CERT training comes full-force to Chelsea

Phyllis Gonzalez, president of the Elliott-Chelsea Houses Tenants Association, practices using a fire extinguisher to quell a blaze as firefighters look on during Tuesday’s CERT training course.

By Jefferson Siegel

In the weeks and months after Sept. 11, many New Yorkers looked toward the altered skyline Downtown and wondered what could they do to help if disaster struck again.

For the past several years, NY’s Office of Emergency Management has offered specialized training to those who want to be prepared when an emergency arises. The Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, teaches willing volunteers to aid, and in some cases to act, as first responders.

CERT training consists of an intensive 11-week course involving reviews of fire safety, search and rescue, and medical protocols. A new “semester” of training began in mid-February, and on Tuesday evening, the second session for Chelsea residents met in a fifth-floor classroom of the Chelsea Parks & Recreational Center on West 25th St.

“During emergencies, like when we had a brownout a couple of years ago, there are those of us who want to help a little bit more,” said Phyllis Gonzalez, who is the current president of the Elliott-Chelsea Houses Tenants Association and has lived in the neighborhood for 37 years. Recently she received a Community Service Award from the Hudson Guild. Gonzalez recalled how, during the blackout of 2003, “We had our doors open all night, we had candles, water. Since this program opened, I said, maybe there’s something else we can do.”

Gonzalez, who was once an outreach worker, paused to look around the classroom at other civic-minded friends and neighbors. “We just wanted to be there, if we could help anyway we can. We’re hoping this is one of the ways to do so,” she added.

Tuesday’s class focused on aspects of fire safety. John Eccleston, a CERT instructor and Firefighter from Ladder 79 in Staten Island, led the group through a thorough an examination of what causes fires, strategies for avoiding their ignition and how to best extinguish flare-ups.

“Smoke detectors, smoke detectors,” Eccleston repeated throughout the course of the evening. “I’d have a hundred in my house if I could,” he said, emphasizing how many lives have been saved by their use.

In reviewing a basic CERT doctrine of always working with a “buddy” during emergencies, Eccleston offered a bit of firefighter wisdom to the class. “Everything’s about what’s good for the group,” he said, and for a moment it was clear why firefighters address each other as “brother.”

Sitting near Gonzalez was her old friend Margaret (Peggy) Toole, who had her large loose-leaf binder containing the CERT course open to the fire-safety pages. “I’d like to learn some safety things in case anything happens,” said Toole, who has lived in Chelsea for 60 years. She became interested in disaster-preparedness training after reading a “Ready New York” brochure advising how to pack a “Go” bag of necessities.

“Safety things to have in the house in case you have to be in the house and can’t get out, in case there’s a blackout or any kind of emergency,” she explained.

The class opened with two videos, including a sobering short titled, “The High Rise Challenge.” Dispelling the notion that fires take a long time to start and a short time to extinguish, the film graphically demonstrated a typical apartment living room. Over the course of barely two-and-a-half minutes, a small flame on a couch spreads to engulf the entire room. After three minutes, the apartment is destroyed.

Tuesday’s class of 21 attendees learned several logical, but often unfamiliar, basics of firefighting tactics. In the event of a fire, “close the door,” Eccleston said as those words were projected on a screen in block letters. Closing doors, he explained, cuts off the flow of oxygen, potential fuel for a fire. Other slides in his Powerpoint presentation advised against too many plugs in one outlet, and talked about keeping a fire extinguisher at hand, how best to summon help, and how candles should never be used for any reason, in any situation. And, of course, “Install smoke detectors,” Eccleston repeated.

Throughout the class, a lively back-and-forth of questions and answers kept attention levels high. Several participants asked about the different classes of fire extinguishers and where to buy them. They learned that, because so many household items are made of plastics, fires are more deadly today than in the past. “Plastics are hydrocarbons — fuel,” Eccleston explained.

Dorothy Nash of W. 23rd St. works in the OEM mapping unit. Asked what motivated her to enroll in CERT training, she replied, “It’s my neighborhood. I think being much more confident in emergency and crisis situations is important,” she explained.

After 90 minutes of classroom discourse, it was time for a hands-on “practical exam.” The group gathered in a roped-off area in front of the Recreational Center on W. 25th St. where firefighters ignited a small blaze in a protected enclosure. Two by two, students gripped a fire extinguisher and practiced the “PASS” maneuver they had just been taught; pull, aim, squeeze and sweep. Each student successfully extinguished a fire in a matter of seconds.

“Just this small experience with the fire extinguisher is an eye-opener,” Nash said after putting out a mini-inferno. “I never thought I’d have the confidence to just move in and do it,” she explained, “and it went out fast. That’s a relief.”

“They’ve all signed up for the right reasons,” Firefighter Eccleston said. “You have people from all different backgrounds, but they’re all looking to do the right thing for their community.” Lauding their fire-fighting capabilities, Eccleston was asked what he’d do if called to a fire in Chelsea and found his CERT students had already beaten down the flames.

“I’d try to get them a medal,” he laughed.

Council Speaker Christin Quinn, whose district encompasses Chelsea, is an enthusiastic supporter of CERT’s objectives.

“If our city was ever faced with another major disaster, we would want New Yorkers to have the skills they need to remain safe and secure,” Quinn said in an e-mail to Chelsea Now. “The CERT program is providing that kind of necessary training, instructing average New Yorkers in everything from fire safety to disaster medical operations.

I’m glad that Chelsea residents are being provided with the tools to assist themselves and their neighbors in an emergency situation.”

Another attentive student, Harry Bohrer, 83, has lived on W. 24th St. for 40 years. “I’m an old auxuliary policeman,” said Bohrer, a past president and current treasurer of the Penn South Senior Center Advisory Board. “My age retired me, and this is something I can still do,” he added. “If an emergency did happen, I can work with people.”

Gonzalez was asked what she hoped to gain from CERT training. “I hope it’s just a little bit more knowledge, just another way to help our community out. We have a great community here, and people do like to work together, so if they see you put a foot up, they’ll put a foot up. The next thing you know, we’re just all helping each other out.”

The model for CERT was created in 1985 by the Los Angeles Fire Department. After the Whittier, Calif., earthquake of 1987, when communities were isolated and by necessity became self-sufficient, the Federal Emergency Management Agency took note of the concept and promugated it nationwide.

In November 2003, NYC OEM received federal funding to provide CERT training to New Yorkers. OEM eventually hopes to establish at least one active CERT team in each of the city’s 59 community boards. The training, under the auspices of the FDNY, also uses trained instructors from the Police Department and the Red Cross.

Training is free, but participants must make a commitment to attend the 11-week training program. Participants must also remain active members of the CERT team following their graduation. Anyone who wants to enroll in CERT training must be at least 18 years old and will undergo a criminal background check.

For more information about the CERT Program, call 718-422-8935.