00:00In an emergency, first responders may be delayed and most don't know what they should do or how to react safely to preserve life until help arrives.
00:11It's a gap instructors of the Community Emergency Response Team or CERT hope to reduce by training as many people as they can.
00:20On Thursday, three batches of trainees completed the free course, facilitated through regional corporations and NGOs and participated in a disaster simulation exercise.
00:32They were able to actually initiate action to rescue victims here today and to take them to the medical area to take out fires because they were trained in fire suppression.
00:44They were trained in search and rescue. By doing this, it would reduce the burden on the medical system in Trinidad and Tobago because basic things, we will be able to deal with it, deal with the breathing issue, the bleeding issue.
00:58And if we have shock, which is a big issue, we will be able to manage it until the medical personnel get on site and fire service.
01:08One instructor says there are incidents where people try to assist but cause more damage to an individual simply by moving them the wrong way based on their particular injury.
01:21People know they want to help. That's the humanity in us. But if they don't know how to help, right, it can cause further damage.
01:30So what we are focusing on, we are focusing on teaching, having a CERC training in every home in Trinidad and Tobago.
01:38But if something happens, if your child is choking, you know the right thing to do.
01:42If somebody is stabbed and there is blood loss, you know the right thing to do.
01:45You know how to keep someone breathing until first responders come.
01:49They are also trained in flood mitigation and response techniques so that in the event their communities are under threat, they know how to respond.
01:58One trainee told TV6 News she learned a lot and encouraged others to do the same.
02:06Every member in society should be able to be a respondent, be aware of what is required of them during any sort of emergency response, any sort of disaster.
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