Students aged 12-17 have the opportunity to learn the basics of how to respond to various emergencies during a three-day Teen Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training.

The CERT Trainings sessions are hosted on Tortola and Virgin Gorda as part of a special programme being offered under a partnership between the Ministry of Education Culture, Youth Affairs, Fisheries & Agriculture and the Department of Disaster Management (DDM), funded by UNICEF.

Participants will gain skills to empower them to respond to various hazards that may take place in their communities. Participants can expect training in a wide range of topics including first aid/triage, disaster psychology, emergency communications, fire suppression, and basic search and rescue. Students who complete the training will also earn hours toward their community service requirement.

The Tortola training session runs from July 2 to 4 and will be held at the DDM office located at Simms Mini Mall. Virgin Gorda’s session runs from July 8 to 10 at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in The Valley.

For more information or to register, please contact the department at 468-4200 or bviddm@surfbvi.com.

NOTE:

Photo Caption: Students practice moving an injured person during a 2018 Teen CERT training session at DDM. (Photo credit: DDM)