Chandler Community Emergency Response Team

I am in the second week of the 'G-17' class of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) offered by the city of Chandler. The idea behind CERT is to train folks in the community to be able to assist in and help organize responses to emergencies within the community.

The class runs 7 weeks and covers the following topics:

• Disaster Preparedness, Terrorism, and CERT
• Disaster Fire Safety & Suppression; the CERT Organization
• Disaster Medical Operations I
• Disaster Medical Operations II
• Basic Search and Rescue
• Disaster Psychology
• Course Review and Disaster Simulation

We are learning valuable information about being safe and assisting during an emergency. Some of the material is review from my Boy Scout days or 'common' sense, but there is hands-on stuff too such as using a fire extinguisher to put out a small fire or how to shut off electricity and gas to a house. CERT is a national program, but has been tailored to emphasize local kinds of emergencies such as monsoons and heat exhaustion. The class is taught by the dedicated and enthusiastic personnel of the Chandler Fire Department.

They announced a new CERT class will be starting on next week on Friday 9/26; you can sign up online if you are interested. Gilbert has a CERT program as well. Be prepared to invest 3 hours per-week.

P.S. If I give you a fire extinguisher for Christmas, this is why.