VIP Employees Gain Confidence from CERT Training

Six more VIP Industries employees feel better equipped to handle a major disaster and help their family, friends, and community members, after completing a 20-hour Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training course.

In fact, one of those employees recently had the opportunity to put those skills to the test when a fellow co-worker collapsed to the floor. After witnessing the man fall to the floor, Crystal Garner went to him to ask if he was okay. He responded that he was just dizzy.

After seeing that he could get up on his own, Garner directed him to sit on a chair while she found a supervisor. This is something she would not have done if she hadn't taken the class, Garner admitted.

"The class gave me confidence to help others," she said.

Jim Watkins, CERT training coordinator, was pleased to hear this.

"That is what we like to hear, participants having confidence they can make a positive difference for someone in need," Watkins said. "We never know if the classes are beneficial unless someone lets us know."

This was the second time VIP employees participated and completed a CERT training course. Last year, three employees took part in the training.

The participants learned a variety of topics including disaster preparedness, fire suppression, medical operations, light search and rescue operations, psychology and team organization, bio-terrorism, and disaster simulation. The class is primarily a hands-on-experience, from bandaging a victim's arm, to putting out a fire with a fire extinguisher, to searching for and carrying people out of a building.

The premise behind the program is to prepare individuals for disasters and hazards that may impact their area. The course trains participants in basic disaster response skills, preparing them to assist their neighbors or co-workers following an event when emergency medical professionals are not on site immediately.

"I would like to do more training," said Matthew McDowell, who also participated in the training program. "I'd like to learn CPR and the Heimlich maneuver."

McDowell is glad he took part in the training and feels others would benefit from it as well. He noted that there were some easy parts to the program, such as putting out a fire with a fire extinguisher, but also more difficult, such as knowing how to label victims of a disaster so emergency personnel know who to care for first.

The training program ended with a hands-on test where the students had to use the skills they learned to rescue people from a two-story building following a mock earthquake. All six VIP employees passed the test and earned badges for completing the course.

"I have a card and paper that goes with it," Garner said proudly of her accomplishment

CERT training is offered throughout the country and came to Cape Girardeau in 1991. The program was developed in Los Angeles in 1986 as a response to the New Mexico City earthquake that claimed thousands of lives. More than 300 people died trying to save others.

Seeing that major disasters generally attract spontaneous volunteers, the organizers of CERT felt it was vital to teach those volunteers how to safely help others.

The training program is offered to the community at least two times a year, usually in spring and fall. The CERT trainers also will go to businesses and even subdivisions, offering training to anyone 18 years and older.

To learn more about CERT training you can log on to www.semo.edu/training/cert.htm or contact Jim Watkins at 573-339-6799, ext. 2.

For more information about VIP Industries, including its numerous services and programs, log on to their website at www.vipindustries.com, call 573-334-9661, or stop by their facilities for a tour.