County Seeks Civilian Help In Disasters

Program Trains Residents For Emergency Response

When Hurricane Isabel tore through Loudoun County in 2003, it wasn't just sheriff's deputies and firefighters who put together a response plan.

County officials called on a trained corps of citizens to work at emergency shelters and help in the county's emergency operations center. The civilians were graduates of the Community Emergency Response Team training course, a program established in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to enlist ordinary people to help their neighbors during emergencies.

Loudoun has so far offered three sessions of the course and is enrolling participants for a fourth. The program involves 28 hours of training over six evenings and one Saturday in June and July. The session begins June 1.

"When any type of large-scale emergency happens, people always want to help, in whatever way possible," said Kevin Johnson, the county's emergency management coordinator. "This way, when the emergency occurs, they're able to respond quicker. They've already been trained and credentialed."

Communities across Northern Virginia, as well as in the District, have set up the program using federal funds designated to give citizens an outlet for volunteerism after 9/11, Johnson said.

Ultimately, he said, the county would like to have enough people take the training course to establish teams in communities across the county. Already, several Lucketts residents have formed a team there and are able to respond to local disasters as a group.

Participants learn basic first aid, simple search and rescue strategies and how to shut off utilities and examine buildings to see whether they are stable. They also practice using fire extinguishers and learn about "disaster psychology" -- how to recognize signs of emotional distress in those involved in emergencies. The course concludes with a full-scale disaster simulation in which participants practice triage on mock victims.

Johnson said participants have come from all walks of life and have ranged in age from recent high school graduates to retirees.

The classes take place at the Fire and Rescue Training Academy at 16600 Courage Ct. in Leesburg. To register, call the Loudoun County Office of Emergency Management at 703-777-0333.