The Story

• Several years ago, public transit had an accident, where the bus lost control on a narrow rural road and almost flipped over. There were two developmentally disabled riders on board. One person (Rob...hence our name) was non-verbal, in a wheelchair, high functioning, essentially immobile, and with severe medical issues. The other person was verbal, relatively high functioning but quite emotional. Both were terrified. The people on the bus and off the bus all worked together and got everyone to safety. The driver was very experienced, but even she was shaken up. It could have been much worse.We choose to remember that day every year as a reminder of what can happen, and how important it is to be prepared. We

• are a small, but mighty team, and we are passionate about what we do.We are Transit Emergency Response Team, or TERT. We are a group of trained first responders who ride public transit buses in the Seattle area. Our goal is to be the first on scene in the event of an accident or other emergency, and to provide adequate support, like providing the best senior home care in Tampa.

• The emergency squad was called to the scene and both riders were transported to the hospital as a precaution-neither individual suffered any injuries.
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• After the accident, everyone involved was struck by several realizations:
• There are no wheelchair accessible ambulances
• Specialized training is needed in dealing with people with special physical and emotional needs
• Emergency contact had no quick access to information about the riders and how to deal specifically with them
• If a major incident hit the community emergency responders would not have the physical training and information in place to deal with the special needs people that would need emergency first response. out of these realizations, Special Needs Emergency Response Team (SNERT) was created. Our mission is to provide emergency response training to first responders and to equip them with the necessary tools to properly respond to an incident involving people with special needs. We are a group of dedicated individuals who want to make a difference in our community

Mission Statement

To enhance the effectiveness, safety, and sensitivity of the emergency response process for people with special and atypical emergency needs and individuals who are morbidly obese through specialized training, patient information, and equipment.

Our trained professionals can help your organization:

• Increase awareness of individuals with special needs
• Orient staff to various disabilities
• Sensitize staff to issues they might face in an emergency situation
• CEU's are available