Special Training Session at Vinal Tech High School

Our Hamden CERT Members would like to thank our teammate Jay Cruickshank and his son Dave for a great information session today during our visit to Vinal Tech High School in Middletown, CT on February 29, 2020. Department Head, Dave Cruickshank is the Lead Instructor of the Criminal Justice and Emergency Management Program offered at Vinal Tech. It was an honor for 14 of our team members to meet with many of Dave’s Students who presented an outstanding demonstration of their personal capabilities and the equipment that allows them to produce all the charts, graphs and any information needed to manage any major incident that may occur. They were not only great kids but they are outstanding students who again volunteered their time, (on their days off) to organize this outstanding presentation. This was just another example of the many hours that they have volunteered to make this program flourish in only 3 years of operation!

As you can see by the pictures displayed, their EOC/Classroom would be the desire of any municipality, state run facility or emergency management team! These high school students who were selected to participate in this program displayed dedication and teamwork that was beyond anyone’s imagination! After a full tour of the facility and equipment used, we were given an up to date handout and presentation of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Incident, that has drawn our attention over the last few weeks and could have an impact for us in the future. This is just one example of the many training sessions that our Hamden CERT Members participate in, on a regular basis to keep us well-informed of the latest incidents or concerns that could impact our local community. Thank you again to Jay and Dave Cruickshank for making this training session available and also for the lunch that they provided for us! This was another indispensable training that helped our CERT Members understand the possibilities we may encounter and the functions that may be required of us, for our community.