The sound of alarms and cries for help fills the smoky air. Men and women in neon gear arrive on the scene and immediately witness chaos: to their right, a school bus full of passengers needing medical attention, to their left, citizens trapped under tables in the dark.
Trainees from the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program put their learned skills to the test during the volunteer-supported earthquake scenario at the DuPage County Fairgrounds on Sept. 25.
CERT offers classes to citizens to learn basic safety and survival skills for unfortunate situations such as fires, natural disasters, and emergencies.
“Specific for our CERT, we are sponsored by Milton Township. We do have intergovernmental agreements with other townships, so we can deploy when asked anywhere in DuPage County for missing person [searches], blocking off traffic, and then if there was a real disaster, we would respond – which we have,” Illinois CERT trainer Dee Lehrman said.
To evaluate what they have trained for, members are tasked with responding to a simulated scenario with live actors at the end of their course, where they are expected to rescue and save victims. This knowledge can then be applied to real-world disasters, whether that be helping themselves, their family, or even the community as backup responders.
“We’ve trained over 1600 people who have taken that knowledge back into their individual communities, and even if they don’t come out when we get called out, [like] when there are storms, it should take away the fear or at least give them confidence that in their own home stuations they have an idea what to do,” former EMT and CERT Team member Dean Lapcewich said.
Before CERT students arrived, local volunteers serving as actors on the scene, including members of the West Chicago Community High School National Honor Society, reviewed safety measures, prepared, and got into character.
“The advantage that [actors] have for us is that [they] get to function as a survivor and add some realism to what we’re doing. [They] also get a chance to see how we, as volunteers, have been trained to a certain level. This is a practical evaluation practice for them to see what’s going on, so it’s kind of a two-fold,” Lapcewich said.
Participants selected from various cards describing the symptoms and injuries of a survivor, and had special effects makeup applied by other CERT members to replicate possible injuries caused by a real earthquake. A replicated car accident surrounded by smoke and fire and a building full of patients under fallen furniture added to the details of a natural disaster.
“I was one of the victims who had lost a hand, and they made it look really realistic – I got to hold a prop, which was really fun. The whole experience was very unique, and I can see why they have members train for natural disasters and emergency events; it makes the community more prepared and aware,” WeGo senior Ale Munoz said.
The CERT team traveled from College of Dupage to the fairgrounds, where they were met with the disaster at hand. Experienced CERT leaders and local law enforcement watched and assessed as pairs of two spread out to begin helping the actors. Some actors had minor injuries, such as bruising, while others pretended to float in and out of consciousness and were not able to walk or respond. The team worked together to transfer everyone to a first aid tent, where other students took over for medical care.
“[CERT is] an opportunity to give back, to help people. We activate by virtue of our family and neighbors, and then you go to where we need to go in the community,” Lapcewich said.
