Karen Semple is a woman who wears many hats -- from a fire helmet to the headgear of the Red Hat Society -- and she's one who could teach you how to save the lives of your friends, family, neighbors and coworkers during a major disaster.

A self-described "professional volunteer," an examination of her involvement is revealing. She's a volunteer firefighter and information officer with Montana City VFD, the chief of staff of the Civil Air Patrol's Montana Wing, the head of the Lewis and Clark County's Citizen Corps Council and a deputy disaster and emergency services coordinator, and a spokeswoman for DNRC during wildfire season.

She's also Queen of the local Red Hatters.

Semple, 52, along with a handful of others, wears county Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator Paul Spengler's pager when he's out of town -- meaning she could someday be the one running the emergency operations unit at the Law Enforcement Center during an earthquake or other major disaster.

She hopes and prays the day never comes, and says she's honored and sobered by the thought of her responsibility.

But Spengler knows she could handle it if the time comes.

"She knows the ins and outs. She can fill a myriad of roles," he said.

"She's incredible because she has so much energy," Spengler added.

Semple is an advocate for personal preparedness. As the head of the Citizens Corps Council and the county's Citizen Emergency Response Team training classes, she teaches residents and business owners how to prepare themselves and their families for an emergency, and how to stay safe and help others -- with training in first aid -- during a disaster.

The vast majority of emergency first response in a large-scale disaster, such as an earthquake, is performed by members of the public, Semple said.

"The professional responders are overwhelmed in a major event," she said.

The classes, called CERT, empower people by giving them the skills and knowledge to protect themselves and help others.

"We teach them to respond safely, to do the most good for the most number of people," Semple said.

"That's really my focus," she added. "A lot of what motivates me is the preparedness message."

Perhaps just as impressive is the fact that she recently agreed to continue these services free of charge after federal grant money ran out.

"She does all these things cheerfully, for free," Spengler said.

She had always been involved outside of her home, with 4-H, the state Historical Society and a support network for home-schooling families.

Her daughter's involvement with the Civil Air Patrol, beginning in 2000, shifted her focus. She's risen through the ranks of the U.S. Air Force auxiliary to become a major. She's the former commander of the Lewis and Clark Consolidated Squadron and a top officer in the state's wing. The patrol performs search-and-rescue operations, aerial disaster assessments and relief operations and trains youths in leadership programs.

She serves as a spokeswoman for the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation during wildfire season, and spent 34 days on the job this summer. Her involvement in the Red Eagle fire at Glacier National Park in July prompted kudos from a visiting Swedish national transportation official, Dr. Fridtjof Thomas.

Thomas, who was on his way to a meeting in Seattle and was staying at a lodge in St. Mary, was unable to retrieve his luggage and documents from his room after the fire forced an evacuation. Semple pulled some strings and got him on his way, prompting a letter from Thomas to Gov. Brian Schweitzer.

"While the wildland fire remains an unpleasant experience from this summer, the rangers of Montana and especially Karen Semple made a great impression on me," Thomas wrote. "I will be very happy to return to Montana and its fine people to enjoy your nature and spirit."

Semple's involvement with the local red hatters gives her a mental health break, she said. The Red Hat Society is a group for aging women who want to enjoy their later years. They give themselves permission to enjoy life and not take themselves too seriously, she said.

"We laugh a lot," Semple said. She's an Air Force veteran who met her husband of 26 years, Doug, at radar school. The couple has raised four children.

When Doug became ill and had to undergo brain surgery, she cared for him. She's grateful now that he's better.

Semple's own medical emergency changed the way she views life and prompted her to help others.

On Dec. 7, 1994, she walked into the Fort Harrison's VA hospital and collapsed. She awoke later in the intensive care unit, and learned she had escaped death. She was diagnosed with Graves' Disease, a stress-related thyroid disorder.

"You look out the window and you see the snow falling and the cars driving, and you realize you could have been planted in the cemetery," Semple said.

Larry Kline can be reached at 447-4075 or larry.kline@helenair.com.

Karen Semple will host the next Community Emergency Response Team training session in three parts, beginning Saturday. Participants learn hands-on skills for use in a disaster, and learn preparedness. A few openings remain for the course, which is sponsored by Carroll College and Blue Cross-Blue Shield.

Call 465-0163 for information, or go to the county's Web site at http://www.co.lewis-clark.mt.us and click on "Public Safety" and "Disaster and Emergency Services."

The program has no other funding for 2007 and is seeking donations to purchase class supplies. Call county DES Coordinator Paul Spengler at 447-8285 for information.