By Lisa Chamoff
Staff Writer
September 17, 2007
WESTPORT - After April's nor'easter flooded streets and homes and downed trees and electrical wires, dozens of volunteers in Westport directed traffic away from danger.
The volunteers were part of Westport's Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, a growing group trained in everything from first aid to terrorism.
The group supplements the work of emergency workers, who often travel to Westport from other areas.
"In a major emergency . . . professional emergency services overload immediately," said Mark Modzelewski, CERT president. "People who are living here can essentially hit the ground running and do some sort of disaster control fairly quickly."
The group begins its latest emergency preparedness class today. It runs through Oct. 16, and volunteers get at least 20 hours of basic training in first aid, CPR, traffic control, hazardous materials, search and rescue, and disaster psychology.
The first training class was launched in 2003, said Westport resident Bill Green, the first president. The group was started by members of Westport EMS and became part of the Westport Police Department.
Ernest Heidelberg, a past president and business consultant, said volunteers were called out three times during the April nor'easter. They also participated in a mass vaccination drill and help control traffic during big events, such as the July Fourth fireworks.
Volunteers get vests and helmets, and carry first aid kits in their cars.
The group gets less than $5,000 from the police department, Modzelewski said, but "there's a lot of effort on the part of people where we can find ways to get things at minimal cost."
Real estate developer Tom Genetti was a member of the second training class. Genetti, a father of four, said he got involved because he was out of the country and away from his family during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
"It really struck a chord, as it did with everyone who was remotely close to it," Genetti said. "When I saw the opportunity to learn more and be more prepared, it was the perfect opportunity for me."
Statewide, 2,300 residents have been trained to be CERT volunteers, said Wayne Sandford, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, which oversees the program. Usually more than 500 people are awaiting training because the number of teachers is limited. A much-needed "train the trainer" course was held Saturday in Hartford, he said.
Communities such as Westport tend to use their volunteers more regularly, Sandford said.
"Other communities develop a CERT team and basically put them on hold and don't use them all that much," he said.
Westport First Selectman Gordon Joseloff, who has worked as an EMT and volunteer firefighter, said the town has been on the forefront of emergency preparedness, ordering biological suits for emergency workers after the terrorist attacks and potassium iodide pills to protect residents in case of an incident at the Indian Point nuclear plant in New York.
"These are people who have taken the time to undergo training," Joseloff said of the CERT volunteers. "I urge the police department and fire department to take advantage of them."
In April, Genetti and others from the Westport CERT were among 400 volunteers who participated in a drill in Norwalk that simulated the response to a bomb exploding aboard a Metro-North train.
Genetti said it was interesting to see how first responders work, and he has learned enough to be a resource for the community.
"I'm the most knowledgeable guy in the neighborhood," Genetti said.
Copyright © 2007, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.