AAACERT is proud to have been recognized in the FEMA CERT/ICPS newsletter for April 2022. Our work last year at the Russett Community Cleanup Day for Earth Day was our first but not our last event with the Russett Community. We’ll continue again this year and expand to help with other events the community has planned.
A special thanks to Rick and Anne for helping last year and for signing up to help this year.
You can read the full story on FEMA’s site by clicking THIS LINK.
Congratulations to the November 2020 Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Basic training class. The class underwent its training and final exercise at the Anne Arundel County Fire Training Academy in Millersville, MD. This training group had the extra challenge of having almost half the normal number of participants. As a result of their smaller size, during the simulation, search teams had to do double duty both looking for and treating victims. The class overcame this challenge, found all victims, and treated them accordingly.
Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, class sizes are limited and fill fast. Interested? Please visit www.aaacert.org.
Simulation exercise participants including graduating members, volunteer proctors, volunteer survivors, and an Anne Arundel County Police Officer following the final simulation exercise.
Congratulations to the October 2020 Basic Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) class. The class underwent its training and final exercise in October 2020 at the Anne Arundel County Fire Training Academy in Millersville, Md. Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, class sizes are limited and fill fast. Interested? Please visit www.aaacert.org.
On Saturday, June 8, 20 community members completed the Late Spring iteration of the Basic Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. The three-day course included classroom training and practical exercises, and culminated in a full mass-casualty exercise.
The Late Spring 2019 AAACERT Basic CERT Course participants after the Mass-Casualty Exercise
One week prior, the students participated in a triage exercise, coming face to face with AAACERT members simulating injuries after a storm hit a classroom. They quickly learned the value of the simulation, as they had to deal with patients who had been instructed by evaluators to be uncooperative.
In the June 8 exercise, the students were met with an entire compound full of simulated injuries; the victims in this drill were wearing moulage, courtesy of Kim Reyes, to make the simulation feel lifelike. Simulating victims of a tornado, AAACERT members playing the role of victims were again displaying uncooperative, anxious behavior and doing their best to make it an authentic experience. The students successfully assessed the situation, evaluating and treating the victims, as well as handling unexpected scenarios the team staged.
Note: Some photos here are graphic and contain realistic (but simulated) injuries.
Mary, one of the victims, shows off her minor cuts and abrasions before the exercise.
Mark suffered from an injury to the back of the head.
The team develops its plan and heads out to survey the area.
The team set up its treatment area, ready to sort the victims based on the severity of their injuries.
After completing their initial triage, a team heads out to treat and evacuate the wounded.
A team escorts a victim to the treatment area.
The victim waits in the treatment area; although the wounds are severe, he is stable and does not take priority.
A team enters a building to search for more victims.
Team Leads stand outside a building, communicating the situation to the Incident Commander, as their team evacuates victims from the building.
A team provides first aid to victims before getting them to the pre-staged treatment area.
Partners assess a child on a wire. Note: Never get this close to downed wires!
Students triage Mark, an AAACERT member, who is playing the role of a head injury victim.
Victims wait for treatment.
Anne Arundel and Annapolis CERT (AAACERT) hosts basic training multiple times per year. The course provides students with fundamental skills to respond to the community’s immediate needs in the aftermath of a disaster when emergency services are not immediately available. Alone, these basic skills allow people to help themselves, their families, and others. By working together, CERT members can assist in saving lives and protecting property using the simple techniques in this course.
AAACERT Instructors awarded Certificates of Completion for the Basic CERT class to thirteen individuals on Saturday, 09 June.
AAACERT Basic CERT Class, 2018 June 09, Class 2018-02.
The graduating Basic CERT class received instruction in disasters, incident command structure, disaster medical operations, use of fire extinguishers, psychological aspects of disasters, search and rescue and other topics intended to teach the students what to do in case of a disaster or other emergency.
Moulaged “patient” for the AAACERT Basic CERT disaster drill.
Volunteer victims were moulaged, made up to appear to have injuries, as part of the classes final disaster drill. The volunteers then were spread about the area hidden in various locations and the class members were required to find, triage (sort the victims according to their injuries) and move them to a central collection point. Anne Arundel County Police the arrived on the scene where the student acting as the Incident Commander gave report.
Congratulations to all who attended and thank you to all of the volunteers and instructors. Special thanks to the Anne Arundel County Fire Department for the use of classrooms and the “yard” and to Anne Arundel County Police for participating in the final exercise!
Instructor John Schirrippa teaching Basic CERT module one.
