by Mike Sharkey and
Kent Jennings Brockwell
Staff Writers
Some of Downtown Vision Inc.’s Ambassadors will graduate Saturday with a certification that will make them even more valuable to downtown residents and workers.
For the past several months, eight of DVI’s 12 Ambassadors have been attending a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training program.
Though the Ambassadors will receive their CERT certification at their graduation Saturday, they don’t expect to hear any rendition of “Pomp and Circumstance.” As part of their certification, the Ambassadors will have to successfully complete a five-hour disaster drill being staged by the Jacksonville Fire & Rescue Department.
The training began in April and each Ambassador participated on a voluntary basis.
“They went through the training while they were already scheduled and on the clock. It was not mandatory. They could go to the training or work their normal schedules,” said Lyn Briggs, director of marketing for DVI.
The Ambassadors who went through the CERT program are Jimmy Johnson, Nathan Brooken, Al Dailey, Bill Dambrosio, Liz Knight, Jason McKnight, Mike O’Brien and Tiffeny Russell.
All but one Ambassador already has certification in CPR and first aid and the CERT training will give them the ability to better respond to a variety of situations that could happen in the area. Briggs said none of the certifications are required for the job.
“We would like for everyone to be certified in CPR, but it’s not a requirement. Everyone in the office is CPR certified as well,” Briggs said.
During the eight-week program, which was taught at the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Training Academy, the Ambassadors learned how to respond to the following potential incidents: light search and rescue, what to do in the event of a terrorist attack, fire safety and how to plan for an emergency. The Ambassadors attended classes on either Tuesday nights or Saturday mornings.
Now having almost completed the training, Ambassador Tiffeny Russell said she is glad to have received the training and has already used some of the techniques she learned over the past weeks.
“It is a good thing for the Ambassadors because the training helped to broaden us and we can better assist the downtown area,” Russell said. “We learned
a lot from it and a lot of things
that we can use in our own communities.”
Saturday’s disaster drill also will include the American Red Cross, Amateur Radio Emergency Services, JFRD Explorer Post, Volunteer Firefighter Reserves, Jacksonville Emergency Medical Auxiliary and JFRD Training Academy staff.
Briggs said when DVI was founded in 2001 the Ambassador program had about six members. Today, it has grown to 12 Ambassadors who patrol the streets of downtown from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m., seven days a week on foot and on bike. All of them are equipped with two-way radios, first aid kits and a phone that connects them directly to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
“With our current budget, that is all we can handle. We are happy with having 12 Ambassadors,” Briggs said.