CERT Club organizes safety fair to spread awareness on emergency practices
University of California Police Department officer Paul Wells demonstrates how to deliver a dose of Narcan, a nasal spray used to treat opioid overdose. Wells was one of several at the CERT safety fair, held Thursday on Bruin Walk.(Tanmay Shankar/Assistant Photo editor)
By Kari Lau
Feb. 7, 2020 12:39 a.m.
A student-led initiative hosted a safety fair Thursday at Bruin Plaza to educate the UCLA community on how to respond to emergencies.
The Community Emergency Response Team Safety Fair was organized by the CERT Club, a student organization partnered with the UCLA American Red Cross Club and UCLA’s Office of Emergency Management. CERT teaches students how to handle disasters in their communities.
This is the first year that the safety fair was organized by students, said Jennifer Zhu, president of CERT.
CERT partnered with the Westside Impact Project, UCLA Emergency Medical Services and an officer from UCPD to host a variety of activities for people to learn about emergency response and safety.
UCPD officer Paul Wells demonstrated how to deliver Narcan, a nasal spray of the drug Naloxone used to treat opioid overdose. He used two Narcan doses donated by the Westside Impact Project, a UCLA partner.
Justin Carreon, a second-year microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics student who attended the presentation, said he is aware opioid overdoses are becoming more common from reading the news. In the U.S., more than 130 people die after an opioid overdose every day, according to National Institute on Drug Abuse.
“If I can help save a life, then that’s worth everything in the world,” Carreon said.
CERT also hosted a making station for paracord bracelets, which have a number of uses in survival situations. They can be used as shoelaces, a substitute fishing line, a tourniquet and more, said Jennifer Narvaez, vice president of CERT.
“We decided to do paracord bracelets because it’s (an) interactive way to engage with the student body, but it’s also a tool that can be used in case of an emergency,” Narvaez said.
UCLA EMS had a table for teaching people how to do hands-only CPR and get EMS on the scene.
Some attendees said they were happy to learn how to address an emergency in which someone is in need of CPR.
“(They) can teach them valuable life skills such as CPR,” Carreon said. “I feel like it’s a good use of public money.”
UCPD canine handler Larry Johnson and Belgian Shepherd K9 officer Blake were also at the fair to answer questions about safety and UCPD.
“Just to get people to realize that there is more to the police department than just us here to arrest people, that we’re actually here to provide a public service to the community,” Johnson said.
Visitors said they liked the opportunities presented at the fair and hoped more people would come to take advantage of the resources.
Like a lot of events on Bruin Plaza, the fair was more lowkey, said Helena Bonilla Uribe, a fourth-year sociology student and attendee.
“I wish (the fair) kind of had something a little bigger to demonstrate what is going on because I think it is something so important,” Uribe said. “Having the ability to not only educate myself, but then using those tools and resources to educate other people makes a world of difference.”
