Community Emergency Response Team
Crofton CERT Team Members
Bill Thielen - Group Leader
Chris Morales - A-Team Leader
Pete Cradock - B-Team Leader
Janice Armstrong
Terry Cook
Reta Fleming
Linda Grace
Marie Hooper
Judy Keys
Greg Owen
Jennifer Pool
Kay Putty
Brandon Seats
Lee Seats
Lynn Seats
Bud Sims
Ann Thompson
Jerry Thompson
Peter Wood
Bill Thielen - Group Leader
Chris Morales - A-Team Leader
Pete Cradock - B-Team Leader
Janice Armstrong
Terry Cook
Reta Fleming
Linda Grace
Marie Hooper
Judy Keys
Greg Owen
Jennifer Pool
Kay Putty
Brandon Seats
Lee Seats
Lynn Seats
Bud Sims
Ann Thompson
Jerry Thompson
Peter Wood
The Crofton CERT Team's Role In Our Community
Time after time when disaster strikes it is the people in the community that are the First Responders. When the System gets overwhelmed and the First Responders are spread too thin (Fire Dept. EMS, Rescue Squad and police) it has been the neighbors that come out to help in emergencies. CERT trains you in how to handle disaster situations and the people in your community.
CERT Training teaches you after a disaster, put yourself and family first. Make sure your family is safe and secure before you deploy.
After you are sure your family is safe you go to your teams rally or meeting place. Along the way you access the neighborhood and report it as you arrive. The Group leader will then determine immediate needs and deploy the teams to those areas to help the victims of the disaster.
We have real threats of disaster here in the Christian County Crofton area. We could be affected by Tornadoes, ice storms, straight line winds and earth quakes to name a few. The Crofton CERT Team is trained in how to handle and address these situations as they happen. You can have a little bit of comfort in knowing our community has one more resource that will come out and help you in a time of need.
Time after time when disaster strikes it is the people in the community that are the First Responders. When the System gets overwhelmed and the First Responders are spread too thin (Fire Dept. EMS, Rescue Squad and police) it has been the neighbors that come out to help in emergencies. CERT trains you in how to handle disaster situations and the people in your community.
CERT Training teaches you after a disaster, put yourself and family first. Make sure your family is safe and secure before you deploy.
After you are sure your family is safe you go to your teams rally or meeting place. Along the way you access the neighborhood and report it as you arrive. The Group leader will then determine immediate needs and deploy the teams to those areas to help the victims of the disaster.
We have real threats of disaster here in the Christian County Crofton area. We could be affected by Tornadoes, ice storms, straight line winds and earth quakes to name a few. The Crofton CERT Team is trained in how to handle and address these situations as they happen. You can have a little bit of comfort in knowing our community has one more resource that will come out and help you in a time of need.
Crofton CERT Team Training
On January 6th and 7th, Crofton Residents came together to participate in CERT Training at Crofton Baptist Church.
We had 21 people come for Training 20 Crofton Residents and 1 Non Resident who was completing her training for another CERT Team in Christian County.
Pennyrile Regional Citizen Corps Council -PRCCC provided the training. Frank Brown (PRCCC Regional Operations Officer) and Dan Nicholson (PRCCC Chairman) had been working with Bill Thielen and Pete Craddock to have an initial Basic Training.
Training included in the Two day event was.
* Introduction to CERT
* Disaster Preparedness
* Fire Safety
* Disaster Medical Operations pt.1
* Disaster Medical Operations pt.2
* Light Search and Rescue
* Terrorism and CERT
* Disaster Psychology
* Documentation
Participants had to do a Hand’s on demonstration of what they learned in three areas.
* Fire Safety, Student had to demonstrate knowledge of a Fire extinguisher, how to approach and put out a fire and retreat from fire zone. Live Fire exercises were done with each student having to demonstrate approaching a real fire, putting it out and retreating.
* Light Search and Rescue, Student had to demonstrate how to extract a victim trapped under a wall. Proper procedure for an Extracting an injured victim, Use verbal commands to direct the team and how to lift and use cribbing for fallen structures to extract victims. Proper ways to transport victims with different types of items Blankets, chairs ect. This was totally hands on, PRCCC used a Life size and weight dummy to place under wall and each student had to demonstrate each method learned.
* Medical Operations. Students had to demonstrate knowledge on how to asses a victim, how to bandage wounds, recognize and treat victims in shock. How to control bleeding and how to do a Head to Toe initial assessment. This was all hands on with each student having to demonstrate their knowledge in each area.
PRCCC Instructors were Dan Nicholson, Frank Brown, Tom Beeker, James (JD) Smith and Bill Hoover. They were very knowledgeable and professional people.
On the second day of Training Rep.Myron Dossett made an unscheduled visit to the group to show his support. Rep. Dossett said he was excited about the training and how many had signed up to participate in it. He also said he would support us in any way he could. Dan Nicholson said the Rep.Dossett is a Big Supporter of the CERT Teams.
All participants had completed CERT training and were Given Certificates of Training.
All of the Participants wanted to enroll in and actively participate in what is now called Crofton CERT Team, CERT Team III.
