CERT Training

dl meckes · Post by **dl meckes** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 8:03 pm

Saturday morning there was a CERT training session at Lakewood Park. Members of the Community Emergency Response Team from Lakewood, Rocky River and Brookpark assembled in the pre-dawn darkness to learn how to search using headlamps and practice our radio communication skills.

Each team of four volunteers had been given an envelope to be opened at some point during the exercise that added an extra layer of problem-solving skills to our drill.

Our group managed to find all of the items we were supposed to find - and that isn't easy. It was good training for us and special thanks go to Russ Dunn, who spent an enormous amount of time planning the exercise and training the CERT volunteers.

Flash forward to this afternoon when I received a call about some lost keys. The keys had been lost somewhere in a large grassy area, so I wanted to practice the grid search approach again. I was also asked to locate a special copper gutter nail.

I found the gutter nail pretty quickly after carefully sifting through a lot of leaf mulch (small grid to search). I set out on my next grid, moving methodically, looking for the keys. I stepped on something hard during the first pass on grid line one. Investigation revealed that I had stepped on the keys. It was more a stroke of luck than anything, but it felt pretty good to have a workable plan to do the search in the first place.

I often talk about how many practical skills CERT volunteers learn and this is one example. I simply hope that my search skills can be limited to lost keys and drills, but if I'm needed, I can join my neighbors to help our community in an emergency.

The Lakewood and Westshore Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) will hold a one-hour informational session to learn about CERT on Wednesday, November 14. The informational session will be held at 7:00 PM in Room 115 of Harding Middle School, 16601 Madison Avenue, in Lakewood.

David Lay · Post by **David Lay** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 8:06 pm

I saw CERT mentioned in a segment on Channel 3 News this morning.

Glad to see CERT is being recognized.

dl meckes · Post by **dl meckes** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 8:25 pm

That piece was about the "Quad City CERT" from Valley View, Independence, Brooklyn Heights and Seven Hills.

I don't think anybody was asked to come to our training session and we looked in the darkness like a line of coal miners.

I think the neighbors were notified that we were going to be in the park, but I bet some early morning park users wondered what was going on...

sharon kinsella · Post by **sharon kinsella** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 10:19 pm

I heard there was a sighting of alien hovercraft in the park.

Thank you to the Cert people, your work is valuable and has been much appreciated by the community.

Stan Austin · Post by **Stan Austin** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:02 am

I lost a $100 bill. If anyone finds it it's mine.

Bill Grulich · Post by **Bill Grulich** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 5:35 am

Stan,

I heard Frank Murtaugh was enjoying a HUGE meal at The Shore Restaurant!