The Observation Deck

Kudos to the City & County Health Departments on the smoothly run H1N1 Clinic! My family and I were impressed with the organization in place to manage all the people seeking vaccines.

The person who administered the vaccines to one of my sons and me was very sensitive to his less than enthusiastic view on the whole thing. That was great.

Also, I overheard an elderly man in line comment on how nice Garfield Middle School is. Another man then stated that "they really did a great job on the new buildings."

This was a great service to be part of; I'm glad the City and Schools were involved.

There were over 160 volunteers. A number of the volunteers were from the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

The CERT Program educates and prepares participants for hazards that may impact them in the event of a community emergency or disaster. When people are involved in CERT, they receive training in basic emergency response skills, including first aid, fire suppression and safety, light search and rescue. They obtain a better understanding of the hazards facing their homes and workplaces and can take steps to lessen the effects of such hazards.

CERT members are trained to help themselves, their families and their neighbors in the event of an emergency or community disaster in which professional responders may be delayed or overwhelmed. Although people will respond to others in need, the goal of CERT training is to help people do so effectively and efficiently without placing themselves in unnecessary danger.

The six Westshore cities of Bay Village, Fairview Park, Lakewood, North Olmsted, Rocky River and Westlake have partnered together to create a regional CERT to train and organize residents of those cities in disaster preparedness and response.

Basic training takes place twice a year, in the Fall and Winter, with local emergency professionals instructing. The course is free and open to all who live and/or work in Lakewood and other Westshore suburbs, over the age of 18 years of age. Participants must successfully pass a criminal background check.

If you would like to volunteer for CERT and help the community, contact Mike Tuttle, the Lakewood CERT Coordinator at 216-529-6657 or email him at michael.tuttle@lakewoodoh.net.

CERT has been a worthwhile experience for my wife and me. Please join us!

Bill Grulich