If being useful during major disasters is important to you, consider becoming a member of the Hays County Community Response Team with free training classes.
These volunteers know what to do when when responders can’t come. They know how to prepare for 72 hours without power. They know how to turn off electricity and shut down a gas line during a fire. They know what to do to keep an injured person from bleeding to death before help arrives.
Their training teaches ordinary citizens how to safely assist someone from under rubble and to search properly and safely for survivors. They also teach how everyone can prevent fires and how to use a fire extinguisher, if the situation arises. And they know what kind of extinguisher to grab for different kinds of fires.
If panicking and wringing your hands isn’t your scene, attend free CERT basic skills training starting Tuesday, September 30 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Wimberley Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 956 FM2325. Classes are Tuesdays and Thursdays for a total of eight weeks, with a Saturday practicum to make sure you’ve retained these essential lessons when your kids, family, neighbors or fellow citizens are threatened. A second series of classes begins Oct 25.
By learning these basic skills, called G-137, you are able to volunteer with with other Hays County Office of Emergency Volunteers. Classes are open to the public and individuals can drop in for a class in a single area as well. More information with actual class details can be found at www.hayscountycert. com.
