DISASTER PREPAREDNESS GOAL OF COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM TRAINING FOR RESIDENTS
Archived News Release: August 5, 2014 - The Ann Arbor Police Department's Office of Emergency Management in conjunction with the Washtenaw County Emergency Management Division is accepting applications for the Washtenaw County CERT training program. The application deadline is Friday, Sept. 12, at 5 p.m.
Weekly training classes for those accepted into the program will be held from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. starting Sept. 23 through Nov. 4, 2014, with final exercise and graduation on Nov. 8. CERT training is required to become a CERT member. Attendance at all classes is required for certificate completion.
The CERT Program educates residents about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact Washtenaw County and trains participants in basic disaster response skills. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist neighbors or fellow employees following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.
The course is a combination of classroom sessions and hands-on training in scene assessment, fire safety, emergency medical response, team organization, disaster medical operations, and light search and rescue. The course also provides information on topics including local threats, hazards, county and city emergency management initiatives and incident command and terrorism.
In 1985, the Los Angeles Fire Department developed the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) concept to arm citizens with vital training and information necessary to survive in the hours after a catastrophic disaster. The importance of citizen preparedness in the absence of emergency responders was never more clear than during the aftermath of September 11, 2001.
Citizens interested in participating in the Washtenaw County CERT course can find an application on the City of Ann Arbor website at www.a2gov.org/departments/police/Pages/Getting-Involved.aspx or call Crime Prevention Specialist Adele El-Ayoubi, ICPS, with the Ann Arbor Police Department at 734.794.6933. A background investigation will be conducted on all applicants, who will then be notified if accepted into the program.
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