Virginia Graziani

Redwood Times

A three-day emergency preparedness and response training course that will be held in Whitethorn on the weekend of March 8-10 has been opened up to all residents of Southern Humboldt county, according to an announcement from Judy Warren, regional coordinator of Humboldt State University’s Regional Training Institute - Community Disaster Preparedness.

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training was originally offered to residents of Shelter Cove and Whitethorn only, but in the past week Whitethorn Fire Protection District chief Kent Griggsmiller decided to offer Whitethorn’s 12 slots to anyone in SoHum. (See related article in our Feb. 12 issue.)

Classes will begin at noon on Friday, March 8 in the community room at Whitethorn Construction and will continue into the evening following a potluck dinner. On Saturday, March 9 classes will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The course offers modules on fire suppression, medical operations, light search and rescue, CERT organization, disaster psychology, and terrorism.

Trainees will learn about personal and family preparedness for a variety of disasters including wildfires, floods, earthquakes, and tsunamis. They will be taught medical triage, damage assessment, fire suppression, hazardous materials handling, and more.

The course will culminate in a simulated disaster drill. Students will need to find and treat mannequins representing victims trapped under earthquake debris, as well as suppressing fires and treating the victims of the fire.

Everyone who completes the course will receive a backpack containing basic safety equipment: a hard hat, goggles, gloves, dust mask and flashlight - not to mention the knowledge that they will be able to come to the aid of their families and their communities in a disaster.

To sign up for the training, call Susie Fox at 986-7314. The first 10 persons from Shelter Cove and the first 12 persons from other SoHum locations will be placed in the course.

For more information about CERT and the Regional Training Institute’s Community Disaster Preparedness program, call Judy Warren at 499-0754.