Westlake High School Teen Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) - William Feiner, Eanes ISD
Student-Led Groups or Programs

Westlake High School student, William Feiner, has taken a lead role in keeping the Westlake High School Teen Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) active. CERT is a national program developed by FEMA to train volunteers in basic disaster preparedness and response skills. William Feiner along with fellow student, Max Holgate, attended FEMA’s G-428 CERT Train-the-Trainer course. They now work closely with their instructor to train Westlake students to be their own first responders in times of disaster by teaching Head-to-Toe assessment, Response to Active Shooter Events, First Aid, CPR, and Incident Command Systems. They have participated in the Harris County Office of Emergency Management’s Teen CERT Final Exercises Day and CERT Skills competitions through Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) International competitive events.

This year, the Westlake High School CERT Class, which is offered during the school day, expanded to a full-year program and includes FEMA trainings including the IS-100, IS-200, IS-700, and IS-800 courses. The students in the class engage with the Eanes ISD Police department, are involved on the Safety Health and Community Council, and serve as extra hands at events on campus such as football games and band competitions. The students also hold a year-end meeting with the law enforcement and all first responders in the district's area to discuss how they are all working together to make Eanes ISD safer each year.