Anyone else here done the CERT training (US FEMA, CERT = Community Emergency Response Team)

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I’m thinking about doing this training. Have you done it? Are you on your community’s response team? You can be trained without having to be on the response team.

Wiki’s CERT page ➜ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_emergency_response_team ⇦

If so, what are your thoughts? Impressions?

Picture for attention —

2

Haven’t done that training, but went through several iterations of disaster recovery training in the military. It’s a good feeling to be prepared and know that you can make a difference for others.

3

I went through it and also participated in many scenarios. There is a lot of great information but my disappointment is that you got your certificate even if you did everything wrong during the scenario. ISTM that there should be a minimum standard of performance during the practicum.

The other disappointment is that in my profession, emergency assignments are based on position titles and not actual training. So from my experience CERT seems to be for personal knowledge rather than any real use in the community.

4

Way back when I was a member of the local search and rescue, we had to go through quite a bit of the FEMA NIMS and ICS training. And we obviously had first aid training and the option to do more advanced medical training (we obviously did search and rescue training like navigation, high-angle rescues, tracking, etc). Unfortunately, the group was taken over by some military-wannabe folks and it lost its appeal. Too bad because I really enjoyed the group, what we learned, and the actual searches we were involved in. But, being Idaho it was bound to get fucked up somehow.

When I retire and depending on where we live, I might look for another volunteer group of this sort.

5

We live in a world today where for kids playing soccer, everyone gets a trophy, even if your team went 0-10.

Thanks for the heads up. I’ll prepare for that.

Not to hijack my own thread but your comment reminds me very much of firearms classes to earn a state’s concealed carry license. Some time is spent in the classroom, and some at the range. When I’m at the range I pay careful attention to the other shooters there, and some are downright scary and unsafe. The range master will have a brief discussion with them but they pass the class. And they’ll be carrying a concealed pistol.

I remember this happening in the Texas and the Florida classes.

We live in a scary world.