Teen CERT prepares youth for disaster, teaches cultural resiliency

Photo courtesy of Chelsea Treboniak, CriticalOps-Simplify Your Life

By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News 

The first ever tribal Teen Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training was held in Tulalip during the week of July 16-20. The Tulalip Office of Emergency Management reached out to the Federal Emergency Management Institute (FEMA), Critical Ops and Tulalip Youth Services to bring the trainings to the community. Teen CERT teaches the younger generation how to be adequately prepared for when a disaster strikes so they can help assist the elders, children, injured adults and expectant mothers while the professionals make their way to the reservation. Forty young adults attended the week-long training, thirty-four participants from Tulalip as well as six participants from the Quinault Indian Nation. 

As the saying goes, disaster is waiting to happen. Around the globe people are experiencing natural disasters at an alarming rate such as wildfires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and a variety of storms (rain, wind, snow, thunder). In fact, according to a study conducted by the Environmental Defense Fund, many of these occurrences are happening due to climate change caused by mankind and shouldn’t be considered ‘natural’ disasters at all. In the United States alone, three hundred and sixty-two deaths were attributed to extreme weather and climate disasters in 2017. Over the past few years, the state of Washington has also seen its fair share of climate disasters including the Oso landslide, springtime snow storms, summertime wildfires and the fall/winter windstorms. 

“When the windstorms come in September, October, November and trees topple over, we are disconnected from Marysville and other neighboring cities,” says Ashlynn Danielson, Tulalip Emergency Preparedness Manager. “We have a few ideas of how to create access, move brush and trees off the road but in the meantime we want to self-preserve and have a shelter in place. FEMA has not provided onsite trainers in Indian Country for a Teen CERT. Tribal Teen CERT has been asked about but has not been a project of this scale. We are kind of the showcase piece which makes everything very exciting.” 

Teen CERT is offered to youth across the nation in a number of communities and teaches students how to react and respond in emergency situations. The trainings cover everything from fire safety, medical operation and triage, team organization, utility control, damage assessment as well as search and rescue. 

“Just the thought of being there for my community in a time of need seems something like I could be really good at because I want to help,” expresses young Tulalip tribal member, Evalea Cortez. “I love learning something new. Eventually our parents and all the adults won’t be around forever and if there’s a disaster they’ll be busy helping out others so why not get the training to help them out. I feel like CERT really shows how important it is to be involved with your community and look out for each other.” 

The kids had a blast throughout the week and learned how to properly suppress small fires using an extinguisher and participated in an earthquake emergency drill. The Greg Williams Court appeared to be turned upside after a big quake. A few students were given roles and had to act as though they were at the gym when the earthquake occurred which resulted in a certain injury. The other CERT trainees waited outside and entered the gym after the earthquake and it was their job to correctly assess their classmate’s injuries and treat any immediate lesions until the medical and emergency response teams arrived. The students had also learned how to apply makeup to make it look as though they had a number of injuries, such as cuts and bruises. Kids then learned how to inspect their neighborhoods for extensive damage and how to fill out full detailed reports for the proper authorities.

The Tulalip Office of Emergency Management offers CERT Trainings twice a year to the adults of the community. CERT trainings are highly interactive and require over twenty hours of class participation. Because Teen CERT required forty participants, Tulalip reached out to other tribes to complete their enrollment requirement. Six members of the Quinault Indian Nation accepted Tulalip’s invitation and journeyed north for a week of fun, hands-on safety experience.

“I thought it would be interesting to learn about the first response trainings and get certified for CERT,” says Quinault member, Johnny Law. “I think it’s important because it helps you feel more attached to the land, to our land, and know how to take care of it and our people when a disaster happens. I hope to bring a better understanding to where I’m from just in case there’s an earthquake or tsunami because that would devastate everything down there.”

Tulalip also incorporated another training within the CERT classes that focused on cultural resiliency, teaching the kids the importance of traditional and family values. Jay LaPlante, FEMA Tribal Relation Specialist taught the kids about the medicine wheel and the importance of self-care and community involvement.

“CERT itself is a three-day training and focuses on emergency response,” says Jay. “The reason I added the two-day cultural resiliency wellness training is because our people learn best when we have some type of relationship established. This training helps break down barriers, get to know themselves a little better and get centered with their own values. We always try to connect what we do today with what our ancestors wanted for us and also with the future generations. So we want to make sure these young people know that their ancestors were thinking about them hundreds of years ago so they can connect with what their ancestors wanted and live by those values.”

