BayPort CU: CERT Training

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) - We talked with Shelley Winegrad from BayPort Credit Union about CERT, Community Emergency Response Teams and how you can get trained in disaster recovery.

BayPort Credit Union has strong ties to the communities that we serve. We decided that not only do BayPort employees want to serve in the community but also be able to aid co-workers and guests in our offices should there be a disastrous event. Therefore, we choose to partner with the Newport News CERT program. CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Team. We believed that by participating in this training program it will not only benefit the communities we serve, but also promote safety and security of our staff and members should a disastrous event occur during business hours.  

What is CERT?  
Cities and counties across the country are training the public in emergency response to form Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT). The goal of CERT is for emergency personnel to train members of neighborhoods, community organizations, or workplaces in basic emergency skills.  If an emergency event overwhelms or delays the City's first responders, CERT members can assist their neighbors by applying the basic response and organizational skills that they learned during training. These skills can help save and sustain lives until help arrives. CERT skills also apply to daily emergencies. CERT is important because --- Only 1% of the US workforce are First Responders (police, fire fighters, medics, etc)!

The training courses will be instructed by Newport News employees such as fire fighters, medics, etc.  The training covers the following areas:
·    Disaster Preparedness
·    Fire Suppression
·    Disaster Medical Operations I
·    Disaster Medical Operations II
·    Light Search & Rescue
·    Terrorism & CERT
·    Disaster Psychology
·    Final Exercise/Graduation

Get CERT Trained in your neighborhood
BayPort Credit Union had 13 employees volunteer to take a one-week training course with the Newport News CERT program in May of this year and we have another training course scheduled for BayPort staff next month.  We would love to invite anyone from the WAVY/FOX43 family to join BayPort's CERT training.  And we extend that invitation to other businesses, places of worship and higher education in the City of Newport News to also join us.

Do you have a desire to help others, do you want to learn how to respond to a catastrophe at work or home, do you want to keep your staff, customers, family and friends safe during a disaster?   Well here's how you can do it!  Anyone in Hampton Roads who is interested in volunteering for CERT can go to this website, select the jurisdiction they live in, and fill out the online form to get more information.

Stop by any of the 15 BayPort Credit Union locations across Hampton Roads including the new one on Holland Road in Virginia Beach.