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Getting the CNMI’s youth ready to respond
Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services Firefighter III Patrick George conducts a “cribbing” simulation activity with members of NMC’s My Preparedness Initiative. The members are being timed and challenged to see how fast they can remove a victim from under the structure. (NMC)
Since 2019, the Northern Marianas College-Cooperative Research, Extension, and Education Services’ My Preparedness Initiative, or MyPI, in partnership with Homeland Security Emergency Management, Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, Public School System, and the Division of Youth Services, has been fostering emergency preparedness, community resilience, and youth leadership through proactive outreach.
MyPI Northern Mariana Islands is a component of the National Youth Preparedness Initiative, or MyPI National, a partnership of 27 states and two U.S. territories, delivering an innovative and engaging curriculum for teenagers. The MyPI program has won three national awards since its inception.
The initiative is a flexible and engaging five- to 10-week program that offers a Community Emergency Response Team curriculum foundation, CPR/AED certification, disaster simulations, and allows participants to do a comprehensive family and community service project, or Prep+6.
The Prep+6 project has its participants help their household and six additional households develop emergency supply kits and emergency communication plans. This component allows for significant enhancement in individual, family, and community preparedness and resilience.
In addition, the 13-18-year-olds who enter into the MyPI program will complete the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency certified CERT training and learn about Disaster Preparedness, Fire Safety and Utility Control, Disaster Medical Operations, Light Search and Rescue, the CERT Organization, Disaster Psychology, Terrorism and CERT, Hazard related Annexes, Earthquakes, Excessive Heat, Fire, Floods, Hurricanes and Coastal Storms, Landslides and Mudflows, Nuclear Power Plant Emergencies, Pandemic Influenza, Severe Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, Tsunamis, Volcanoes, and Winterstorms.
For more information about the MyPI program, contact MyPI NMI program manager Tayna Belyeu-Camacho, at tayna.belyeu-camacho@marianas.edu or 237-6841. Interested individuals can also visit https://mypinorthernmarianaislands.org/ or follow them on Facebook (@MyPICNMI). (NMC)
