CERT skills, like many types of training, will be forgotten over time if the skills are not periodically refreshed. That's why CANDO holds meetings and sends out e-letters throughout the school year, and , why we blog on the CAN website. It's also why we pass along to our CERT mailing list requests for CERT volunteers to help with the Prevention Convention, public agency trainings, the Eugene Celebration, and other events where we can practice leadership in a crowd situation.
 
Another good way to refresh your CERT training is to volunteer as a staff member for the CERT training class. I did this for the most recent CERT training, the one that's going on right now. Last night was Unit 3, Triage, and I not only refreshed my own knowledge of the subject, I learned a few new things as well.
 
The idea of triage, French for "to sort," is that you have many more victims than rescuers, so, to provide the greatest good for the greatest number, you have to sort through the victims looking for those who need the most immediate help (a life-threatening injury). While doing that, you identify the priority of the other victims' injuries as either delayed (injured but not life threatening), minor (hurt, maybe shaken up, but otherwise okay), and dead (not breathing, unable to get breathing, no sign of life).
 
Each victim should take no longer than 30 seconds to evaluate because you are only looking for three things in your evaluation: 1) Are they breathing? if not can you get them breathing with a head-tilt-chin-lift to clear their airway. 2) Are they bleeding? If so, slow the bleeding with pressure and elevation. 3) Are they in shock? If so, cover them with something and raise their feet above their hearts. Based on your evaluation, prioritize each victim for further medical attention and move on.
 
Watching the new CERT class during the hands-on triage exercise last night,  I noted several things that can improve our CANDO triage skills.
 
1) Remember to introduce yourself and ask if you can help. Victims are usually disoriented and may not understand why you are approaching them.
 
2) Talk slowly and calmly. This is part of disaster psychology. You're in charge. Act like it. If you remain calm and self-assured, the person you are trying to help will respond.
 
3) As much as possible, get down on their level, eye to eye. If a person is sitting on the ground, kneel and talk to them directly. Don't tower over them like you're training a puppy.
 
4) Don't avoid anyone. I noted last night that walking wounded who were wandering around shouting were seldom approached by CERT students and found from the other instructors that this was often the case. Engage the walkinig wounded and get them clear of the immediate disaster site so they are safe and not in the way.
 
5) Another don't: don't get too chatty as you triage. Especially if there are multiple victims and few CERTs, time is precious. Use it wisely. People are thankful they are being helped and want to chat, you may be nervous and want to chat. But evaluate and move on.
 
6) During your evaluations use your eyes, your ears, your hands, and your common sense. If someone is talking, they're breathing. You don't need to check that further. If you don't see blood on a person, although they may be bleeding internally, you don't need to check further. If they know their name and can squeeze your hand, you don't need to check mentation further. Move on.
 
The 30-second triage should be your goal. If you know how to do a 30-second triage, you can do it slower if you have the opportunity. How fast you triage depends on how many victims and rescuers there are. If you are driving in the country and encounter an accident, you can triage a single car accident slower than a loaded school bus.
 
Remember, being a staff member at a CERT training is a good way to refresh your skills. The classes are running now through mid-October, Mondays and Wednesdays. Get involved, volunteer!