Interested in learning more about how you can help the town and your friends and neighbors if disaster strikes? Then the next Community Emergency Response (CERT) training offered by the town might be for you.
Donna Johnson, project manager for the Town of Queen Creek's CERT team, said the next training will be offered in early 2024, usually around February. The training consists of a 20-hour class where participants will learn disaster preparedness, fire suppression, basic medical care and more. The class is limited to Queen Creek residents, including Ironwood Crossings, Encanterra and those who live in the Queen Creek County Island Fire District and has a maximum capacity of 25 participants.
"Our basic CERT class is yearly and usually comes out in February," said Johnson. "Once they complete the 20-hour course, they get a certificate and if they move out of town or out of state, they can still use that certificate in that area because it's nationwide. There is a national CERT association, so we're all taught the same way."
In addition to the yearly class, participants can also decide if they'd like to join the CERT team and attend monthly meetings that go beyond the basics they learn in class.
"Basic training doesn't do things like CPR or how to stop a bleed, or traffic control, because that's another thing we learn," added Johnson. "If anything happens in the town, they can call the CERT members and we can set up a command post and come and help with traffic."
The town has held at least four CERT trainings and has been involved with the CERT program in some capacity since 2008. Johnson explained that when she became project manager for the town's CERT program, she contacted every single person who had been trained since 2008 to see if they'd be interested in becoming part of the CERT team and attend monthly meetings to keep up their training. She said she had a handful of people who agreed to join and she's been teaching training classes now since 2019.
"I don't teach the entire 20-hour course," Johnson said. "I teach disaster preparedness that includes things like what to keep in your home or what to do if you're on the freeway or in the store or movie theater and something happens."
She explained that the medical portion, triage, light search and rescue and fire suppression are taught by the town's firefighters.
Since Johnson has taken over as the program manager for CERT, she is also thinking bigger picture and how Queen Creek can partner with other towns to help each other in case of a disaster.
"We have been training with the Mesa CERT team as well because I figured if something were to happen in Mesa, we can help them out and if something were to happen in Queen Creek then they can help us out," said Johnson. "We have a big refresher coming up in the fall that both teams will attend and we are excited for that. We're looking for other towns to join us at well."
Right now, the town's CERT team has 34 people, including Johnson. She said they are always looking for other people to join and are excited about what the future holds for the program.
"CERT has always been a passion of mine," Johnson said. "I was first trained in 1998 with the company I was with at the time and then I got into the town and city side of things of Arizona. My passion is helping people and always being prepared when something happens. The team we have now, especially with the new people I just brought on, are all very excited.
"They are coming out to help with events in Queen Creek and with our traffic; they're a very good group," she added.
If you'd like to learn more about the CERT program or register for their upcoming 2024 class, visit their website HERE.
