Lake Junaluska is an incredibly beautiful location to hold a camp meeting and 2Serve was blessed to conduct a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) Training there. We had a great group of people that were very committed to learning the information and skills needed to be prepared for a disaster and to do the most good for the most people. Committing 20 hours of time during a camp meeting is a big commitment considering all of the breakouts with excellent presenters but they all went through the training successfully and received their certificate that qualifies them to be a FEMA CERT volunteer. A big thank you to each one that participated!!
On May 18 thirty people gathered at the outdoor pavilion to go through the 20 hour CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) Training taking place over the next 5 days. It was an intense but enjoyable experience for the participants to learn about disaster preparedness, first aid, search and rescue, psychological and spiritual 1st aid, how disaster response efforts work and the common language and terms responders use, fire safety and utility control. Each person was challenged to the max but rose to the occasion and completed the course after participating in the tornado simulation as a capstone experience and passing the test at the end of the training.
2Serve conducted a CERT training for 45 nursing students and 5 other individuals wanting to take the course. The purpose for nurses taking CERT is to help them, their families and neighbors prepare for disasters before they come. Most importantly they learn to use those things around them to treat survivors of a disaster while doing the most good for the most people. It is a new way of treating people with injuries as they do not have all of the equipment available when working in a hospital. It takes a while to start thinking that way but once they realize how many things around them can be used to treat survivor injuries and save lives it is empowering.
Gulf States Conference coordinated disaster training at the Birmingham 1st Seventh-day Adventist Church by having 2Serve provide Basic FEMA CERT (Community Emergency Response Training), a 20 hour course, over four days. On Sabbath during the training Derrick Lea, NAD Adventist Community Services Director, preached the sermon and conducted a Disaster Preparedness seminar and 2Serve provided a seminar on Disaster Psychological and Spiritual First Aid. The CERT training prepared 29 people to do the most good for the most people in the name of Jesus. The Conference and church have plans to conduct further CERT trainings and coordinate disaster response throughout the conference using their newly trained CERT Team and the services of 2Serve.
McDonald Road Church is the second church in the Collegedale, TN area that has requested CERT Training. Twenty people took the training that helps them and their families prepare for disasters and and to provide aid during the initial period of coping with the aftermath of a disaster or community crisis when quality of survival and one’s ability to help others safely and effectively is critical. Between the two churches the Greater Collegedale Community has two CERT Teams totaling 45 people.
Atlanta Adventist Academy requested 2Serve to conduct a training for their school with the idea of becoming a training site for the greater Atlanta area. While they only had 13 being trained, two teachers, Raiza Fernandez and Brent Mann, participated as trainers with 2Serve to get experience in conducting a training. 2Serve has provided AAA with a training kit that will allow them to train up to 50 people at one time. Though not a large group it was a good one that performed well in the simulation. They have a good start toward become a training center.
Collegedale Community Church is only the second CERT training 2Serve has done of almost all adults. We had 20 adults and one young person participate. The church was very interested in having a CERT Trained Disaster Response Team as a part of their outreach ministries. The goal is to have the team become an active member of the local emergency response efforts of the city of Collegedale and Hamilton County. Plans are being developed for the CERT Team to conduct three simulations a year for the church to keep the team‘s skills honed and the church to learn how to be prepared for disasters. The simulations would include a tornado, an a active shooter, and an earthquake. We are excited to have added a CERT trained disaster response team to CCC’s outreach ministries!
Each year 2Serve conducts a CERT training for Southern Adventist University’s Bachelor of Arts nursing students. This year COVID has complicated that training like most other things related to normal living. Because of the concerns for contamination we only did the lectures for the 8 modules making up the curriculum without students being able to practice the hands-on pieces and no simulation being provided. The 67 students gained valuable information but were not able to take full advantage of what CERT training offers. Unfortunately no pictures were taken.
Despite the challenges of COVID Wisconsin Academy had 2Serve conduct a FEMA CERT Training on their campus to the whole student body and staff. As a result 81 people were trained and they have the goal conducting an annual CERT Training for the Lake Union Junior and Senior Academies. Since the training the school sent a group to Iowa to assist in the recovery efforts there from the derecho storm that produced 100 mph winds causing significant damage to homes and trees with a particularly devastating affect on corn crops that crushed the hopes of farmers making a financial comeback after a long two year drought.