CERT Photos
Here are photos of my activities as a member of the Louisville METRO Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).
These photos were taken at our training session at the Middletown (KY) Fire Dept. Training center on August 16, 2008.
Jefferson Co. KY ARES Emergency Coordinator John Hesse K4JWH walks toward the cribbing trailer.
Other members of Jefferson Co. ARES join him.
Our instructer Kevin Combs KI4JSY tells us to load cribbing into the truck bed. Kevin works for the DHS Federal Protective Service, is a member of the Louisville METRO HAZMAT team and a certified EMT.In the past he's been a soldier, Kentucky state trooper and volunteer firefighter.
Forming the line.
John starts passing blocks of cribbing down the line.
Here we are loading the truck while Kevin checks the placement of the load. I'm the one giving the thumbs up.
Still loading the truck.
And loading the truck some more.
Here's the fire tower at the training center.
A fire pit with propane tank, gas meter and oil drums.Behind that is a wrecked car used for extracation training.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it: use cribbing and leverage to lift this 3400 lb block of solid unforgiving concrete 1 foot. Good luck, this photo will self destruct in 5,4,3,2...
Kevin giving us instructions.
OK team, get to work!
Ready, LIFT! I'm about to place wedge cribbing under the block.
Wedges going in. WATCH OUT, WIDE LOAD!
This is box cribbing, this configuration can hold 10,000 lbs.
Cribbing going in on the other side.
We went from wedge to 2x4 to 4x4 cribbing going up in size with each lift.
The part under the lever is called the fulcrum,it increased in height after each crib was laid which allowed us to increase the cribbing height with each lift.Here the fulcrum is a set of 4x4s with a 2x4 on top.
Now it is 2 sets of 4x4s.
WE DID IT!!!
Ah, John?
These next photos were taken on Augest 30, 2008 also at the MFD training center. This was the last day of the class.
Here we are doing live fire training. In the turnouts is SGT. Ron Maddux from the Middletown Fire Dept.
SGT. Maddux setting the fire.
OK, listen up 'cause I'm not going to tell ya twice.
Man, I hope these guys don't burn themselfs. That'd look really bad for me.
John goes first.
Remember kids, P.A.S.S.: Pull, Aim, Squeeze and Sweep.
SGT. Maddux was serving as our safety officer to make sure we don't get ourselfs hurt.
Should've brought some franks.
MY TURN!!!
Me 1, fire ZERO. WHO'S THE MAN !
You've gotta get in there close.
Who's next?
Here's the last part of the class, the disaster simulation. We split into teams and did different types of jobs. I was on the fire supression team. then after all fire supression work was done my team relieved the first aid station team.
It was hard, hot (temps were above 90 at the time) and the equipment was heavy but we did it and afterword our instructor called us into the trailer and said: From what I've seen in the simulation, you all have learned and demonstrated the skills needed to graduate this class and be Community Emergency Response Team members.Congratulations.
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