Reflections

Over the course of developing and completing my EDGE project, I have had the opportunity to greatly increase my knowledge of disasters and the precautions I can take to be prepared in the event of an emergency. From my experiences in reading “The Demon in the Freezer” by Richard Preston and completing a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training course, I have learned not only how to care for myself in the event of a disaster, but also how to lead and calm others in an emergency situation.

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When reading “The Demon in the Freezer” by Richard Preston, I was able to learn how individuals responded to bioterrorism attacks involving: smallpox, Ebola, and anthrax. In addition, I was able to read about how individuals working for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) responded and led the nation in securing the safety of individual citizens.

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By completing a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training course, I have gained a specific skill set to be used in the event of a disaster. These skills include: extinguishing small fires, light search and rescue, team leading, and disaster medical operations including triage and basic first aid. While team leading was a specific section of the training course, I also believe that I have gained leadership abilities in that I can now teach and designate others to perform the disaster skills I learned in my Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training course.

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Lastly, following the leadership track for my EDGE project has changed the way that I think of leaders. I used to think of leaders as simply being the manager or boss over a project, but now I believe that there is more to leadership than just telling others what to do. Specifically, this EDGE project has taught me that the best leaders have experience in the field, and know how to complete the exact tasks they are asking others to perform. This experience makes for a better leader in that the individual will have greater empathy for their subordinates because they understand the time and effort required to perform their designated tasks.

Overall, I hope that this EDGE project has made me a better leader by making me more empathetic and understanding of those that follow me.