LAWRENCE COUNTY Emergency readiness is team goal

Training is scheduled at eight Lawrence County locations.
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Emergency preparedness training by the Community Emergency Response Team will begin Tuesday at the Shenango Township Fire Hall.
Lawrence County District Attorney Matthew Mangino said the training is open to the public. It's designed to help members recognize potential terrorism and other criminal threats and to be prepared in the event of terrorist attack or natural disaster.
Sharyn Critchlow, Lawrence County Emergency Management Agency director, said Jeff Parish, Paul Lynn, Tina Marshall and Dave Congini make up the Community Emergency Response Team, and they represent a cross-section of county fire departments, emergency medical services and the Lawrence County Emergency Operations (911) Center.
Critchlow chose the four to attend state training sessions, where they learned to teach the community emergency response sessions.
Mature participants, please
The local emergency response training is open to citizens of Lawrence County.
Critchlow said that though the state does not place any age restrictions on the participants, she would prefer that participants be teen-agers and adults.
She said participants should be mature enough to handle some of the sensitive issues of the training, such as how to deal with the reactions of someone who has just witnessed the death of a loved one.
Basic safety issues
Basic first-aid techniques such as how to control bleeding, or other skills such as how to use a fire extinguisher are part of the training.
Critchlow emphasized that none of the training sessions provides enough information in any one area for participants to receive certification in firefighting, first aid, CPR or other EMS areas.
The training is sponsored by Lawrence County commissioners, the district attorney and the emergency management agency.