Sherwood CERT graduates first group, seeks next bunch of volunteers

The Sherwood Gazette, Nov 19, 2009

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With its Nov. 21 final exercise at the Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue (TVF&R) Training Center and subsequent graduation ceremony, the Sherwood CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) program will have a small but enthusiastic cadre upon which to build future growth.

The next step will be another 8-week class starting January 14, 2010 to train even more volunteers.

An orientation meeting to answer questions about CERT for people interested in learning more will be held Thursday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. in the Sherwood Police Station Community Room.

While one of the goals of the CERT program is to train citizens so they can assist first responders and other emergency workers in dealing with a major emergency, a primary goal is helping team members be better prepared in their own homes to respond to an emergency.

During a recent CERT class, class members showed off their own 72-hour kits, demonstrating one aspect of their learning and their family’s preparedness.

Another goal is to encourage team members to get to know their neighbors better so that in an emergency situation, like last December’s snowstorms, they can assist those who have been hard hit.

This might include the elderly or families with particularly vulnerable family members. Ken Dawson, a retired TVF&R battalion chief and CERT instructor, told his class that one value of CERT training is just learning how to turn off utilities, like water, in order to prevent flooding from broken pipes following a severe cold snap.

After they have taken care of their own families and assisted neighbors, some CERT members will want to assist the greater community. This kind of desire was demonstrated during one of the recent H1N1 vaccination clinics sponsored by Washington County and the Sherwood School District.

When a last minute shortage of non-medical volunteers was identified, half of the recent CERT class signed up to help with traffic and crowd management and with assisting people in completing their forms.

To learn more about the Sherwood CERT program, contact Skip Booren, Sherwood Emergency Management Coordinator, boorens@ci.sherwood.or.us or call 503-925-7110.