Teens set sights on public safety, disaster preparation

If a natural or man-made disaster ever hits Porterville, plenty of Teen Sert graduates will be available to help the community.

The teens have been trained in everything from basic first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation to disaster preparedness, program coordinator Clyde Tillery said.

The after-school program, now in its fourth year locally, is a nationwide program that helps students pursue a career in public safety and gain the required skills necessary to help during a disaster at home and at school.

The program targets 11th and 12th grade students who are taught in disaster preparedness, radio communications, fire safety, incident command system, hazardous materials, disaster medical operations, medical triage, water safety and dive operations, moulage, disaster psychology, terrorism, mine and shaft awareness, and light search and rescue building collapse.

Other skills learned during the 110-hour course are criminal codes, handcuffing procedures, investigative techniques, and interview and interrogation skills.

“This gets them exposed to the public safety world and helps them understand what public safety is and what its all about. And it teaches them skills,” Tillery said. “It is intended for them to go back and share this information with family, neighbors and employers. It benefits everyone.”

The program came into existence after Tillery returned from working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Florida after five hurricanes devastated the area in 2004.

“While I was there I saw that they had a lot of Sert teams,” Tillery said. “I thought it would be a good idea to come back and create such a program.”

Teen Sert, and Cert, Community Emergency Response Team, are nationally recognized programs. However, no team existed in the Central Valley. Tillery approached the Optimist Club and the Porterville Unified School District for their support.

“Gary Ingraham [PUSD director of curriculum] heard about it and decided to adopt it for the school district,” Tillery said.

Since its inception, 47 students have completed the one-semester course.

“I was interested in the program and needed the credits,” recent graduate Jeremy Cazares said. “I learned a lot.”

Cazares, who will attend Porterville College in the fall, said he would like to be a correctional officer.

“I recommend this for anyone who is interested in public safety,” Melissa Lentzner said. “It’s a great opportunity for schools, too. If something were ever to happen on a campus, these students can help with whatever needs to be done.”

Teen Sert is funded solely by donations. Tillery and fireman reserve Randy Cline teach the fire modules and Don Lanning, former police officer and PUSD high school instructor, teaches the law enforcement module.

The program will be offered from 4 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at Granite Hills High School. All students will receive five certifications for completing the course. Students from Citrus, Granite Hills, Porterville and Monache high schools interested in joining Teen Sert can contact their high school counselors once school starts, or call Tillery at 784-1226.

-- Contact Esther Avila at 784-5000, Ext. 1047 or eavila@portervillerecorder.com.