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	ARE YOU PREPARED? *Barbara Kasser , CERT Team Member, Boca Rotan, Florida* Although we've participated in drills, would we know what to do in the face of a real emergency? A surprise exercise for team leaders, who meet regularly, tested our readiness and provided lots of valuable information. Each of the team leaders was provided with the following scenario: Three of our Team Leaders are driving home on Palmetto Park Road after a Saturday morning meeting at Fire Station 5. The day is sunny and bright. As they cross the railroad tracks at I-95 there's a loud boom, followed by a fireball and an explosion. The K-Mart has exploded! The power is out and traffic is at a standstill. Our three CERT team members leave their car at the side of the road, grab their bags and helmets and rush to the scene.
The parking lot is strewn with broken glass, car parts and twisted and broken shopping carts. Bodies of surprised shoppers are tossed among the wreckage. One poor woman appears to have been blown out of her shoes. A combination of sharp and unpleasant smells fill the air. There does not seem to be any obvious fire. For a moment or two, the scene is eerily quiet. Then, the sound of voices becomes audible. "Help me. Help me." The voice is heard from inside the wrecked K-Mart. Other voices, begging for help join in. Dazed and confused shoppers and employees from the nearby Publix arrive on the scene. Our three CERT volunteers need to do something before help arrives…………..
The exercise begins now! Mike Teller, Pam Imbimbo and Clem Storch were named as the 3 "lucky" CERT volunteers. The other people in the meeting were assigned roles, including Registered Nurse, Construction Worker, Recent Immigrant from the Caribbean and Society Lady. As part of the exercise, we discovered that the Fire Department was out on another call and couldn't assist immediately. It was up to us -the motley crew in the room- to assess the damage to the building, determine how to help the wounded, and set up a treatment center. Scary stuff!
	Frank led us through the exercise, teaching us to ask questions, utilize our resources and look at the big picture. He helped us recognize that while it's easy to become overwhelmed in a disaster, taking one step at a time and assessing the information at hand provides the necessary building blocks to establishing a command post.
At the end of the exercise, the (pretend) first Fire Rescue truck arrived on the scene and took over. We were able to hand the firefighters a complete list of the work we'd done on the scene, and how many victims we believed were still inside the wrecked building. Kudos to Mike Teller for his great work as Incident Commander!

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