Students in the ECHO (Exploring Careers in Health Occupations) program at Kern Valley High School began SERT (Student Emergency Response Team) training in their Friday fourth period Health Technology class on Jan. 11.
Tom Klein, the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) coordinator for the Kern River Valley, got the idea several years ago when Tom Cormack, a teacher in the ECHO program, enrolled in the CERT training for disaster preparedness. When Klein heard Cormack talking proudly about his ECHO students, he knew immediately that these kids could be helpful in a disaster situation if properly trained.
 Kern Valley High school students participate in a SERT training course Friday. |
Klein said the ECHO students who graduate from the SERT training could also help in an emergency situation at the high school.
Vickie Stacy, the ECHO coordinator and teacher at Kern Valley High School, graduated from CERT training last year. She too saw the value of emergency response training to her ECHO students and the community at large. Stacy subsequently enrolled in the CERT instructor course, which she also graduated from last year. She then got together with Klein and Cormack to create the SERT course and bring it to the school board for approval.
Stacy applied for grants from Chevron in Bakersfield. ECHO received 1,000 dollars from Chevron to cover the costs of books in July 2006 and July 2007. SERT will provide all ECHO students who graduate from the SERT training with backpacks, manuals and emergency supplies such as goggles and gloves. Each graduating student will receive a SERT certificate.
The ECHO Academy was created nine years ago as an enrichment program by Bob Dreiling (former principal of KVHS) and Bob Knight (then CEO of Kern Valley Hospital). Their vision for the Academy was to help students who needed extra encouragement by giving them goals and hands-on training they wouldn’t normally get in their regular classes. The students enroll as sophomores and must take four ECHO classes per day, including Biology, Health Technology, Physical Education, Chemistry, U.S. History and English.
Cormack said the ECHO Academy is 'like a family' and the students are very 'close knit.' He said it’s like a school within a school, where the kids can bond and learn to work and grow together as a team. As seniors, each ECHO student must also enroll in college courses at Cerro Coso. They can choose between the Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA), Medical Terminology or EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) programs.
Some former ECHO students have even graduated from high school as Certified Nurse Assistants. One current ECHO student, Jerrie Olson, took CERT training and already graduated last year.
Every Friday, Tom Evan’s fourth period ECHO Health Technology class will now be devoted to SERT training. On Jan. 11, Ms. Stacy taught the introductory disaster preparedness lecture. Klein and his assistant, Dean Ott, a former fireman-paramedic and CERT instructor, will teach subsequent modules on fire suppression, medical aid, disaster operations, light search and rescue, team organization and terrorism.
Students in the SERT class will learn everything from how to put out a fire to splinting broken legs and triaging injuries. Klein says he has watched ECHO students participate in bus accident emergency drills at the high school for three years, and 'each year the kids get better. I’ll be really proud of every one who graduates from this class.'
The Kern Valley High School ECHO class SERT training may be the first of it’s kind in central California or Kern County. After 20 hours of SERT instruction, if the students pass their hands-on drills and written tests, they will graduate from the program in May.
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