On Saturday October 13th, The Lamar County Community Emergency Response Team completed it’s Fall CERT Basic Training Course.
The CERT Basic Training Course is a 24 hour training class that was conducted over the past three Saturdays.
The course was presented by FEMA Certified Instructors including Mel Toye, Ryan Mueller and Master CERT Instructor Darrell Brewer who is the Fannin County Emergency Management Coordinator. Two additional Instructors were John Eyler and Quincy Blount who is the Lamar County Emergency Management Coordinator.
The course topics included:
Disaster Preparedness
Fire Safety and Utility Controls
Disaster Medical Operations Parts 1 & 2
Light Search and Rescue
CERT Organization & Incident Command System
Disaster Psychology
Terrorism and CERT
and concluded with a Mock Disaster Drill utilizing Volunteer Victims.
The Mock Disaster Drill gave the seven class participants the opportunity to practice the skills learned in class. The scenario was that a tornado had caused damage to the Old Post Office located on Lamar Ave. in Paris. The class participants were instructed to conduct Light Search and Rescue operations to locate victims, conduct medical triage and treat injuries in accordance with CERT guidelines.
A class graduation ceremony was held after the completion of the Practical Exercise. Each class participant was presented with a Certificate of Completion and an invitation to join the Lamar County CERT organization.
PHOTO: Graduating Class & Instructors: Back Row L-R: Darrell Brewer, John Eyler, Mel Toye, Magean Pretre, Quincy Blount. Front Row L-R: John Cash, Judy Malone, Sheri Wharton, Laura Janes, Randall Schreurs
