CERT Class of 2026 graduates (Photo by Jan Lyell)

Congratulations, CERT Class of 2026!

Twenty-seven island volunteers recently graduated from the basic training course for the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). The students worked diligently over evenings and weekends for seven weeks, covering such topics as disaster preparedness, fire safety and suppression, disaster medicine and psychology, and search and rescue techniques. Like nearly everything CERT does, the course was a team effort: numerous experienced CERT members helped teach trainees. Graduates received hardhats, vests, and Storm(™) whistles. The CERT team is known as the ‘Swiss army knife’ of Vashon’s preparedness coalition, because they master a wide variety of disaster response skills. Thanks to all the trainers, and congratulations to the new graduates!

Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) Save Lives

Thanks to Vashon Island Fire and Rescue (VIFR), our island receives excellent emergency response to sudden cardiac arrests, matching the overall King County 911 response. King County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has proven that, with bystander Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), early shock with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) support, patient survival rates can be boosted from a tragic 10% to a more hopeful 46%. But access to public AEDs in our community is uneven, especially outside of business hours, at the south end of Vashon, and among Maury Island neighborhoods. That’s why the Public AEDs Task Force (comprised of representatives from VIFR, Sam Yates Community Foundation, and Vashon Medical Reserve Corps) aims to get all private AEDs on the island registered, so they can know where the gaps are, and work on filling those gaps with more publicly accessible AEDs.

If you own an AED, please consider registering it in support of the island’s Task Force program. You can register your device with 1. the PulsePoint AED app (download the app from pulsepoint.org/pulsepoint-aed), and/or 2. King County (kingcounty.gov/aed/registration). The locations of private AEDs registered with PulsePoint will be known to PulsePoint subscribers and VIFR emergency responders.

If you don’t want to register your personal AED, the Task Force would still like to hear from you. Email them at info@vashonbeprepared.org  solely for island public AED planning purposes. Your information will not be shared publicly or with PulsePoint.  AED owners are welcome to reach out with questions and to receive AED support. The Public AEDs Task Force also encourages AED owners and their families to take a CPR/AED class every year, because protocols change based on the latest research findings.

Success in The Chain of Survival from cardiac arrest follows this proven sequence:

1. Recognize the emergency and call 911
2. Start CPR
3. Get an AED and use it as soon as possible
4. Paramedics and hospital staff provide Advanced Life Support
5. Recovery and rehabilitation

This map illustrates the distribution of 36 island AEDs registered with the PulsePoint AED app as of April 15, 2026. (Screenshot from the PulsePoint AED app)

Stayin’ Alive: Upcoming CPR/AED Classes

Vashon Island Fire & Rescue (VIFR) continues to offer free classes in CardioPulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and use of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). The next class is on May 7th from 6pm to 8pm. Practice CPR on a dummy, and find out just how easy it is to use an AED. You’ll also learn how and when to administer naloxone (also known as Narcan). Reserve your spot at vifr.org/cpr-classes.

Thank You, Vashon Volunteers!

National Volunteer Week is April 19 through 25. Be sure to thank your favorite Vashon volunteers! We’re giving a special shout-out to VashonBePrepared volunteers, including the new CERT graduates. Volunteers invest many hours to learn and practice the skills needed to respond to a disaster or other adverse event on Vashon. You make our community more resilient – thank you! Learn more about volunteering with these groups at vashonbeprepared.org/help-out.