Community Emergency Response Team & Medical Reserve Corps

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Specializes in Level III cardiac/telemetry.

Has anybody ever done programs like Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Medical Reserve Corps? I know they are being formed across the country. I am starting my CERT training tomorrow night and am so excited about it! It's a little scary, but should be very educational and it will count towards community involvement/service hours I need for my nursing program. If anybody has done this I would like to hear about your experiences and/or training.

Thanks!

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Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.

Yes. I'm a CERT responder - one of the first actually.

My initial training (about 8 years ago) consisted of a variety of pertinent information about disaster medicine, earthquake preparedness, damage assessment, complete search & rescue, fire suppression, neighborhood preparedness, hazmat, disaster psychology, floods, etc.

We practiced fire suppression and search and rescue in a local training firetower. We wore turnouts and climbed through a four story smoke simulated building to rescue trapped people just like real firefighters do. We rescued 170 pound dummies from collapsed structures. It was WORK! Gives you a whole new perspective on what rescuers/firefighters do.

There are yearly classes to update and refresh CERT members.

I also participate in city/neighborhood disaster drills.

I learned so much stuff about about Hamm radio operators and how communication works in disasters with the local and state OES's.

I know I'm leaving tons of stuff out.

Back then they gave us a bright yellow hard hat and and vest with CERT Member written on it when we graduated the program.

Good thing I've never had to use that outfit and I hope to never have to! But if I do at least I will be one who is prepared.

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Specializes in Level III cardiac/telemetry.

I had my first training session tonight and it was very educational. I think the hard thing for me in a disaster situation would be to not try to administer CPR or do things like that, but they said our role is to help those who can be helped the most - so if one person has no pulse/resps and another is bleeding profusely, you treat the bleeder and consider the other one dead.

They said the most important thing they want everyone to get out of the class is to have their own house prepared, even if they are never in a situation to help others. I know I don't have all the emergency supplies on hand that I should. Kinda scary. I can't wait for the next session on Thursday night!

By the way, we get green hard hats and yellow mesh vests, and a cool green backpack.

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