The Patrick County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is on a mission, and you can help.

The organization offers free training to help individuals survive disasters and help their neighbors, according to Tyler Irvin, team leader.

“Our main goal is public education, teaching the public basic medical care,” what to do in case of a fire and other skills, Irvin said. But to be as effective as he would like, volunteers are needed, he said.

Volunteers start by helping themselves and their families, Irvin said.”That’s the first thing they’re trained to do,” he said.

Members then branch out, first into their own neighborhoods and communities before venturing out to check other areas, Irvin said.

The team responds to emergencies and/or natural disasters, such as fire, tornado, wind storms, or even extreme heat. The team helps to back up local EMS and fire departments, allowing them to respond to the most critical areas while the CERT team provides basic operations, Irvin said.

Founded in 2015 by Van Rowe, of the Soup Kitchen, and Patrick County Emergency Management Coordinator Steve Allen, there currently are about 16 members, Irvin said.

“Right now, we don’t have anybody from the western side of the county. Our goal is to attract members from all areas of the county”, Irvin said.

Volunteers who devote 20 hours to the organization per year are considered active, Irvin said. “It’s very easy to get those hours,” he said, and added opportunities include helping to park vehicles at various events and festivals to taking water and snacks to firefighters battling a blaze.

Some events are considered training exercises, he said of parking cars as a way to train for directing traffic on a busy roadway after an emergency incident.

Currently, meetings are held in the Soup Kitchen on Tudor Orchard Road, Irvin said, but as the organization grows, he anticipates a larger space will be needed.

Membership is open to any age, but there is an age requirement of 18 to complete the course work, he said.

Membership is free, Irvin said.

Donations go into the organization’s general fund. This year, those funds will be used to pay for a booth at the Patrick County Agricultural Fair, he said.

Irvin said he also hopes to talk to school officials about the possibility of organizing a CERT group just for teenagers.

Training is provided free, and dedicated to the Patrick County motto: “Neighbors helping Neighbors,” he said.

Some of the classes include: CERT basic training; CPR / first aid training (with certification from AHA); CERT traffic control training; CERT flood response training; basic fire fighting skills; basic medical skills
and many more.

The training program culminates in a mock drill, Irvin said, and noted a drill was held in May at the Springs of Life Camp in Patrick Springs. That drill included volunteers who simulated patients with various injuries and ailments, Irvin said.

The volunteer patients were situated in various areas of the camp. CERT volunteers searched and rescued patients, triaging and otherwise treating the injured, Irvin said. As the session concluded, CERT volunteers then reviewed their actions, looking at what worked, what didn’t and targeted areas that needed improvement, he said.

If interested in joining, call (276) 229-8034, email patrickcountycert@gmail.com or visit http://patrickcountycert.com/Join-CERT/.