OUR FIRST DRILL

On Saturday, May 9, our team reported to Town Center to test themselves in a hurricane emergency.

Following coffee the team was advised that they would soon be notified by a "neighbor" that there was an accident on the Lake Trail involving a golf cart. There were two victims. Phone service was out of commission, so there was no call to 9-11.

Our Incident Commander sent out Search and Rescue members to locate the victims, and clear the area of dangers. Safety was on everyone's mind.

It was quickly determined that the driver of a golf cart lost control of the vehicle due to a heart attack. The second victim fell breaking a leg and sustaining a severe chest wound.

The team comforted the victims, allowed heart patient to take his own medicine, and put the second victim's leg in a splint. The chest wound was also addressed quickly and efficiently.

The next step was to wait for the professionals. Exercise concluded. Good job everyone.

A REASON TO BE CONCERNED

On May 8Th residents observed some dark clouds to the rear of Verona Walk. It was soon learned that the smoke was from another brush fire.

This one got fairly close to us. Several neighbors were able to observe the water being dropped by the fire helicopter on the blaze, and then refill in the water bag in our waterways.

Here are a few pictures taken from inside Verona Walk of the fire and the response.

THIS MONTH'S MEETING DATE

Members of the VeronaWalk C.E.R.T. Team be advised that the next monthly meeting will be on May 21, 2009

The meeting will be at Town Center at 7:00 P.M.

This meeting is an open meeting and members of our community are encouraged to attend and learn more about our program.

CAPTAIN'S MESSAGE - DRILL MAY 9th

On May 9th CERT Team Members will meet in the Tuscany Room at Town Center at 8:00 AM for a drill briefing.

Bring your CERT equipment, hard sole shoes, water and sun screen.

This session will last 2 - 2.5 hours.

Please make every effort to attend our first drill.

VERONA WALK HELPS TALL OAKS, AND ALSO GRADUATES NEW TEAM MEMBERS

On Friday April 17, 2009 "The Tall Oaks Development" held a final test drill for its' first C.E.R.T. Team. Several residents of Verona Walk were also in this training class and graduated too (with honors). They will now become full fledged members of our team.

The "drill" ran roughly from 9:45 A.M to 11:00 AM. It was followed by a debriefing session.

Initially "victims" were placed in a large field with various injuries. The field had many obstacles for the CERT Team to overcome in order to provide help to the injured. These obstacles included broken pipe, debris, fire, and a truck having a live electrical wire on it making the rescue more difficult.

The team moved into the area in an organized fashion. Victims were quickly tagged identifying the nature of their injuries. Medical teams arrived and treated those victims still "alive." Those that could walk were guided to a safe area to await professional help.

East Naples Fire Fighters arrived on the scene and were quickly briefed as to the situation and nature of injuries. They moved in and quickly resolved all issues at the scene.

The Fire Fighters participated in the debriefing at the Tall Oaks Club House, and were genuinely pleased with the effort put forth by the graduating class. Certificates were presented along with ID Cards for the graduates. The morning concluded with handshakes, smiles, pizza, and a few picture.

MEDICAL AND TRIAGE CLASS

At the April 16Th monthly meeting, members of the VeronaWalk Cert Team participated in an advanced class focusing on medical and triage functions.

Frank Banner was the guest lecturer. Frank is extremely knowledgeable, but more important he has shown himself to be a true friend. He has often been to Town Center to provide training for our team.

We had a good meeting. Questions were asked and answered. Members not only learned more techniques for use in the field, but grew stronger as a true team. This is certainly beneficial for our community.

CERT TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT

The VeronaWalk CERT teams next meeting will be held on April 16, 2009 at 7:00 P.M. in our Town Center. All team members, and those interested in joining the team are urged to attend. The topic to be reviewed will be TRIAGE. We also have much information to announce prior to hurricane season. We look forward to seeing you there.