New Page 2

	MASSACHUSETTS CERT PROGRAM Joan Roche Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency Eleven people from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts attended the CERT Train-The-Trainer Program at FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, MD on November 16-18, 1998. Attendance included representatives from state and local emergency management, fire services and emergency medical service personnel.
The first local community to institute the Community Emergency Response Team training program in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was the city of Quincy. The program consisted of a series of six afternoon sessions, three hours each in length. The class consisted of a series of lectures as well as hands-on practicum. Instructors for this course came from varied disciplines including state and local emergency managers, fire fighters, emergency medical service personnel. The class make-up consisted of approximately 20 public school students and six adults.
	The first session concentrated on specific disaster hazards that could impact Quincy, a coastal city in Massachusetts. The second session focused on fire suppression with special emphasis given to fire safety and reduction of hazardous materials in the home. The third session involved disaster medical functions, emphasizing first aid in the home and at school. The fourth session involved light rescue and cribbing techniques.
Special emphasis was given to making a good size-up before conducting any search or rescue operation. The fifth session consisted of a lecture series on team organization and disaster psychology. The sixth and final session was a review, exercise and graduation, which included a banquet for the participants and local officials. Further classes in the preliminary planning stages will include community groups and CERT teams located in senior living centers.

Return to *THE CONNECTION*