At the monthly meeting held on Thursday, November 19, 2009, the Woodbridge Community Emergency Response Team graduated six team members as Certified First Responders. 

These six team members gave up forty hours of their personal time to learn such things as the human body; how to lift and move patients; airway management; patient assessment; Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), with and without the Automated External Defibrillator (AED); and how to deal with medical emergencies, such as bleeding, shock, soft-tissue injuries, childbirth, and care for infants and children.

This training goes well beyond the normal advanced first-aid training the rest of the team received during their initial training.  In the event of an emergency in the township, these six members would be responsible for overseeing three other team members each while tending to sick or injured township residents.

Matthew Aube of Fords, father and son William and Michael Johnson, husband and wife Charles “Skip” and Charlotte “Sherry” Landt, all of Colonia, and Madeline Vasquez of Iselin were selected to attend this training which started on September 3^rd.  Each week they attended a four hour training session at Community Safety Consultants, 1 Safety Place, Metuchen, NJ 08840.

The training consisted of classroom lectures, videos, and extensive “hands-on” training.  The team members learned how to take vital signs on each other and simulator manikins located at Community Safety Consultants.  Each member had to demonstrate their skills at not only taking vital signs, but how to bandage wounds, splint various body parts, how to administer medical grade oxygen – using various methods, and how to obtain pertinent information from a patient.

Their instructor, Joe Formola, one of the two Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) on the team believes that their training helps to enhance the team’s value to the township.  He also hopes that additional team members will have the opportunity to attend the same training in the near future

All members of the team extend a very special thank you to Mr. John Ferguson for taking time out of his extremely busy schedule to  attend our graduation ceremony and to address the meeting attendees.

(To view a larger version of any of the following pictures, move your cursor over the desired picture and press the left mouse button)

From left to right: Lowell Aube - OEM/CERT Coordinator, John Ferguson - Middlesex County CERT Coordinator Matthew Aube, Joseph Formola, EMT-B - Senior Instructor	From left to right: Lowell Aube - OEM/CERT Coordinator, John Ferguson - Middlesex County CERT Coordinator Michael Johnson, Joseph Formola, EMT-B - Senior Instructor	From left to right: Lowell Aube - OEM/CERT Coordinator, John Ferguson - Middlesex County CERT Coordinator William Johnson, Joseph Formola, EMT-B - Senior Instructor
Charles "Skip" Landt (Due to a scheduling conflict, Skip could not attend the graduation ceremonies)	From left to right: Lowell Aube - OEM/CERT Coordinator, John Ferguson - Middlesex County CERT Coordinator Charlotte "Sherry" Landt, Joseph Formola - EMT-B  - Senior Instructor	From left to right: Lowell Aube - OEM/CERT Coordinator, John Ferguson - Middlesex County CERT Coordinator Madeline Vasquez, Joseph Formola, EMT-B  - Senior Instructor

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