance of striking in the next 20 years with enough force to devastate whole areas and overwhelm local services for weeks. Warrenton’s CERT, unoffi- cially sponsored by Workman, meets at City Hall bimonthly. Members have helped po- lice during nonemergencies, handling crowds at the Fourth of July and Autism Color Run and assisting with traf- fic during the Buoy 10 fishing season. “Just getting the baseline training and having that knowledge will provide divi- dends in the end for our com- munity,” Workman said. FEMA refers to CERT as its Citizen Corps. CERT teams are “not just for the worst disasters, but in all disasters,” said Vince Aarts, Clatsop County Emergency Management coordinator. “Your neighbors are your best option and might even be the first responders.” In our next major disaster, you might require a skilled pro to treat your wounds after the event. But it might very well be a CERT team member who saves your life. For more information about CERT, go to cert-info@theco- lumbiapress.net.