The Fort Bend County Emergency Services District No. 4 and the Fulshear – Simonton Fire Department recently hosted their second Community Emergency Response Team training for the communities of Fulshear, Simonton and Weston Lakes.
Seventeen local residents completed the training earlier this month.
Weston Lakes Alderman Cliff Aldrich and Simonton Councilman Lou Boudreaux – emergency management coordinators for their respective cities – helped kick off the training session.
The compressed weekend class included topics such as disaster preparedness, fire suppression, disaster medical operations, light search and rescue and team organization. The training also included simulations and exercises to provide students with hands-on experience.
“CERT is a wonderful program for communities looking to work together to provide assistance to those in need in the aftermath of a disaster when trained personnel are needed to work alongside our professional responders” said Shauna Evans, volunteer programs manager for the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management.
The final exercise was designed to enhance the skills learned by each volunteer team member in a simulated disaster environment. With the assistance of the Fulshear – Simonton Fire Department and Fort Bend County EMS, the new CERT team members responded to a simulated building collapse with victims trapped inside.
Team members practiced their skills in search and rescue, disaster medical and triage and CERT organization as they worked to locate, remove and treat victims.
Certificates and volunteer badges were presented by Evans and Fort Bend County Emergency Management Coordinator Jeff Braun.
“I was thrilled to be invited back to do a second training for these communities. They are working hard to develop their teams for use in both non-emergency and emergency situations,” Evans said following the graduation. “They are already asking for more training and will be a valuable asset to the county’s preparedness and response efforts, should disaster strike.”
The Community Emergency Response Team program is sponsored by Fort Bend County and facilitated through the office of emergency management.
