Trainings & Deployments From: LCMS Disaster Response & Training

The Kansas District will provide Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT) Basic Chainsaw training on Saturday, September, 19 2026. The chainsaw training serves to increase our dedicated LERT volunteer’s capabilities to help those who haven’t the means or skills to perform this dangerous work following a disaster. The district wants to equip LERT members with the ability to provide this service safely and efficiently.

You must have previously completed the LERT basic training class to participate in this class.

Location: 603 N. 8th Street, Atchison, KS, Classroom, fieldwork and lunch will all be onsite on the Church Campus.

During the training, you will learn the following:  

Safe operation of a chainsaw Personal protective equipment (PPE) Injury prevention How to buck and limb fallen trees How to clear debris in a safe and beneficial manner *Those at the age of 15 - 17 may attend the classroom portion and become a dragger but will not be able to become a puller or chainsaw operator until they have reached the age of 18 and complete the operations portion of the class.

The morning session is classroom lecture on chainsaw safety. All LERT qualified volunteers are invited to attend.

The afternoon session is operations hands-on with a saw. The morning session must be attended to participate.

Please indicate if your intent is to train as a chainsaw operator/puller (safety and operations portion of the class) or only as a dragger (safety portion of class).

To be authorized to use a chainsaw on LERT disaster responses as an LCMS LERT Chainsaw Operator, you must attend BOTH the safety (morning) and operations & fieldwork (afternoon) sessions.

Afternoon hands-on participants should bring, if they have:

Chainsaw, bar oil, gas-oil or synthetic fuel mix Chaps and other Personal Protective Equipment (helmet, eye protection, gloves, steel-toed boots)Participants must wear steel-toed work boots or equivalent. (Tennis shoes or sandals/flip-flops are not allowed in the afternoon session). Outdoor work clothes and boots appropriate for the weather at the time. Shorts not allowed. Some chainsaws and PPE will be available for training if you do not have your own, but are limited.  Those under the age of 18 will not be allowed to operate a chainsaw or act as a "puller" during operations.  Fieldwork will be conducted on-site.

Training Costs: 

Morning and Afternoon (LERT qualified Chainsaw Operator) - $40.  Class will begin at 8:30 so please plan to arrive by 8am. Morning Classroom Only (Dragger only)-$20. Please make checks payable to Trinity Lutheran Church and mail your registration fee to: Trinity Lutheran Church 603 N. 8th St. Atchison, KS 66002 Be sure to include "LERT Chainsaw September 19" in the check's memo line. To register to attend: go to lcms-lert.org before August 29, 2026. Your LERT Chainsaw Trainer will distribute all materials needed for the class.

Snacks, drinks, and lunch will be provided.

Please contact Jason Burgess, (580) 658-0994, Brian Mead, (859)576-1892 or DDRC Donna Williams (316)641-0332 ksddrc@gmail.com for further information if needed.

The North and South Wisconsin Districts will provide LERT BASIC Chainsaw training on Sunday, September 20th and Monday, September 21st (with possibly Monday 21st in the afternoon IF NEEDED for a 3rd section of hands-on training).

A meal will be provided on Sunday evening beginning at 5:00 pm at the start of the classroom portion of LERT BASIC CHAINSAW TRAINING and will last till approximately 8:00 pm. 

Monday will be hands-on training.  Location will be shared during classroom training on Sunday evening.  "In the woods" Training will run from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 am Monday. (A possible afternoon section (12:30 pm-3:30 pm). *If the class size warrants it, a Monday section will be created for those living closest to the worksite from 12:30-3:30 pm to accommodate the possibility of a larger class.*   

Bottled water will be furnished at the worksite on Monday. Participants are encouraged to bring their own Gatorade or Powerade, if they would like.

Lunch is on your own for Monday's sessions.

The chainsaw training will be for both experienced and novice sawyers. The districts want to equip LERT members with the ability to provide this service safely and efficiently, and to become qualified for LERT deployment. 

The Sunday evening session will be held at 

St. John Lutheran SCHOOL,

164475 GRANITE ROAD,

Wausau, WI 54403 

 During the training, you will learn the following:

Safe operation of a chainsawPersonal protective equipment (PPE)Injury preventionHow to buck and limb fallen treesHow to clear debris in a safe and beneficial mannerThose aged 14 - 17 may attend the classroom portion and become an "at-a-distance dragger" ONLY but will NOT be able to become a puller or chainsaw operator until they have reached the age of 18 and then complete the operator portion of the course.