“We learned about the medicine wheel today,” states Tulalip tribal member, Kaiser Moses. “So that’s spiritual, mental, physical and emotional and that’s really important to factor into your daily life. They teach you fundamental things like how to take care of yourself and your neighbors. I signed up for CERT because I want to learn how to react in an emergency. I feel like after this training, I’ll be more prepared in the event of an emergency and that’s really reassuring.”

All forty students completed the trainings and are now certified CERT members. The Tulalip Office Emergency Management hopes to continue to offer Teen CERT after a successful first year and inspire other tribes to bring the trainings to the youth of their communities. 

“As Native people we are very resilient, very community based and likeminded,” says Ashlynn. “The importance of bringing Teen CERT and the cultural resiliency trainings to the reservation is because it helps us self-identify with our culture. Ultimately, we want them to be able to provide for each other and their families and know where to go in the event of an emergency and how to get to those critical supplies. At the end of the day, our end goal is that we can take all of our information and replicate it for other tribes and help all of the tribal nations become more resilient.”

The Tulalip Office of Emergency Management will continue hosting their regularly scheduled CERT trainings, the next one held this upcoming fall.  For further details, please contact the Office of Emergency Management at (360) 716-4006.

In Case of Emergency: CERT trainings prepare Tulalip for Disaster

By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News

Disasters strike at any given moment. Whether it’s weather, like the recent snowstorm in the Pacific Northwest, earthquakes, forest fires or tsunamis, it’s important to be prepared for natural disasters to ensure the safety and survival for yourself, your family and community. Twice a year, the Tulalip Tribes Office of Emergency Management hosts Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) trainings at the Tulalip Administration Building. The course teaches local citizens how to be prepared and how to respond when an unexpected emergency or disaster occurs. Twenty community members recently began their eleven-week CERT journey to help provide a safer tomorrow for Tulalip.

“Throughout this course, you will become more self-reliant and be able to help your community base,” Tulalip Emergency Preparedness Manager, Ashlynn Danielson, explained to the class.  “When a disaster strikes, everyone would like help from professional first responders immediately, but the reality is, bridges can be down and roads can be closed. How many times have we had a windstorm where Marine Drive had several trees down and PUD couldn’t get to us for hours? Our overall goal is to create a more resilient community. We want you to have tools and knowledge to be able to set a shelter in place and be able to help thy neighbor and move forward from there.”

The course is an extensive, interactive program where students must pass a series of tests and emergency drills in order to graduate and receive a certified CERT certificate. The trainings cover fire safety, medical operation and triage, team organization, utility control, and damage assessment as well as search and rescue. Students also assemble their own go-bags, or survival kits, to take home and are encouraged to make go-bags with their families.

“A go-bag is essential and needs to be on hand in case of an emergency,” states CERT Trainer, Eric Cortez. “Your go-bag covers your basic human needs as far as security, shelter, food, water, medical and all the essentials. Go-bags are different for everybody because everyone has different needs. What I normally carry is a knife. I always keep a cutting tool on me because it’s useful. You can do a lot with a cutting tool; you can manufacture other items to make your survival situation better. I also carry a flashlight. A flashlight is used often and it’s the first form of security in most situations. And a bandana for medical purposes.”

In emergency situations, when medical attention is required but cannot be accessed, CERT trainees learn how to provide basic medical assistance until first responders arrive. Students also learn how to properly inspect their neighborhoods for any extensive damage, hazardous areas or injuries to their neighbors; and conduct detailed reports for the proper authorities.

“[CERT] is important to our community because our rez is long,” states CERT student and Tulalip tribal member, Margie Santibanez. “We need to have a plan in place for everybody to be checked on. I think more tribal members need to attend these classes, especially because we have so many housing developments. We need to make sure our people are safe, our elders are safe, our youth are safe and if anyone needs help we can figure out a way as a community.”

“We’ve always been survivors as Indigenous Peoples, so why not be even more prepared?” said Eric. “We survive as a Tribe, we prosper as a Tribe and can get through anything together as a Tribe.”

Current CERT students will complete their training and graduate this spring. The Office of Emergency Management is currently in the process of developing a Teen CERT training program and will begin their next CERT trainings in the Fall. For more details, please contact the Office of Emergency Management at (360) 716-4006.

CERT Classes for All This Fall

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates community members about disaster preparedness and trains them to take care of themselves in the aftermath of a disaster when first responders are overwhelmed or unable to respond because of communication or transportation difficulties. CERT-trained volunteers can also support their communities during disasters. The CERT Program offers training in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, and disaster medical operations. With proper CERT training, you can help protect your family, neighbors, and co-workers if a disaster occurs.

The CERT training team is now preparing for the next course. If you missed it the last two times, here it is again! The classes will be offered on Monday afternoons starting October 3rd from 1 until 3 PM and will run for 8 sessions, finishing before Thanksgiving.

