Last night at Fire Station #2, nineteen residents of our community participated in the final exercise of their CERT Training Course (Community Emergency Response Team). This nine-week, 27 hour course included study units that covered topics, such as: Fire Safety, Medical Operations, Disaster Preparedness, CERT Organization, Disaster Psychology, and Terrorism. The final disaster simulation provided an opportunity for the students to apply what they learned by rotating through three disaster situation stations where they rescued trapped victims, conducted triage, and treated injuries. Ten members of the class completed all the requirements for CERT Certification.

This pilot course proved so popular, that a second class has been scheduled to begin this coming Thursday. The course graduates will have an opportunity to help their neighborhoods become better prepared for emergency situations such as wild fires, floods, and earthquakes. As NERT leaders, they will recruit additional volunteers from their respective neighborhoods to step up to the plate and serve as Neighborhood Watch Cluster coordinators, monitors for electronic Neighborhood Networks, and amateur radio operators. When a neighborhood meets certain criteria, they will be recognized as a STAR Neighborhood,one that is Safe + Trained + Alert + Ready.

The NERT leaders will also represent their Neighborhood Emergency Response Teams on the Alliance of Local Emergency Response Teams (ALERT). ALERT will be the vehicle by which the various NERTs will keep up to date on the latest information and training opportunities. Petaluma viewers interested in learning more about CERT, NERT, ALERT, and STAR should contact this blogger at whammer@petalumanet.org

Once again, Petalumans have demonstrated by “walking the walk” the basic principle underlying all collaborative projects initiated by PetalumaNet – The greatest resource of any community is the collective wisdom, intellect, and creativity of its citizens.