A free course in Petersburg taught entry-level disaster response skills from July 10-12. Graduates of the training can join Petersburg’s Community Emergency Response Team — a different group from Petersburg’s existing volunteer EMS force. The Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, is a supplemental group that gets called in when emergency responders need more hands.
CERT is a national program through the Federal Emergency Management Agency that trains community members in basic disaster response skills. That includes first aid, fire safety, and search and rescue.
The course was taught by Alisha Sell, a first responder education coordinator for the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. She spent nearly 20 years as law enforcement in Juneau, and now travels throughout Southeast Alaska teaching disaster response courses.
During one class session, Sell emphasized that there are important steps to follow.
“My safety is number one. Period. End of story,” she said. “I can’t help you if I hurt myself trying to get to you, right?”
She told the class that when disaster strikes, their own personal safety comes first. That’s followed by the safety of their families and their close neighbors.
“If I don’t know if my kids are still alive, I want to make sure my kids are still alive before I go try to help some other people,” she said. “Once my own safety is secured, my immediate family is secured, then I will deploy and I will go help out as a responder.”
She said it’s important not to accidentally hurt yourself and double the work that first responders have in an emergency. The goal of the program is to actually reduce the load on first responders.
Sell said Petersburg’s CERT team could be utilized during a large fire in the community.
“Thankfully, you guys don’t have very many of them, but when you do you have limited resources when it comes to the fire department and police department and their capabilities,” she said. “CERTs are trained to be able to help out those responders.”
Petersburg Emergency Services Director Aaron Hankins is one of only a few paid emergency positions in the borough. He said having trained CERT members who can take on basic tasks in an emergency will help free up responders with higher levels of training.
He said this training is a great entry point for people who may not be able to commit to Petersburg’s volunteer fire and EMS force.
“We get people who try and volunteer for the fire department, and they realize that the level of response is not always their cup of tea, but they still want to help their community,” he said. “So we’re trying to bring methods and training into the community that allow responders at all levels.”
Right now, Petersburg’s CERT team is in its beginning stages. Hankins said he’s working to get the program solidified, and hopes to offer more trainings in the future.
In the meantime, Sell said there are also online options for people who want to take the CERT training. She says to reach out to Tlingit & Haida’s Public Safety Division to learn more.
She said even if students decide not to be members of Petersburg’s CERT team, it never hurts to be prepared for an emergency.