The classes will be held at the Tulalip Tribes Administration building at 6406 Marine Dr.

Medical Reserve Corps members Floyd Bannister, Jr., Cindy Pruden and Eric Cortez have attended training that provided them the knowledge, skills and abilities to instruct and manage CERT training in our community. Volunteer Coordinator Sandy Evans will facilitate the classes.

Twenty participants will be accepted for this session. Participants must be 14 years of age or older and tribal elders are especially encouraged to attend. Attendance at all classes is required for CERT certification.

People who go through CERT training have a better understanding of the potential threats to their home, workplace and community and can take the right steps to lessen the effects of these hazards on themselves, their families, and their community.

Request a registration form or ask any questions with an email to TulalipCERT@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov or sevans@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov.

CERT is Offered Again at Tulalip

 CERT

 

by Sandy Evans, RN, MPH, Tulalip Tribes Preparedness/MRC/CERT Volunteer Coordinator

Disasters can strike at any time and being prepared for these and other unexpected events is critical to saving lives. Each one of us has a responsibility to understand the risk natural and man-made disasters pose to our communities, and to recognize we each have a role in preparing for these events. We have a duty to build a Culture of Preparedness in which our neighbors, families and friends are ready for any disaster event, and to make our communities safer, stronger, and better prepared.

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) concept was developed and implemented by the City of Los Angeles Fire Department in 1985. They recognized that people will likely be on their own during the early stages of an emergency or disaster. Accordingly, the fire department decided that some basic training in disaster survival and rescue skills would improve the ability of people to survive until responders or other assistance could arrive. For 30 years CERT trainings have taken place across the U.S., even here on the Tulalip Reservation several years ago. Our pilot program in 2015 successfully graduated 9 participants and finished on November 19th, during a storm-caused power outage! Recognizing the value of this program the Tulalip Tribes Office of Emergency Management and Volunteer Preparedness Team is again offering CERT classes to our community.

CERT Basic Training is a free, instructor-led course consisting of over 20 hours of instruction on topics such as Personal and Family Preparedness, Earthquake Preparation, Team Organization, Medical Operations and Triage, Damage Assessment, Fire Suppression, Utility Control and Light Search & Rescue that can provide you will the skills you will need to stay safe and resilient during a disaster or emergency.

Our next CERT training will be held at the Administration building in the mornings from eight to noon for five sessions over 2 weeks. Each class will last 4 hours. The dates are Tuesday & Thursday March 15 and 17, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday March 22, 24 & 25. Because this is during usual work hours, supervisor permission is required and participants will be expected to attend all 5 sessions, establish a three (3) day home survival kit, obtain personal safety equipment, and be a willing team participant. CERT is about people helping people.

If you are interested in taking this course, ask your supervisor if you can get this time off and request an application/release form at Tulalip CERT (tulalipcert@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov).

CERT Training Returns to Tulalip

Submitted by Sandy Evans, RN, MPH, Tulalip Medical Reserve Corps Coordinator

Following a major disaster, first responders who provide fire and medical services will not be able to meet the demand for these services. Factors such as number of victims, communication failures and road blockages will prevent people from accessing emergency services they have come to expect at a moment’s notice through 911. People will have to rely on each other for help in order to meet their immediate life saving and life sustaining needs.

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates individuals about disaster preparedness and trains community members to take care of themselves until first responders are available. The CERT Program offers training in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, and disaster medical operations. With proper CERT training, you can help protect your family, neighbors, and co-workers if a disaster occurs.

The last time a CERT program was offered to Tulalip was in the spring of 2010 and the Tulalip Office of Emergency Management and the Tulalip Medical Reserve Corps have since then received requests for this preparedness training.

In preparation to deliver this program, last April Medical Reserve Corps members Floyd Bannister, Jr., Cindy Pruden and Eric Cortez attended training that provided them the knowledge, skills and abilities to instruct CERT training in our community. They have also been prepared to be CERT program managers.

The course will be held at the Tulalip Bay Fire Department facility, 7812 Waterworks Road, over 9 sessions starting Monday October 26th. The classes will run from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays, ending on November 23rd. The Fire District and other knowledgeable presenters will be assisting Eric and Floyd with this training.

Because this program is new to the presenters, only 20 participants will be accepted for this session, but training is planned to be offered twice a year. Participants must be 14 years of age or older. Attendance at all classes is required for CERT certification.

People who go through CERT training have a better understanding of the potential threats to their home, workplace and community and can take the right steps to lessen the effects of these hazards on themselves, their families, and their community.

The following waiver can be emailed to:  TulalipCERT@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov or you may request that a copy be sent to you.

 

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