LERT Chainsaw: Safety
This course prepares LERT volunteers to work safely as part of a chainsaw team during disaster response operations. Participants will learn how to build and maintain a culture of safety, assess changing worksite hazards, establish safe work zones, use required PPE, inspect and start a chainsaw, apply safer cutting practices and communicate effectively with team members throughout the workday.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
- Explain how planning, training, supervised practice, personal responsibility and communication support a culture of safety
- Conduct a worksite safety assessment and identify hazards, escape routes and work zones before cutting begins
- Select, inspect and use required personal protective equipment and first-aid resources for chainsaw operations
- Inspect a chainsaw and verify key safety and operating features before starting or cutting
- Use approved starting methods, stable body positioning, safer cutting techniques and clear escape routes
- Apply team roles, communication signals, stop-work authority and debriefing practices as worksite conditions change
Instructors
Joel Mathews
LCMS LERT Senior Chainsaw Trainer
Bryce Cramer
LCMS LERT Senior Chainsaw Trainer
