I woke up nervous. I couldn’t shake it. My weeks of CERT classes back in April were going to be put to the test. What if I did everything wrong.
But I put on my jeans and sneakers, grabbed my backpack and headed out to DeKalb Fire/Rescue HQ. I soon saw people I knew from Pine Lake, CERT classes, Red Cross and Decatur Police/Fire CAPS. As we were told that we would be evaluated, my anxiety spiked again.
Then the drill began. And I froze. But only for a few moments. But then, at last, I could jump into action. I found teams to work with and we worked together to resuce over a dozen people. It was in no way easy, and I definitely didn’t do everything right. But it was a relief to finally get to try to put the learning into action and then discuss what parts of the training came easily and which parts I need to review and practice again.
Of course, I hope to never have to use these skills. But if I do, I want to be as ready as I can be…
