July 22, 2026

Meeting minutes were not taking, CERT ran an exercise / drill instead of a formal meeting.

On July 22, CERT volunteers participated in a Search and Rescue exercise off site. Volunteers worked through the different stages of what it takes to work as a team on a search and recover mission. 11 volunteers were deployed to find a lost hiker that had been missing for two days in torrential rainstorms.  Participants worked in a command center while others participated in the ground search in very rough difficult terrain. Sole goal was to successfully recover the missing hiker.  Team was unable to rely on cell phones, radios, and drone assistance due to the lack of cell service. This is very common in a lot of these types of situations in the area. These unexpected circumstances made it even more difficult for the team. Because CERT volunteer’s train for the unexpected they were prepared and new how to maneuver around it.  The missing hiker was found in approximately one and a half hours later, located two and half miles from where he was last scene.  The recovery stage included administering first aid to the victim with very bad shoulder and arm wounds. His removal consisted of carrying him back out and back to the command center to EMS for further treatment and transport to the hospital.

This was just one of the many different types of search and rescue exercises the CERT team has participated in and it was a huge success!