What's in Your Kit? Part 2: In Case of Emergency
Fun fact about me: Blood makes me queasy. Not in the sense that a papercut will trigger my gag reflex, but incessantly talking about blood loss will make me lightheaded. So, when one of the instructors for our little group at the Shawnee County CERT Awareness Course Jan. 27-28 kept talking about bleeding out and how to stop it, I had to excuse myself and go outside for a few minutes. Proof that I'm now aware of CERT. Courses for CERT, or Community Emergency Response Team, cover everything from search and rescue basics, situational awareness, and of course some emergency life-saving techniques. CERT is made up of volunteers, with teams designated based on the county someone lives in. With my sister Melinda now a Topeka resident and me being a former one, attending the Shawnee County course made sense. The instructors our class of five had were quite knowledgeable on emergency preparedness and response -- so much so, I literally couldn't bear it. One time in 7th grade, I passed o...