Search and Rescue in Community Disasters course

[Cgrutt]

Just registered to take this 12 hr course. Apparently sponsored by FEMA. No cost to attend. Open to members of Cornwall community, just passing along info if anybody local is interested in attending or to give you a heads up to be on the lookout for similar courses in your community.

The Search and Rescue in Community Disasters course provides training for community members to safely conduct search and light rescue response to aid their family and neighbors in the immediate aftermath of a natural catastrophe, technological accident, or human-caused incident. The course is intended for members of the whole community and draws on information and lessons learned from a variety of disaster incidents such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and man-made events for discussion points. The course also uses hands-on training to demonstrate best practices for effective search and light rescue, which can be used in both residential and commercial environments.

Topics:
ï‚· Developing a mindset to prepare, act and survive in a disaster involving your community
ï‚· Using survival strategies to rescue and care for yourself, your family, and your pets during and in the immediate aftermath of an event
ï‚· Providing assistance in the search, light rescue, care, and safety of your neighbors Target Audience:

The target audience encompasses the whole community, including, but not restricted to:
ï‚· Religious Organizations
ï‚· Volunteer Fire Departments
ï‚· Community Emergency Response Teams
ï‚· Youth Organizations ï‚· American Red Cross and other Non-Governmental Organizations
ï‚· Other Interested Members of the Community

More info here ready.cornwallny.gov

[usmcveteran]

Can never have to much training

[Meketrefe]

Oathkeepers local chapters also do organized events and educate on how to deal with disasters.
They were very good helping small business owners during the Ferguson riots and looting.

[usmcveteran]

I want to take cert course

[Cgrutt]

Took class last night and today. Great course! Instructors were professional First Responders with extensive military and civilian Search and Rescue backgrounds. I believe they are both connected with fire departments back home. They've been deployed at widespread disasters including, Katrina, OK tornados, IA floods, etc. One was based in Texas and the other was based in Iowa. Course developed and administered through Texas A&M and funded by FEMA. Needed to get a FEMA Student ID to participate and am now eligible to take other training sponsored by FEMA. Local guy who set it up heads up local Emergency Management office. He's worked at this for past 20 years and has run it for past 10 years. No budget and operates on a shoe string. Does a lot of this sort of stuff out-of-pocket for benefit of community. Great guy. Shame the town doesn't provide more support. He's running a how to use fire extinguishers course next month and is trying to put together a wide-spread S&R course at a local wilderness preserve in the coming months. I volunteered my wife to be the lost hiker, LOL...

Course ran through a bunch of great topics to prepare people to survive a disaster, protect their families and assist community with S&R efforts during aftermath. We covered introductions and risk assessment/general preparedness issues last night. Today was pretty cool and gave me a lot to think about. Covered a lot of building structure and safety assessment after an event. Ways to use mechanical advantage out of household items (and parts of houses exposed in aftermath) to remove debris in rescue efforts. We lifted a 6,000# Toyota SUV and blocked it using 2x4s and a couple of 4x4 sections out in parking lot. Covered triaging (sp?) techniques and marking systems used by S&R teams (both building and people). Some basic medical assessment and first aid techniques. During afternoon we learned some basic S&R techniques and participated in a widespread field and in building structure search exercise. We also reviewed in building and external building breaching techniques. Overall awesome class!

Gave us some good reference material too. Will post some useful URLs when I get a chance.

[masterswimmer]

Sounds like a boatload of material in a weekend class. I'm sure it was awesome.

[Cgrutt]

Format was 12 HR class performed over 1 1/2 days. It just happened to be scheduled on a weekend, LOL. It was definitely worthwhile and I would highly recommend it should it come around our way again. They were talking about coming back in the Fall. Will keep everyone posted.

[Sailor Jerry]

FEMA's plan , camps and coffins for all.