Ready for anything

When natural and human-caused disasters strike creating more victims than local emergency responders, the Community Emergency Response Team takes action.
CERT volunteers are trained to save lives in disaster preparedness, fire suppression, medical operations, light search and rescue, terrorism response, and disaster psychology. 
Thursday night at Lincoln Elementary the CERT members set up a hypothetical disaster course throughout the school including homes (classrooms) with victims needing help inside, a hazard area (CERT members need to be sure not to enter unsafe areas), and a triage area. After successful completion the new volunteers would become CERT members. 
With a designated partner, the volunteers carried out a well-executed plan using a right hand search method, great communication amongst themselves and with the victims. They found each victim, informed them of whom they were and how they were going to help them. The volunteers then administrated the skills they had learned over the 24-hour course. The injuries varied from minor lacerations, heard injuries, broken bones, all the way to a screwdriver that had completely penetrated a young boy’s hand.  He was also separated from his hysterical mother, who was running down the halls screaming for her son.
The CERT volunteers were trained to calm the mother, keeping her in the “safe zone” and later reuniting her with her son. 
The experience was incredible, inspiring, and reassuring that if and when disaster strikes the CERT team is prepared to aid the first responders. 
Throughout the year extra training is offered to CERT members. Steele County CERT members have responded to flooding, tornados, and missing persons. Performing tasks including but not limited to damage assessments, distributing clean up kits and meals, sand bagging, sheltering, public relations, community involvement, emergency management, first aid, talking with and comforting the victims. 
 “We never want to use you [CERT Volunteers] but we feel better knowing you’re there, ” said Mike Johnson, Owatonna Fire Chief and Steele County Emergency Management Director.
He has been with Steele County for 33 years, and started Steele County CERT in 2002, with the first class having only two people. Fast forward 13 years there have been 15 classes, adding 198 more volunteers. CERT has proven to be a huge success and Mike is very proud.  
When describing the volunteers, Johnson said, “Trained to first help themselves, then their family, and last but not least their community.”
When summing up their mission, Johnson said he aims for the, “Most good for the most people.”
This is the first year Bonnie Johnson is president. Steele County CERT helped start the Waseca CERT team, and are in the process of starting a Fairbault CERT team. Believing every county needs a CERT team, Steele County’s team is eager to help any and every county start their own.
One Owatonna volunteer is Nicole Vangen, an administrator of a local church, and mother of three. She signed up at the Steele County Fair CERT booth, because she wanted to give back to her community and believed she had the personality to change and save lives. 

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If you want to get involved, there is a sign up booth at the Steele County Fair. You can also contact Bonnie at (507) 390-2385. As a CERT member you will receive a bag containing roughly $187 worth of donated supplies, donation are always welcome and very much appreciated. More information is available at http://www.steelecountyemergency.com.