CERT Training....

Today was the first day of my long awaited CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training at Firehouse 19 Sky Harbor Airport. I had to wait until they gave the class during the daytime while Jasmine is at school... rather than evening or weekend. I didn't realize that there are four fire stations just at the airport!- one for each terminal, but they serve the city of Phoenix also. It took me forever to get there because even though the Fire Station is the station for Terminal 3, so many of the exits and entrances to the airport were closed due to construction. After living here for 28 years, I know the airport area really well. However, I have no idea how I got there or how I will get back tomorrow, because I found the place just by chance. Station 19 is a "green" firehouse with Energy Saver stainless steel appliances:) plus they keep most of the lights off everywhere for energy conservation. I got to eat lunch in the immaculate spotless kitchen!:) Huge place with conference rooms, training areas, etc. I didn't see the whole place. Anyway, all I can say is holy- schmoly! My brain is on overload. Massive amount of information in one day... and it's only the *first* day. On the last day, we have some type of "practical" test where we each have to put out a small fire.. .. something like a kitchen fire. Plus we have to split up into groups of 5 and do some type of exercise as if there has been a big nuclear accident or terrorist attack. We have to triage the "victims" into "immediate", "delayed" or "dead", administer "first aid", keep "medical records" for each person.... and take the "dead" ones to the nearest ice rink! I kind of knew, but didn't really realize how overwhelmed the firefighters and police can get just from one big fire, so if there would be some very large emergency/terrorist attack, etc, they really need help from volunteers to get there first, start the process if possible (within reason), then report to them what has been done. There are only 500 firetrucks for the entire city of Phoenix... which really is not very many at all. He said that many of them are "specialty" trucks... just for chemical fires or whatever specialty. The instructor is Mike Cook who is a firefighter, but his particular "specialty" is "technological rescue"... which means that if a house has collapsed or is about to collapse from a fire, earthquake, etc... he is the one who goes in or figures out what to do to keep it standing long enough to get the people out. I didn't realize that there are so many "specialists" in firefighting... some just for forest fires, others just for metal related fires, some just for chemicals. Kind of like Western medicine- many specialists. Oh yes, we also learned a technique that I had never heard of before called "cribbing" where we have to (for the test), slowly build up a slab of concrete or wall in a level manner to extricate a person (dummy) under it. It is basically just about how to get a person out from under a car, wall, or heavy object without harming someone else or doing more harm to that person. We talked about so many other things.... and I cannot even remember it all. 72 hour kits, how to properly mark the house/building that your team has searched for living or dead people, the proper way to use a fire extinguisher, etc. The number one cause of house fires everywhere in the country is people not using a licensed contractor for electrical work and trying to do it themselves! I didn't know that! One of the most important things I learned is that for your "72 Hour Kit", the best candy to put in there is PayDay bars because they have no expiration date and last forever!:)) In the class we have 2 dog trainers for "Search and Rescue Dogs", one 15 year old boy who was made to take the class by his grandmother who works at the airport, me... and about 20 other TSA agents, security guards, and just people who work at the airport who apparently are required to take the class. They also give the class to high school, junior high schools, churches, elderly people, and any group who wants it. It really should be advertised on TV and everywhere else as "highly suggested" for most of the population. If everyone took the class or something like it, there wouldn't be such panic and mayhem with any kind of man-made or natural emergency. Then... they have around 10 more classes you can take that are more "specialized". All of the classes are free, but you have to purchase your own equipment. Tomorrow will be another long day:)