Kirkland CERT 23 starts Feb. 23

If and when the Puget Sound region experiences a disaster such as an earthquake, emergency personnel may not be able to make it to every neighborhood in Kirkland if roads are destroyed and other major debris blocks their path.

This is where the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) comes in to help out their neighbors.

Through a training session approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), community members learn how to identify and reduce hazards at home and work, prepare for a disaster with emergency supplies, put out small fires, conduct light search-and-rescue operations, apply basic medical techniques, assess injuries, lift heavy objects off trapped people and organize in teams during a disaster.

“I’d like everybody to be ready if these skills are needed,” Kirkland CERT Instructor Christina Brugman said.

Another chance to go through the eight-week CERT training in Kirkland is coming up at the end of the month. The course will be held from 6-9 p.m. every Thursday starting Feb. 23 for eight weeks at the Kirkland Seventh Day Adventist Church, culminating in a full-scale disaster simulation drill from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 29. Registration costs $35 for residents (which includes those who live, work or attend school in Kirkland) and $50 for non-residents.

Brugman said the materials those who go through the training receive, including a backpack, helmet, vest and manuals, actually amount to approximately $85. The CERT program is funded by the City of Kirkland at $5,000 per year, and additional money comes to the program through fundraisers, Brugman said.

“We want (the CERT members) to have the basic equipment for their personal safety,” she said. “They are going to be the ones on the ground (in a disaster).”

The spring 2017 session will be the 23rd time the CERT training has been offered in Kirkland, and CERT members are also preparing for another event, Magnitude 9.0, which will be open to the public on March 11 at Kirkland City Hall. There will be two sessions, from 9-10:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. to noon, for those interested in learning how to prepare for a major earthquake.

Should such a disaster strike the area, Brugman said having a robust number of people who have gone through the CERT training would be ideal.

“We’re not going to get anyone to help us for weeks,” she said, adding people should have the necessary equipment and supplies to go 10-14 days without electricity. “The likelihood of this happening is pretty great.”

CERT also offers other classes such as Basic Disaster Preparedness, Pet Preparedness and Advanced Post-Disaster Mental Health Support. The CERT Steering Committee also recently announced the Christina Brugman Grant program, which offers anyone the chance to apply for needs related to disaster preparedness.

There is $5,000 available through the program, with a maximum of $1,500 per request. Brugman said the committee hopes to use the funds for things such as a Boy Scout troop wanting to distribute information about emergency preparedness or local groups going through a first aid class.

“We’re hoping to disperse lots of smaller grants and spread out the money,” she said.

The grant was named after Brugman as she helped keep Kirkland’s CERT program going when there was a lack of funds during the recession. She and others formed the CERT Steering Committee in 2012, and she continues to be heavily involved with the program both through the committee and as a CERT instructor on a volunteer basis.

“It’s something I can do for the city that’s worthwhile, and I just enjoy it,” Brugman said.

For more information about CERT or the upcoming training, visit kirklandcert.com.