To be authorized to use a chainsaw on LERT disaster responses as an LCMS LERT Chainsaw Operator, you must attend BOTH the classroom and "hands-on" sessions. 

Class participants should complete basic LERT training before taking this class.

Monday hands-on participants should bring, if they have:

Chainsaw, bar oil, gas-oil or synthetic fuel mixChaps and other Personal Protective Equipment (helmet, eye protection, gloves, steel-toed boots)Participants must wear steel-toed work boots. Tennis shoes or sandals/flip-flops are not allowed in the hands-on session.Outdoor work clothes and boots appropriate for the weather at the time. Shorts not allowed.Some chainsaws and PPE will be available for training if you do not have your own. Those who are under the age of 18 will not be allowed to operate a chainsaw or pull debris from the chainsaw work area. 

Training Costs: 

Evening and Morning (LERT qualified Chainsaw Operator) - $50/participant.Pay at the time of training. 

The class coordinator will distribute all training materials during and after the class.

LERT Chainsaw Trainer - The Training will be led by Pastor Andy Weden, North Wisconsin District Disaster Response Coordinator and Pastor Eric Hollar of Shepherd's Heart Disaster Response Ministry located in the South-Eastern District-LCMS. Pastor Andy and Pastor Eric helped lead the Disaster Response after both the Ringle, WI tornado in April and assisted with the Fox Valley Tornado at the end of July. Both are looking forward to this opportunity after a busy spring and summer tornado season.

If you have questions or concerns, feel free to contact the North Wisconsin District Disaster Response Coordinator, Pastor Andy Weden, at Peace Lutheran Campus Center, 715-345-6510.

The Oklahoma District will provide Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT) Basic Chainsaw training on Saturday, October 17.  The chainsaw training serves to increase our dedicated LERT volunteers' capabilities to help those who don’t have the means or skills to perform this dangerous work following a disaster. The District wants to equip LERT members to provide this service safely and efficiently.

This training consists of two parts: a morning classroom session and an afternoon hands-on session outdoors.

The morning classroom session will be a lecture-style class and will be held at Messiah Lutheran Church, 3600 NW Expressway, Oklahoma City, OK.   All LERT-qualified volunteers are invited to attend. Please arrive by 7:30 a.m. to complete registration and to receive class material. The morning session will begin promptly at 8:00 a.m.

The afternoon session is hands-on with a chainsaw. Those wishing to participate must have previously completed the LERT basic training class and the morning classroom session. The afternoon session will be held outdoors from Noon to 4:00 p.m. (or later if needed) at Messiah. Those wishing to attend both sessions should register for both. 

Those aged 14–17 may attend the classroom portion and become a dragger, but will not be able to become a puller or chainsaw operator until they have reached the age of 18. Others wishing to volunteer as draggers or pullers only, need not attend the afternoon session. 

To be authorized to use a chainsaw on LERT disaster responses as an LCMS LERT Chainsaw Operator, you must attend BOTH the classroom and "hands-on" sessions. Afternoon hands-on participants should bring, if they have: Chainsaw, bar oil, gas-oil or synthetic fuel mix, Chaps and other Personal Protective Equipment (helmet, eye protection, gloves, steel-toed boots). Participants must wear steel-toed work boots. Tennis shoes or sandals/flip-flops are not allowed in the outdoor session. Outdoor work clothes and boots should be appropriate for the weather at the time. Shorts are not allowed. Some chainsaws and PPE will be available for training if you do not have your own.  Those who are under the age of 18 will not be allowed to operate a chainsaw. 

During the training, you will learn the following: 

Safe operation of a chainsawPersonal protective equipment (PPE)  Injury preventionHow to buck and limb fallen treesHow to clear debris in a safe and beneficial manner

Training Costs: 

For morning session only: $15.00For morning and afternoon sessions (LERT-trained Chainsaw Operator): $20.00, includes training manual, certificate, and ID (for those attending both sessions).Pay at the time of training; checks should be made out to Messiah Lutheran Church. Please write LERT Chainsaw 10/17/26 in the memo line. 

A lunch will be provided before the afternoon session.

Please contact Denny Rader if you have any questions about the training.

Email: okdrfom@gmail.com. Cell phone: (918) 946-7961