Kansas City volunteers train to be first responders

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Volunteers in Kansas City are going through intense training to become certified members of the city's Community Emergency Response Team, a nationwide program for which thousands are signing up.

The volunteers self-deploy from their homes in the event of an emergency, carrying a backpack of government-issued tools.

They check on neighbors and organize help before professional emergency crews arrive.

"We're first-first responders," said volunteer Walter Cox, 60.

"We help secure and make it safe ... get people triaged and be ready to help direct ambulances and fire and police."

There are more than 600 trained and certified members on the Kansas City team and more than 2,000 across many Kansas City-area squads, the Kansas City Star reported.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said more than 20,000 people across the country train each year.

Many of the members said they do it because they remember something out of the ordinary that inspired their service.

"Katrina did something to me," said volunteer Isaiah Muhammad, 76, remembering the unpreparedness and lack of government rescuers during the 2005 New Orleans flood.

The city gives 24 hours of training spread out over six sessions.

The training includes learning how to deal with fire and natural gas, first aid and treating injuries, search and rescue operations, team organization and the psychology of terror and disaster.