LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The 35th class of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) graduated Wednesday evening.
The CERT program is organized by the Lexington Division of Emergency Management. The goal is to teach citizens how to respond to emergencies until first responders arrive. Over the course of nine weeks, they learn about things like preparedness, fire suppression, search and rescue, and disaster medical operations.
"They learn how to do CPR, both adult and infant, they learn how to use an AED, they go through stop-the-bleed training, they know how to stabilize a broken arm or broken leg," said John Bobel, spokesperson for the Division of Emergency Management.
The final exercise was for the volunteers to simulate a tornado response. Actors played the roles of tornado victims, some with minor injuries, some with severe injuries, and others who were dead. The volunteers learned to assess the scene, figure out how badly people are injured, and figure out who needs help first.
"I was looking for an opportunity to help the community and generally get involved in emergency management," said Sam Gerdemann. "Everyone has the same mindset - we're here because we want to help,"
The volunteers hope they never need to use these skills, but know they might need to any time.
"Fayette County is not in a tornado-free zone. Certainly with the recent windstorms and the big cold snap, Mother Nature is very fickle. We really don't know what's around the corner," Bobel said.
The Lexington Division of Emergency Management will hold another CERT class in the fall. For more information, visit BeReadyLexington.com.