AAACERT Late Spring Basic CERT underway at the Anne Arundel Fire Department (AAFD) Academy in Millersville. This is the second of three class that will be held in 2018. Basic CERT classes are approximately 21 hours and students learn the essentials of emergency preparedness to assist in disasters and emergencies.
Basic CERT class members are being instructed by members of Bowie VFD, Mobile Learning Lab to use a fire extinguisher.
Learning about fire and how to extinguish small fires is part of the Basic CERT class. Bowie VFD graciously taught class members using their Mobile Learning Lab. The mobile lab allows trainees to train using environmentally safe materials. The simulator uses propane to create the fire. Water is sprayed into a specially designed fire container and when properly applied the fire is extinguished. AAACERT would like to acknowledge the assistance provided by Bowie VFD and voice our appreciation.
Instructor Pablo Gonzalez teaching MedOps to Basic CERT class 2018-02.
Medical emergencies and injuries occur during disasters and CERT members have to be prepared. Instructor Pablo Gonzalez teaches CERT students how to perform triage and treat the injured. This is one of the sections of the class encompassing two modules and having 5.5 hours dedicated to the topic.
AAACERT Basic CERT Class, 2018-02, Instructor Bruce Morgenstern teaching carrying techniques during the Search module.
Following Medical Operations, Instructor Bruce Morgenstern teaches the students how to move patients during the Search module. Students also learn how to conduct basic searches and to mark buildings after being searched.
If you are interested in taking a Basic CERT class or interested in becoming a member of AAACERT, you may use the Contact Us form.
Anne Arundel – Annapolis CERT was one of 75 grant recipients the Emergency Response and Safety Grants sponsored by BGE. The 2018 grants totaled $310,000 for the 75 agencies and organizations.
AAACERT received a grant for $3,000 to purchase traffic management safety equipment. AAACERT, a volunteer non-profit, 501(c)3 organization, assists Anne Arundel County, Annapolis City and non-profits by providing assistance with traffic, parking and parades. The grant partially funded the purchase of safety vests, safety gloves and flashlights. AAACERT’s traffic training is provide by the Anne Arundel County Police, Reserve Officers. Annapolis City, Office of Emergency Management provides training for Parade Marshals.
BGE’s Emergency Response and Safety Grant program, now in its sixth year, supports area nonprofits by providing strategic funding that enables the success of their emergency response and safety programs. In addition to supporting the emergency responder community in Maryland, BGE provides training for fire, police, 911 centers and emergency management organizations who routinely work around utility equipment.
On February 15, 2017, Ray and Sharon Wingo were recognized at the monthly Anne Arundel County – Annapolis (AAA) Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) monthly training session for outstanding service to the team and broader community. For years, Ray and Sharon have been teaching the importance of fire safety, preparedness, and suppression for CERT and the local community members. At every CERT Basic class, they pull up the mobile unit and demonstrate first-hand how to suppress small fires.
At the conclusion of the February training session, which happened to be pertaining to fire safety, Mr. Paul Bowling, AAA CERT President, presented Ray and Sharon with a plaque and card.
Graduating class of CERT Train the Trainer at the Anne Arundel County Fire Training Academy, 20 December 2015. Pictured left to right: Paula Hughes (Clinton CERT – Prince George’s County), Bruce Morgenstern, Carlos Gonzales, Chief Michael O’Connell (Division Chief AAFD / Director, Anne Arundel County Office of Emergency Management), John Schirrippa, Mona Grupp, Rick Cooper, Paul Bowling (not-pictured).
Anne Arundel – Annapolis CERT sponsored a CERT Train the Trainer course to prepare participants to teach the Basic CERT course. The three day class, taught by Chief Michael O’Connell, was held at the Anne Arundel County Fire Training Academy in Millersville, Maryland.
The seven new instructors brings the Anne Arundel – Annapolis CERT Basic Instructor cadre to sixteen. We are looking forwarding to providing more Basic CERT classes in 2016.
Memphis, TN resident Geraldine Pollard survived two house fires, one as a child and another as an adult. CERT Training teaches citizens how to be prepared in case of emergencies and disasters (Video and Article). Many communities also use trained CERT members to assist with public events such as parades, celebrations and other community events.
CERT training is usually conducted over a Friday evening, Saturday & Sunday although some communities may extend it over several smaller weekly sessions. Training includes preparedness, basic search & rescue, first aid, how to triage, basic rescue carries, use of the fire extinguisher for basic fire fighting and more. Advanced CERT training involves Animal Rescue & First Aid, Traffic and Crowd, Weather and other topics.
Anne Arundel and Annapolis CERT offers this training 3 – 4 times per year at no cost. If you would like more information on CERT Training please send us a message.
