The 10 men and women, clad in bright yellow vests, walked side by side in a single line.
Using bamboo poles, they searched the ground as they listened to instructions on proper search technique.
Ground search is just one topic the Navarre Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, taught the volunteers in a training session Saturday.
The Navarre CERT is a 90-member team of volunteers who are trained in dealing with disaster preparedness, fire safety, first aid, fire prevention, disaster medical operations, search and rescue, and terrorism. In case of a natural or manmade disaster, the team is available to help local law enforcement or other first responders.
The new recruits will finish their training today after spending 25 hours over the course of two weekends in training.
It’s an intensive class, but it gives recruits a good basis for handling an emergency, said Ashley Strabala, one of the trainees.
“There’s a way that anybody can help out as a regular citizen,” Strabala said.
The idea is for CERT members to first apply what they learn to their own families and neighbors and then move on to helping the county, said Sue Ferson, administrative section chief.
“Not every member will be active on the team, but having training will help you respond without losing your head,” Ferson said.
By doing this, CERT members are “taken out of the equation” during a disaster, said Mike Sandler, training officer for Navarre CERT. They will be prepared for the disaster and be able to recover from it.
“If there weren’t some citizens willing to come in and help and do something for themselves, it could be a while before someone came in,” Sandler said.
TO LEARN MORE: Visit www.navarrecert.org.
