Community Emergency Response Team Volunteers Needed in Chapin

The Lexington County Community Emergency Response Team is looking for a few good men and women who would be willing to serve as volunteers in a very important role – helping your neighbors in the event of an emergency.

According to Bill Rawlings who is an assistant leader for the North region which includes Chapin, we don’t have enough trained volunteers who can assist first responders when accidents and emergencies happen. Whether it’s assisting a motorist on the side of the road or helping a neighbor who has a fallen tree blocking a driveway as the result of a storm, members of the Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, can provide valuable support and comfort to those in need.

A retired engineer from Westinghouse, Rawlings said he knew that he wanted to give back to his community and CERT was a great fit for him. He has attended various training sessions over the past six years where he’s learned everything from the basics of CPR to fire protection, lifting techniques, triage, emergency preparedness, communication during a disaster, evacuation strategies and much more. And now he’s trying to recruit more people in the Chapin community to get involved.

“We only have a few folks in our area that are prepared to help and if a major disaster hit, having people close by to assist our police, sheriff, fire and EMS workers can have an immediate impact on how quickly we can care for people and provide needed assistance,” Bill told me during a recent visit. “If we have to wait on first responders from outside of Lexington to arrive, we may not have as fast a response as we’d like to have.” That’s a good incentive to consider! 

He says they are starting a four-week training session in April and the sessions are two nights a week for three hours, 6 to 9 p.m. Each week will focus on a different area, such as the basics of emergency response, and upon completion, the volunteers receive certification and a trauma kit, which is basically a backpack of supplies and a first aid kit.

Who would make a good CERT member you may ask? Bill says there really are no constraints on who would make a good volunteer except you must be at least 18 years old. “You can be involved in a variety of tasks or focus on one area if you feel more comfortable with that.” He says that all applicants go through a thorough screening process and background check, and CERT is part of a large national organization supported by FEMA and Homeland Security.

Once you go through training, you’ll be able to attend a monthly meeting, usually the second Monday of the month at 7 p.m., and they meet in Lexington at the EMS complex on Ballpark Road. They typically discuss events that are coming up such as local festivals and other community events. They also receive information and training about programs that support prevention and preparedness.

Bill says one project they have been supporting is the free distribution of smoke detectors to Lexington residents. They even have special models with flashing lights for people that are hearing impaired. He says since they started this program, the number of people who have died in their homes as a result of fires has drastically been reduced.

So if you are looking for a way to support the Chapin community and have time to help others in need, please contact Bill at 803-920-0414 or 803-345-3044 or email him at brawlings001@sc.rr.com.