Sunday, May 21 members of all the Oxford County CERT teams gathered for an Advanced Search and Rescue training at Bog Brook Training Center in Gilead

After an hour and a half of class room instruction, the group split into two teams and began the hands on portion of the training

Our County EMA Director is standing in front of the County IMAT vehicle which is a new resource in Oxford County but has already been put to good use helping out in the rash of fires this spring

Team members get on their vests and shoulder their packs

Team leaders get oriented and gather their teams

Team 1 sets off to search the woods and field

Team 2 heads off to search the buildings off an adjacent road

After Team 2 has split up into smaller groups within their team to tackle a larger area, Diane and Vance enter one of the first buildings

Marty, Dan and Brian enter the second building

Team 2 uses uniform markings to let others know the facility is being searched

Building searches continue

Bo leads Team 2 on their building search

George, a firefighter, EMT, and Search and Rescue team member volunteered his time on Sunday to help with the instruction and exercise

Team 2 members gather to discuss progress

CERT search and rescue markings are used to alert other teams that the facility has already been checked

A sneaker is found in the grass by Jim and Tracy and reported back to Incident Command

Team 1 continues to scour the woods

The first search and rescue victim has been located though a window and Diane heads inside for a closer look

Team 2 members read the details of the victim pinned to her clothes

Carol and Pam move in to follow medical operations procedures by checking her airway and looking for a breath

Unfortunately the team is too late to save this victim

Team 2 regroups to return to Incident Command

In the meantime, Team 1 has found their victim, and have requested a backboard

Alison covers the victim with a jacket to keep him from going into shock

According to the second victims note, he has no feeling in his legs

Team 2 comes across the field with the requested backboard

Because of their CERT training the team has the skills to transfer the victim to the backboard

The team members strap the victim down and prepare him for transport

Bob, Greg, Dale and Aaron transport the rescued victim out of the woods and into the field

Team 2 leaves the woods having completed the rescue

Ken is the leader for Team 1

Vance, Pam and Carol return from the building search

Back at Incident Command the Team leaders give a brief synopsis of the events leading up to finding their respective victims

Sydney, Dan and Marty listen as the exercise is reviewed

Team leaders point out the strengths and weaknesses of the mornings exercise

Brad and Bo listen as Scott comments on the exercise

Oxford County EMA Director, Scott Parker closes out the exercise

For more information about the County's CERT program please contact our office