By Melody Gustafson
SALEM – On the second and final day of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training Friday at KSU, Columbiana County Emergency Management Agency Director Dar ren Dodson kicked off with a how-to talk about taking charge and organizing teams and duties during a disaster.
“In this program, anybody can be a leader if they have to,” said Dodson. He pointed out that a “streamlined approach to accountability” requires common terminology for effective communication and an Incident Command System (ICS) that provides a quick and efficient assignment of tasks.
The first person on the scene automatically assumes the role of Incident Commander (IC). As other volunteers arrive, the IC assigns group leaders who fulfill a certain role such as fire suppression, search and rescue, or medical triage and treatment. He emphasized the importance of keeping one’s own safety in mind. “Don’t be one of those good-hearted, kind-souled folks who run into a collapsed building to save someone and becomes another victim,” he said.
The next speaker in the spotlight was Cathy Grizinski, associate director of Help Hotline Crisis Center. As a licensed social worker, she provided a great deal of insight about psychology in disasters. “People are people. They don’t change because of a disaster,” she said. Behaviors, addictions and attitudes continue during a catastrophe just as in normalcy, before an incident.
As a working volunteer, it is important to empathize with victims as they show anger, denial, shock, and blame themselves and others. “It is difficult to set aside our own emotions when we are overwhelmed with the impact of a disaster.” Breaks are very important to emotional well-being of a volunteer, as well as a defusing session with peers after the situation is under control.
Terrorism has become a major source of catastrophic incidents in the United States, so Columbiana County Deputy Sheriff Allen Haueter provided a slide-show presentation about different kinds of attacks, noting that 70% of the terror acts involve some kind of explosive. Dirty bombs, consisting of an explosive attached to radioactive material that explodes showering radioactivity like a dust cloud, are the most common threat in the US.
“It is a known fact that Al Qaida goes to quiet, rural communities for training where no one notices,” said Haueter. If anyone discovers suspicious militant training activity, he or she ought to report it. He went on to instruct the class what to do in the event of an explosion, beginning with calling 911 and evacuating immediately.
The final presentation involved search and rescue tactics including a hands on demonstration of “cribbing” – a strategic way to extricate victims that are trapped under heavy debris. Homeworth Fire Department Chief Brian Baker and Assistant Chief Doug Jarvis chose random people to show that even a small individual can extricate victims from beneath incredible weight using this method.
Baker and Jarvis spoke at length about sizing up situations and determining the extent of the damage. This is important for ensuring the safety of the rescuers. “If you feel uncomfortable with a situation, don’t enter. You don’t have to be a hero,” said Baker.
At the conclusion of the day’s presentations, Dodson passed out everyone’s certificates of completion. Participants are now members of the President’s Citizen Corps and are equipped with the knowledge that can make them useful to others in case disaster strikes.
