My name is Maggie Willhite, and I recently was introduced to the CERT Training that has come to Lake County offered through North Coast Opportunities.
Like many people, I have suffered being evacuated from the home I love on several occasions wondering if I had a home to come back to. I also had to evacuate my horses four times over the last four years, and I wondered if my animals would still be alive when I returned home. I have felt very powerless and ill equipped to handle a major disaster effecting my family.
The CERT (Community Emergency Response Team training) a.k.a. Disaster Preparedness Training, has empowered me with the skills that I need, so that should a disaster strike Lake County again,
I will be prepared to help my family, my neighbors and my community. Simply put, it has allowed me to take my power back and get prepared now.
The CERT program offers 20 hours of classroom and hands-on practical experience to help my family safely suppress minor fires, prepare for disasters, put together essentials and a ‘go bag’ for both work and home. It has taught me medical operations to help treat life threatening conditions, triage, how to treat burns and wound care, how to treat fractures and dislocations, sprains and strains, and how to conduct head to toe assessments. I’ve learned about light search and rescue operations, the organization of CERT Teams, and disaster psychology – to help people survive trauma, and how to prepare for and handle terrorist incidents in my community.
I can’t say enough about how important this training is, and it is free and available now for anyone to register. To find out more about CERT Training, call (707) 263-4688 ext 402 today or stop by North Coast Opportunities at 850 Lakeport Blvd. Lakeport, CA. You can take your power back and be the change you want to see in this world. Thank you, NCO, for the work you are doing to save lives, and for the funding for the CERT Training.