PRCCC at the end of training gave each participant a Personal CERT backpack that had a Hard Hat, goggles, leather gloves, CERT vest, Glow stick and a Rescue tool that had several different functions and they also received a CERT T-shirt and CERT patch. They also got to keep their Basic Training Manual. PRCCC had also presented the New CERT Team with a Ready Box. This is a Large Travel Box that attaches to a Trucks Reese Hitch. It had several items in it that the Team could use during a Call out or Deployment. PRCCC Spared no expense when it came to making sure the Crofton CERT Team was prepared and ready for a deployment.
Dan Nicholson and Frank Brown made recommendations to the Group for Leadership Structure. Each person was recommended on their experience, training and commitment.
They recommended Bill Thielen as Group leader, Chris Morales and Pete Craddock as Team Leaders. The group agreed and that is now the Leadership structure of the team.
The Crofton CERT Team is part of CERT Team III. CERT Team III is made up of trained teams in North Christian County. CERT Team III includes Kelly, Crofton and soon to be established Lacey CERT Team.
Bill Thielen has started a Private Facebook page for the group and has also started an informational email that includes training opportunities and anything that may need to be discussed to the group. Anyone can sign up for this e-letter for information purposes by contacting Bill at
requesting to be added to the e-letter.
Bill Thielen said that The Crofton Team will have continuing education training and exercises to keep the Team ready to respond as the need arises. If you are interested in getting CERT Training or joining a CERT Team you can contact Bill Thielen at
or Frank Brown at
You can also contact PRCCC for any questions you may have at
Click here for their website or Click here for their Facebook page
On January 6th and 7th, Crofton Residents came together to participate in CERT Training at Crofton Baptist Church.
We had 21 people come for Training 20 Crofton Residents and 1 Non Resident who was completing her training for another CERT Team in Christian County.
Pennyrile Regional Citizen Corps Council -PRCCC provided the training. Frank Brown (PRCCC Regional Operations Officer) and Dan Nicholson (PRCCC Chairman) had been working with Bill Thielen and Pete Craddock to have an initial Basic Training.
Training included in the Two day event was.
* Introduction to CERT
* Disaster Preparedness
* Fire Safety
* Disaster Medical Operations pt.1
* Disaster Medical Operations pt.2
* Light Search and Rescue
* Terrorism and CERT
* Disaster Psychology
* Documentation
Participants had to do a Hand’s on demonstration of what they learned in three areas.
* Fire Safety, Student had to demonstrate knowledge of a Fire extinguisher, how to approach and put out a fire and retreat from fire zone. Live Fire exercises were done with each student having to demonstrate approaching a real fire, putting it out and retreating.
* Light Search and Rescue, Student had to demonstrate how to extract a victim trapped under a wall. Proper procedure for an Extracting an injured victim, Use verbal commands to direct the team and how to lift and use cribbing for fallen structures to extract victims. Proper ways to transport victims with different types of items Blankets, chairs ect. This was totally hands on, PRCCC used a Life size and weight dummy to place under wall and each student had to demonstrate each method learned.
* Medical Operations. Students had to demonstrate knowledge on how to asses a victim, how to bandage wounds, recognize and treat victims in shock. How to control bleeding and how to do a Head to Toe initial assessment. This was all hands on with each student having to demonstrate their knowledge in each area.
PRCCC Instructors were Dan Nicholson, Frank Brown, Tom Beeker, James (JD) Smith and Bill Hoover. They were very knowledgeable and professional people.
On the second day of Training Rep.Myron Dossett made an unscheduled visit to the group to show his support. Rep. Dossett said he was excited about the training and how many had signed up to participate in it. He also said he would support us in any way he could. Dan Nicholson said the Rep.Dossett is a Big Supporter of the CERT Teams.
All participants had completed CERT training and were Given Certificates of Training.
All of the Participants wanted to enroll in and actively participate in what is now called Crofton CERT Team, CERT Team III.
PRCCC at the end of training gave each participant a Personal CERT backpack that had a Hard Hat, goggles, leather gloves, CERT vest, Glow stick and a Rescue tool that had several different functions and they also received a CERT T-shirt and CERT patch. They also got to keep their Basic Training Manual. PRCCC had also presented the New CERT Team with a Ready Box. This is a Large Travel Box that attaches to a Trucks Reese Hitch. It had several items in it that the Team could use during a Call out or Deployment. PRCCC Spared no expense when it came to making sure the Crofton CERT Team was prepared and ready for a deployment.
Dan Nicholson and Frank Brown made recommendations to the Group for Leadership Structure. Each person was recommended on their experience, training and commitment.
They recommended Bill Thielen as Group leader, Chris Morales and Pete Craddock as Team Leaders. The group agreed and that is now the Leadership structure of the team.
The Crofton CERT Team is part of CERT Team III. CERT Team III is made up of trained teams in North Christian County. CERT Team III includes Kelly, Crofton and soon to be established Lacey CERT Team.
Bill Thielen has started a Private Facebook page for the group and has also started an informational email that includes training opportunities and anything that may need to be discussed to the group. Anyone can sign up for this e-letter for information purposes by contacting Bill at
requesting to be added to the e-letter.
Bill Thielen said that The Crofton Team will have continuing education training and exercises to keep the Team ready to respond as the need arises. If you are interested in getting CERT Training or joining a CERT Team you can contact Bill Thielen at
or Frank Brown at
You can also contact PRCCC for any questions you may have at
Click here for their website or Click here for their Facebook page
