The Mid-South District will provide Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT) Basic Chainsaw training on Saturday, October 18, from 8 am to 4 pm.
Location: Heavenly Host Lutheran Church, 777 S Willow Ave, Cookeville, TN 38501.
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 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.
This training consists of two parts:
- The morning classroom session will begin promptly at 8:00 a.m. The morning session will be classroom learning inside the church. All LERT-qualified volunteers are invited to attend.
- An afternoon hands-on session outdoors, behind the church. The afternoon participants will be doing actual chainsaw activities. Those wishing to participate in the hands-on training must attend the morning classroom session. Those wishing to volunteer as draggers need not attend the afternoon session.
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 14 - 17 may attend the indoor 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.
Those wishing to attend both sessions should register for both.
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 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. If you are unsure of what to purchase, please wait until after the training, as these recommendations will be discussed in class.
Those who are under the age of 18 will not be allowed to operate a chainsaw.
Training Costs:
- For morning session only- $15.00
- or both sessions (LERT qualified Chainsaw Operator) - $35.00, includes training manual, certificate, and new ID (for those attending both sessions). The fee includes the afternoon session for those participating.
- Pay at the time of training, checks should be made out to Heavenly Host Lutheran Church.
Please contact Rev. Trae Fistler if you have any questions about the training.
Email: pastor@faithhopkinsville.com. Cell phone: (515) 571-1378
