NEW PALTZ – A group of SUNY New Paltz students and faculty, instructed by local first responders, held the first SUNY New Paltz CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) team’s final test/exercise.
The all-volunteer team of 21 students and faculty spent the last seven Thursday’s, three hours per week, learning basic fire fighting, first aid, and search and rescue techniques. The class was created by the SUNY New Paltz Police and SUNY New Paltz Environmental Health and Safety.
With the recent Kenya College tragedy, it would seem appropriate that college students and staff ready themselves for any form of emergency, including terrorist threat. College Police Chief David Dugatkin believes that SUNY New Paltz and the U.S. are well equipped to deal with a situation involving an attack. He said FEMA, which provides the information for the curriculum, gives the participants a comprehensive, basic understanding on how to deal with a wide range of emergency situations.
“I think our country is very well prepared and in turn, FEMA has done a good job in passing it down,” said Dugatkin. “We have a team now on the campus, we won’t put them in harm’s way but, they’ll be there to assist and help and treat and triage the victims if anyone were ever injured in any type of event.” He added that the new CERT Team is a beneficial addition to those who already protect the Village of New Paltz.
Dugatkin, right, preps the team
“Victim” Megan Geher secured for transport
At the final test exercise Thursday evening at a private residence owned by the college on South Manheim Boulevard the students tested all the skills they had learned throughout their training in a mock disaster situation, setting up teams, observing threats, removing survivors, treating them and identifying fatalities, as they would in an actual emergency situation, until first responders arrived on scene.
One of the CERT graduates from this class, Daniel Esposito, a SUNY New Paltz student, said the CERT program was a fulfilling experience and one he felt helped him connect to the community. “I love it,” said Esposito. “It’s just a good way to get know new people.”
Being the success the program Dugatkin said the college will now be offering
it every year to those who want to participate.
