“We Want to do the Greatest Good for the Greatest Number of People”

Living in earthquake-prone California, it is commonly wondered when the “big one” is going to hit. We can’t predict when a disaster is going to happen, but Loma Linda residents are learning just how one can be best prepared for one. Community members are currently taking part in Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training courses at the Loma Linda Fire Department. Last Tuesday, February 5th, the Fire department hosted its fourth session of the free 20-hour training. The training is for anyone with an interest in being trained on how to provide aid to family members, neighbors and fellow community members during an emergency. Debra Kreske, the Emergency Services Coordinator at Loma Linda Fire Department, shared “Our main goal is to have people in the community prepared for a disaster.” Maria Lopez, a community member enrolled in the class, shares that she has learned a lot of safety guidelines from these classes. “It’s good to have the basic training of what to do in case there is a downed power, or a small fire, even if it’s just for your own personal safety or that of your family,” Lopez said. Community members who are looking to take the training a step further and choose to become a CERT member are required to complete all 20 hours of training. Tuesday’s class began with a lesson on emergency management led by Kreske who talked about the proper ways to organize disaster relief. “Knowing how to organize will improve the rescue efforts,” Kreske explained. “We want to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people.” She reminded the students that after providing immediate assistance to family members and neighbors, CERT members can meet at a predetermined location, where they will choose a team leader to report to at all times. This team leader is to stay at the ICP, or the Incident Command Post, at all times. CERT members can then begin to identify the magnitude of the disaster, come up with an overall strategy for relief efforts, and deploy the teams assigned by the team leader. Everything done and seen has to be written down so that CERT teams can help first responders by being their eyes and ears in addition to helping with the relief. The lesson was followed by a tabletop exercise where the trainees simulated how they would organize themselves in a real world disaster. James Dwiggins, a Redlands Resident and healthcare technician, was chosen to be the team leader for the exercise. After Kreske’s lesson, Mike Merkert-Green, a CERT instructor, followed up with a talk on Disaster Psychology. Merkert-Green explained the stages of psychological reaction that the community and the members themselves naturally experience after a disaster has struck home. “CERT members will be exposed to things they may have never seen before. This makes them susceptible to traumatic stress,” he explained. The lesson included methods of coping with the stress. “If a CERT member is overwhelmed, it can negatively affect how aid is provided. If you need a break, take a break. If you need to walk away for a while, do it,” Merkert-Green said. Other topics that are addressed during the various classes include basic medical aid, light fire suppression, and search and rescue. After all the classes are completed, the new members will receive a backpack, safety glasses, vests, and other disaster preparedness equipment. The new members will then attend quarterly meetings and will be provided with additional training and regular exercises. They will also have the opportunity to become a Disaster Service Worker (DSW) which requires further training and a background check. To learn more about the CERT program, and the next time CERT classes will be held, contact the Emergency Services Coordinator at the Loma Linda Fire Department at 909-799-2860.