22 Upper School students to become certified in disaster preparedness called FEMA Teen CERT

 

 

 

This year, Admiral Farragut Academy’s Naval Science instructors enhanced the Operational Risk Management portion of Farragut’s curriculum. Through a partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), 22 students in Naval Science II and III are being trained to become FEMA Teen Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) certified.

“What’s so special about this program is that students will learn skills to help themselves, families, and their communities should disaster strike,” said Senior Naval Science Instructor LCDR Thelma Cabantac. “There is nothing better than providing instruction to students on concepts they will take with them long after they leave Farragut.”

Students have already completed an independent online course called “FEMA 317: Introduction to CERT” and over the course of the school year they will continue to complete the next six modules: CERT Basics, Fire Safety, Hazardous Material and Terrorist Incidents, Disaster Medical Operations, Search and Rescue, and the Course Summary. The FEMA Teen CERT typically takes about 20-30 hours of instruction. Our participating students will also receive community service hours towards their required 80 hours to graduate.

To be officially designated as a Teen CERT, our students will collaborate with the Seminole and/or Gulfport CERT organization to ensure they meet FEMA requirements.

To allow professional responders to focus their effort on more complex tasks, those with their FEMA CERT perform basic response activities including:

• Checking in on their neighbors following an incident to make sure they are okay
• Distributing information to the public
• Supporting emergency operation centers
• Helping to manage traffic and crowd
• Organizing, promoting, and participating in emergency preparedness events, activities, and projects in their communities

“As a group of kids going through CERT, we are able to make an impact on our community and the people within it,” said Aidan Roland ‘21 who is also the cadet Safety Officer on the regiment at Farragut.

Over Halloween weekend, the Admiral Farragut Academy FEMA Teen CERT students volunteered for the Kiwanis Breakfast Club of Seminole, Florida. They helped build their “Field of Honor” that honors past and present veterans with a spectacular patriotic display of 425 American flags. The flags will be displayed the entire month of November in front of Seminole City Hall. It was the first Seminole CERT and AFA Teen CERT collaboration.