Ready when disaster calls

SNOHOMISH – Judy Himmelhaver’s neighbors say if the Big One hits, they’re heading to her house.

Himmelhaver, 47, has a three-day supply of food, a fire extinguisher and training to help in an emergency. She’s one of about 1,500 volunteers in Snohomish County prepared to respond if disaster strikes.

“If something happens, we’re headed to your home,” Himmelhaver said.

Michael V. Martina / The Herald

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Esther Walla, vice principal at Northshore Christian Academy, practices with a fire extinguisher during a volunteer disaster training drill Feb. 8. Karen Smith (right) assists Walla during the drill.

The county has the most emergency-ready volunteers in the state and one of the highest numbers in the country, said Chris Colmore, county Department of Emergency Management’s program and training coordinator.

Volunteers receive eight weeks of free Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, training, a community program created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Classes teach how to respond to everything from fires to earthquakes. Businesses, schools, churches and neighborhood groups have received CERT training.

Firefighters and police say volunteers will be a key source of aid during a large-scale disaster. Neighborhoods may be on their own for up to three days then, Colmore said.

The disaster training prepares volunteers “to provide immediate care for themselves and the community,” she said. “That frees up rescuers to focus on the areas they’re needed most.”

Himmelhaver and some other CERT volunteers will go door-to-door in their neighborhoods and give disaster reports to firefighters and police.

She also volunteers at the county’s emergency operations center when rivers flood. She urged more people to get the training.

“I didn’t realize there were so many disasters in our community,” she said. “When you talk to people whose lives are affected, you get a whole new understanding.”

Nicholette Sigler and her son, Alexander, 12, of Marysville are taking the CERT class at Northshore Christian Church in Everett.

“If something happens, we wanted to be able to help, not just sit there and watch the TV wondering what we could do,” she said.

They teamed up to practice using a fire extinguisher, dousing a small pan of flames as CERT trainer Nathan Trauernicht of the Marysville Fire Department watched.

“It was pretty exciting,” Alexander said. “I’m glad I learned how to do it.”

Northshore Christian principal Holly Leach brought her daughter, husband and some of the school’s teachers to the class.

“You never know what hazards you’re going to encounter or how you’ll be called to help,” she said. “This is a wonderful opportunity to help my family and the school prepare.”

Valley View Middle School teacher Tom Ryan agreed. He’s taught CERT classes to about 200 students in the past four years.

The training has already helped some former students, he said. One used a fire extinguisher when a firework landed in her back yard.

“It leaves students more aware of what they can do to help their neighbors, their family or the school district during a true emergency,” Ryan said.

Reporter Katherine Schiffner: 425-339-3436 or schiffner@heraldnet.com.

Learn how to help

To find a Community Emergency Response Team class, check the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management’s Web site, www.snodem.org, or call 425-

423-8074.

The training is free, but students must bring their own hard hats, reflective vests and other protective gear. They’re also required to assemble a three-day home disaster kit.

For more information about preparing your home for an emergency, go to www.ready.gov.