Emergency training for civilians begins Tuesday

In an effort to establish Community Emergency Response Teams in neighborhoods across Kaua‘i, county officials have scheduled several CERT training sessions over the next few months, a press release from Mayor Bryan Baptiste’s office states.

The training consist of classroom instruction along with exercises that simulate what might occur during actual disasters. Classes meet once a week for six consecutive weeks from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

“Ideally, we would like to have a CERT in every community on Kaua‘i so that’s why we’re having these trainings,” Baptiste said in the release. “Having been through two hurricanes, Iwa and Iniki, and seeing what happened in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we know the importance of being prepared in times of disaster.”

The first CERT training is slated to start Tuesday at the Wailua Park Pavilion, the release states.

Classes begin on the North Shore on Aug. 2 at Kilauea Elementary School.

The next session is set to start Sept. 26 at the Waimea Neighborhood Center, followed by classes at Kapa‘a Middle School beginning Oct. 4.

The CERT program offers ordinary citizens the opportunity to lend a hand during disasters by learning how to help themselves, their families and their neighbors in the event of a catastrophic disaster before emergency personnel arrive, the release states.

Among the topics that will be covered in the training sessions are disaster preparedness, fire safety, disaster medical operations, light search and rescue operations, organization of CERT, disaster psychology and terrorism awareness.

“By the end of the six-week training, participants will be capable of performing many emergency functions needed in the immediate post-disaster period,” Mark Marshall, administrator of the Kaua‘i Civil Defense Agency, said in the release.

For more information or to register for the training, call Catherine Stovall, community response specialist, at 241-6398.