(They are prepared for disasters!)
"Hola!" and "Buenos Dias!" were the cheery greetings students received from their instructors as they entered the cavernous classroom to attend disaster preparedness training called Community Emergency Response Team or CERT.
The sign-in sheet reflected names such as Rolando, Miguel, Hector, Maria, Emilia and Adriana.
On two consecutive Saturdays, 23 Spanish-speaking citizens gathered at the Shelby County Emergency Operations Center for the first "Spanish CERT" training.
The class was lead by Cheryl Yarbro, Shelby County Office of Preparedness Interim Manager and Training Officer and Ivette Baldizon, Assistant to Shelby County Mayor on Multicultural and Hispanic Affairs.
After an introduction explaining the risks and hazards all citizens face living in Shelby county, subjects discussed during the class included disaster preparedness, light search and rescue, disaster psychology, fire suppression, medical triage and first aid, hazardous materials, and terrorism.
Students followed along a power point and handouts, both translated into Spanish, that helped them learn what to do before, during and after a disaster. They were taught when to shelter-in-place or evacuate, depending on the type of emergency they faced.
Following lectures and videos, students dressed out in helmets, reflective vests, goggles, masks and gloves to participate in the hands-on training. They formed a team to rescue a "victim" under rubble, bandaged wounds, and extinguished a contained fire.
Rodrigo Ramirez, whose family attended the class, remarked on this valuable, life-saving training, "We are very interested in preparedness, knowing what to do to help ourselves and others." When asked what unexpected events his family is prepared for, he said, "Fires and earthquakes....and we are learning how to prepare for floods. We are sure we know what to do for each of these hazards now. The knowledge we learned here today has made the difference."
After demonstrating their new found skills, the students proudly graduated with a certificate, a CERT ID card, and most of all the confidence that they will survive the next disaster.
Ivette Baldizon, who served as interpreter, commented on the importance of this first Spanish CERT class, "During the recent flooding, the Hispanic community was most affected. Even though preparedness information in Spanish is available on computers from FEMA and Citizen Corps, many Hispanics may not have a computer in the home or ready access to one. What has been most effective for theses students is the hands-on training. They are so excited and want to use what they have learned here! It is wonderful that we are reaching out to this community through CERT."
CERT is a Shelby County Citizen Corps initiative, available to all citizens. To find out more about CERT or register for a class, please email, citizencorps@shelbycountytn.gov.
