Your neighbors, training to help your community during a disaster

Roberta Dwyer and her husband Tim Dwyer, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers from Coventry, pour water into a MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) heating device during a training session at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic on July 28, 2012. Photo by Marie Brennan

Some of your friends and neighbors – training as regional emergency volunteers – took part in a statewide emergency training drill over the weekend at Eastern Connecticut State University to learn about how to respond to a Category 3 hurricane.

ECSU’s Student Center is an officially-designated emergency shelter.

The training was part of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, whose purpose is to train a large number of volunteers who can help respond to disasters within their own communities.

On Saturday (July 28), volunteers were trained on various aspects of preparing an emergency shelter, including setting up cots, preparing food, dealing with people’s pets and becoming familiar with various medical equipment that might be brought by people seeking shelter.

A common issue during Katrina in 2005 was people not understanding how to use the MRE (emergency food known as Meals Ready to Eat) and burning themselves, so volunteers also were trained in preparation of this item.

Karen Williams, a Red Cross Volunteer from Gales Ferry, CT assembles a special-needs cot at a CERT training session July 28, 2012 at ECSU. With her are (L-R) Larry Spencer, instructor Peter Diaon of the Waterford American Red Cross, Scott Trueb of Willington and Barbara Winslow of Mansfield. Photo by Marie Brennan

To learn more about CERT, click on this link http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert

Posted July 30, 2012

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