The “Quake of ’08” didn’t damage buildings or the dam, but it did create training scenarios for Goffstown’s emergency volunteers.

The key group of volunteers, Goffstown Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), gathered on Saturday, Oct. 4, to conduct their annual training, this year called the “Quake of ’08.”

CERT teams are part of the Citizen Corps organization, which is coordinated nationally by the Department of Homeland Security and designed to assist local emergency efforts. Goffstown’s CERT is organized under the town’s Emergency Management structure, headed by the chief of police. Teams are made up trained volunteers from the community.

Goffstown’s team of more than 40 members came together to put into practice the skills in realistic scenarios that they have been taught in the classroom. This year’s drill was made up of sandbagging, shelter operation, building clearing, injury triage, and door-to-door notification drills. Teams of four to five members moved from station to station over the course of the morning, spending about 45 minutes at each.

“Our main purpose is to brush up on the skills we have been trained on in our CERT basic training class,” said CERT director Susan Jutras.

The goal of the sandbagging drill, set up at the Department Public Works yard, was to practice building a sandbag wall.

Mike Walton from the DPW led the session and offered his first hand flood-control experience gained in the recent floods in Goffstown. CERT members filled and secured sandbags and constructed a barrier.

The Congregational Church’s Stark Hall simulated a severely damaged building. Under the tutelage of Al Raymond, CERT team members learned how to check a building for occupants, how to remove injured people, and how to shut off gas and electric service. Amidst tumbled furniture, members searched for injured occupants and made decisions on how to extricate them.

CERT members also learned how to shut off the gas service for both propane and natural gas, and in the basement, they learned how to shut down a fuel oil tank and water.

A simulated electric entrance panel gave members a chance to actually pull new and old style breakers and fuses. This drill offered practical experience for a common task in emergency situations.

The lawn in front of the County Nursing Home, was the site of a simulated triage station. A steady stream of “victims” arrived, were evaluated, and were treated by the CERT team members as trainers looked on.

The patients were sorted by their needs and the extent of injuries. The volunteer victims did their best to create a chaotic and realistic scenario.

The garage in the back of police station was repeatedly turned into a temporary shelter as the five CERT teams each took a turn establishing and managing the facility. John Moore of the Red Cross and Lt. Robert Marcoux of the Goffstown Police Department supervised the training as members processed people into the facility and tended to their needs. Realism was created by the arrival of people with pets, confused people and people without their medications.

One of the common jobs assigned to CERT teams is going door-to-door notifying residents of emergency situations. Team members traveled through several neighborhoods evaluating homes for earthquake damage, encountering some unknown situations, and honing their skills. As recently as two weeks ago, the Goffstown CERT team was activated to notify residents of impending flooding from hurricane Ike.

“Goffstown has the best CERT team in the state,” said Marcoux.

Established in 2003, the team has grown steadily and is now approaching 50 members. The team trains and drills on a regular basis, following guidelines set out by Homeland Security.

CERT training is a 20-hour course provided locally several times at year at no cost. When Police Chief Patrick Sullivan, the head of Emergency Management for the town, needs support, he has a group of trained volunteers to call into action at a moments notice.

“Upon completion of the basic CERT training, members are encouraged to continue their involvement by participating in training activities such as this drill and volunteering for projects that support the community’s disaster preparedness efforts,” said Jutras. “I feel we accomplished this in the ‘Quake of ’08’ drill.”

If you are interested in getting involved with CERT, e-mail Jutras at goffstowncert@hotmail.com or call the Goffstown Public Library at 497-2102.

Training classes are scheduled for Oct. 25 and Nov. 8. More information about CERT is also available at http://goffstowncert.org.