It wasn’t only sworn law enforcement officers who were called to duty on July 4, 2022, in Highland Park.
The town’s community emergency response team, or CERT, made up of residents from all walks of life — doctors, businesspeople, scientists — had a vital role to play as well.
WTTW News caught up with some of the CERT members who are reflecting on the one-year anniversary of that day, when their jobs and lives were altered forever.
“It was like any other Fourth of July,” said Highland Park resident Jamie Santucci, who has served on the CERT team for 13 years.
The duties were simple: direct traffic, assist law enforcement and patrol the route on bike to keep onlookers away from the procession.
“Our job was to keep them back so they don’t get run over, and that’s what we’re trained to do, riding back and forth,” Santucci said. “And then, all of a sudden, our job changed.”
Santucci says he was mere hundreds of feet away from the corner of Central and 2nd streets, when he heard the unmistakable “pop, pop, pop” sounds of an automatic weapon.
Highland Park police Sgt. Sean Curran, who oversees the CERT volunteers, says the team didn’t flinch before rushing to help.
“They were heroes ... they went right into action,” Curran says. “They went right into all their training, they helped so many people with first aid, triaging, assisting police department, getting people safely out of the event.”
Santucci says he immediately went into triage mode to identify who was safe, injured, and who might already be beyond help.
“I said ‘If you can hear my voice, stand up and walk to me’… they’re green, they don’t need help. Then you start helping people who can’t get up and walk,” He said. “Who is in a situation where, no matter what you do, you’re not going to be able to help them ... and it’s so hard.”
“The impact is deep,” says CERT volunteer Marc Rush. “I’m personally forever changed.”
Rush says he knew he had to stay calm amid the chaos.
“I was needed to be the first aid giver, CPR, control bleeding, crowd control, mass hysteria, try to make calm out of it and evacuate the most people safely,” Rush said.
“I had to depend on the leadership of the CERT team so I could take on my other role, which was important at the time ... Starting the investigation as to what happened,” Curran said.
The CERT team is preparing for a stripped down event this year, but the anniversary is dredging up some hard memories.
“The date is approaching and it’s starting to become real,” Santucci says. “But I’m starting to get anxious, and I never have anxiety.”
If anything, the two say the July 4 tragedy has emboldened the group, which has grown its ranks since last year to nearly four dozen members.
“We’ve been through something together that’s galvanized us and brought us together as a family,” Santucci says.
“My soul is forever changed but hopefully in a good way where I’ll continue to give back,” added Rush.
Follow Paris Schutz on Twitter: @paschutz
