[nfb-talk] Emergency response training

Mon May 16 16:02:33 UTC 2011

You don’t need $250 in kit, truly.  And as I said, given what I carry 
on my person daily, I need only to improve my first aid kit and add 
some safety gear and a water/gas wrench.  I might spend $50 on that 
stuff, all told.

It’s not so much about me being able to do something useful.  Rather, 
I am looking to be prepared to do what is needed, because far too 
many others are not.  Most if not all others around me are far less 
prepared for something to go wrong than I am—and the fact that 
something inevitably will sooner or later is pretty much a fact of 
life.  How people fare depends on their skills, resources, readiness, 
and adaptability.

In a disaster situation, unprepared others are at best potential 
casualties.  At worst, they are potential hazards.  The more people 
there are who have the ability to try and prevent either, the better.  
Being blind does not relieve me of that responsibility any more than 
it relieves me of the risk should I choose to be like everyone else 
and pretend nothing is ever going to happen here.

You know, here in Portland.  An earthquake zone, in a flood zone 
prone to ice storms, near a volcano, where (usually non-violent) 
civil unrest is fairly common, in a building where the fire alarm 
goes off about once every three months at which time I am the only 
person to evacuate the building.  I mean, what could POSSIBLY go 
wrong?

Of course, if you think where anyone else reading this lives has 
fewer risks, it’s only because that place likely has different 
risks—I don’t have to worry about hurricanes, for example.

Still not a scout by any stretch of the imagination,

Joseph

On Sun, May 15, 2011 at 01:49:46PM -0400, Patrick Gormley wrote:
>Joe I have taken cert training when I first moved up to Frostburg.  
>Up here in Allegany this training also coincided with basic fire 
>training.  While spending $250 for a kit is a new requirement that 
>didn't happen when I took the training, you might be able to be 
>reimbursed for some of those expenses. Ken Silberman actually heads a 
>cert team in Greenbelt and he's a blind guy. 73- pat kk3f  You should 
>do fine.  Most instructors are pretty creative in finding a way to 
>put you to good use.
>
>--------------------------------------------------
>From: <nfb-talk-request at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Sunday, May 15, 2011 1:00 PM
>To: <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>Subject: nfb-talk Digest, Vol 36, Issue 9
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>>Today's Topics:
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>>  1. Emergency response training (T. Joseph Carter)
>>
>>
>>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>Message: 1
>>Date: Sat, 14 May 2011 12:57:02 -0700
>>From: "T. Joseph Carter" <carter.tjoseph at gmail.com>
>>To: NFB Talk Mailing List <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>Subject: [nfb-talk] Emergency response training
>>Message-ID: <20110514195700.GN1016 at yumi.bluecherry.net>
>>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
>>
>>I have signed up to take Portland?s NET (Neighborhood Emergency Team)
>>training this fall.  It is Portland?s response to the national
>>county-based CERT program.
>>
>>Courses are divided up into eight weeks of training, the last of
>>which is a 4 hour final exam.  I know that the final exam includes
>>putting out fires, literally.  NET training is free (as is CERT), but
>>about halfway through the program you have to supply your own
>>responder kit, which is generally going to run between $50 and $200,
>>unless you happen to have certain items already on hand.
>>
>>Here?s an overview of the NET training:
>>
>>Session 1: Disaster Awareness?Earthquakes and Other Disasters; Home,
>>Neighborhood and Workplace Preparedness
>>
>>Session 2: Utility Control?Gas, Electric and Water; Fire
>>Extinguishers?Types and Uses; Hazardous Materials
>>
>>Session 3: Disaster Medicine (I); Treating Life-Threatening Injuries;
>>Medical Triage
>>
>>Session 4: Disaster Medicine (II); Treating Common Injuries; Setting
>>Up a Medical Treatment Area; Public Health Considerations
>>
>>Session 5: Light Search & Rescue (I); Visual Assessment of Damaged
>>Buildings; Search Techniques
>>
>>Session 6: Light Search & Rescue (II); Rescue Techniques; Patient
>>Transport
>>
>>Session 7: Disaster Psychology and Trauma Intervention; NET Team
>>Management; NETs in Action?Tabletop Exercise
>>
>>Session 8: NET Final Field Exercise (FFE), a four (4) hour hands-on
>>practical skill drill which could be morning or afternoon.
>>
>>
>>Has anyone here ever taken training like this?  Am I blazing trails
>>again?  Whether I am or not, I registered for this and the people who
>>are doing the training do not yet know that I am blind.  What sort of
>>objections am I likely to face, and how should I best address them?
>>I know I can learn to do whatever I need to do.  I cannot say that it
>>will be easy, but I am determined not to be the guy sitting around
>>waiting for someone to help me if something bad happens, if you know
>>what I mean.
>>
>>Since the above class titles are not that descriptive in and of
>>themselves of exactly what kind of things I would be expected to
>>handle, I?ll describe a typical NET responder kit as being safety
>>equipment (a reflective vest and hard hat, work gloves with leather
>>palms, knee pads, safety googles, and a particle filter mask),
>>flashlight, signal whistle, water/gas wrench, pry bar, utility cord,
>>duct tape, and a first aid kit.  We?re expected to know how to use,
>>but not carry a fire extinguisher.
>>
>>A "Deluxe" kit adds a Leatherman Kick multitool, ear plugs, a more
>>serious first aid kit, a roll of masking tape to go along with the
>>duct tape, several large plastic bags, a permanent marker, a lumber
>>crayon, water treatment tablets, glowsticks, rain poncho, solar
>>blanket, and 8 hour glowsticks.
>>
>>Construction site safety gear and tools aside, those who know me
>>fairly well can tell you that I?ve got most of what?s left on my
>>person wherever I go.  Boy scout motto and all of that.  Pfft, like I
>>was ever a scout!  *grin*
>>
>>Anyway, advice is welcome.  Comments about my tenuous grip on sanity
>>will be ignored as redundant information!
>>
>>Joseph
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>End of nfb-talk Digest, Vol 36, Issue 9
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