Do You Come to Church? YOU NEED ERT TRAINING

Would you know what to do if:
- It appears that someone is having a heart attack?
- At mochitsuki, a participant appears to be choking?
- Someone reports smoke in the kitchen?
- Water is leaking out from underneath the sink in the restroom?

Encouraged by Mark Teagle’s “call to action” in service where he called on all of us to attend the training so we can help ourselves and others at church, On Oct. 26, 32 people participated in the annual Emergency Response Team (ERT) training held on October 26.  Jeffrey Oldham, our facilitator, split us in small groups to discuss these and other scenarios. They practiced responding to an electrical fire, finding a lost parent, a large water leak, and a grease fire.  Each scenario required many people to help, e.g., phoning 911, evacuating the kitchen, and searching for the parent.  You already have the most important skill: the willingness to step forward to help when needed.

If any small groups would like to have training, please contact BOT member Tomoko Tanaka at (tish3667@gmail.com).  Even if you’re not interested in being a member of the Emergency Response Team (ERT), all church attendees should know the basics of what to do in an emergency.   Pre-service announcement slides will cover small segments of this training in the next few months as well so please take the time to view the slides.

Attendees were given information on various emergency situations and being informed in knowing where the church’s equipment is located such as the AEDs, bullhorns, fire suppressant tanks, and first aid kits.

Jeffrey Oldham of Japantown Prepared, led this ERT workshop on what to do when an emergency situation arises on our church site. The group that met form the church’s Emergency Response Team and were given badges and whistles.

Here a small group composed of, from left: Virginia Bailey, Carol Perry-Mar, Tomoko Tanaka (also of Japantown Prepared) and Brian Hamilton, were given a “situation” and discussed what should be done…like, assessing the situation, calling 911, and most importantly knowing the address of the Garden parking lot.