Everett CERT Team Graduates Newest Class

May 16, 2015

Everett, Everett Government

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If Everett comes crashing down, there are hundreds of trained CERT volunteers standing ready to help.

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Can this victim be saved and are you willing to touch and check for a pulse and breathing?

There are now 17 more members of the CERT team serving their neighbors in the City of Everett. CERT is short for Community Emergency Response Team and Thursday night Everett’s latest class went through their final exam involving a simulated earthquake. CERT members had to learn to form teams, make a plan and then complete several drills including using a chemical fire extinguisher, using a fire hose, turning off valves, find out if someone is alive or dead and the nature of their injury. They also learned to safely remove concrete and debris from on top of a victim and triage multiple victims to determine order of treatment needed. Everett started its CERT Program in 1999 and since then nearly 700 citizens have gone through the program with more than 300 currently registered with the city and ready to provide assistance.

“The first thing we teach people is how to take care of themselves, their immediate family and then their neighbors in the event of an emergency,” said Dave DeHaan, Director of Everett’s Office of Emergency Management. “If they can do that, then we eliminate having to help those people and we can use our resources for others.” He went on to explain CERT volunteers are also used to help in weather emergencies and events where there are huge crowds such as the 4th of July Parade in downtown Everett.

There are CERT classes twice a year and you can click here to find out more about the program as well as information on Emergency Management in Everett. Here are some photos of the scenarios the class went through on Thursday. Click photo to enlarge.

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A safety briefing is held before the drill.

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Here a crew works to safely remove concrete from on top of a victim.

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Do you know how to safely use a chemical fire extinguisher?

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There’s a surprising amount of pressure going through a fire hose.

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Making a quick but accurate assessment of a victim is important.

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How do you describe this injury and how serious is it?

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My Everett News is a hyperlocal news website featuring news and events in Everett, Washington. We also cover City of Everett information and items of interest to those who live and work in Everett.

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