100 Students in Hawaii Participate in Teen CERT Training

In October 2023, students from across Hawaii participated in Teen CERT training. The Teen CERT program trains students in emergency preparedness and basic response. The training ensures they have the skills needed to protect themselves and assist others in the event of an emergency.

According to Maui Now, more than 100 students from 14 schools participated in the training at Baldwin High School in Wailuku on Maui during the students’ fall break. The American Red Cross of Hawaii, the University of Hawaii Maui County Cooperative Extension and the U.S. Navy led the training.

The workforce development nonprofit ClimbHI organized the training with support from the Hawaii Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund, Cornell Hotel Society and more than a dozen other partners. The goal was to connect student leaders from high schools across the state as they work to enhance the safety of their communities. To create a balanced training, the event incorporated Hawaiian cultural principles, including the importance of balancing kanaka (people), kai/ʻāina (land/ocean), and ʻuhane (spirit).

Students learned critical emergency response skills like hands-only CPR and first aid, how to put out small fires, conduct light search and rescue, set up medical treatment areas and assist emergency responders.

Students who completed the training earned certificates from ClimbHI, the American Red Cross of Hawaii and University of Hawai’i Maui County Cooperative Extension. “Not only is this program connecting students from schools throughout the state as they receive critical emergency response training, but it also provides them with transferrable, in-demand skills and certifications as they transition into the workforce,” said ClimbHI President Julie Morikawa. “These students are stepping up to become prepared leaders who can immediately help their communities.”

The Teen CERT program teaches participants how to organize volunteers, help during evacuations, assist survivors, assess damages, provide shelter support and assist with crowd control. Teen CERTs also help in their schools by participating in disaster drills and exercises, presenting fire safety education, assisting in preparedness outreach, providing peer mentoring and addressing school safety issues.

For more, visit climbhi.org.

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