Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Informational Meeting

Residents in the Northwest Guilford County area have begun the process of forming a Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT. The team is designed to support Public Safety Agencies, including Fire, EMS, Law Enforcement and Emergency Management in the event of a large-scale disaster. This team of community volunteers will serve the towns of Oak Ridge, Stokesdale and Summerfield.

This new CERT team is in the process of seeking volunteers. Members will receive 24 hours of instruction on topics including disaster preparedness, fire safety, disaster medical operations, light search and rescue, and disaster psychology. Members will also be provided with a backpack which includes safety equipment, first aid supplies and tools needed when responding to a disaster.

The Federal Emergency Agency (FEMA) established this program in 1993 to provide nationwide systematic training for volunteers. There are over 2,700 local CERT programs nationwide and more than 600,000 people have trained since CERT became a national program. Each CERT is unique to its community and is established, managed and supervised on a local level. Guilford County Emergency Management will sponsor this team and provide training.

CERT Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older and able to complete the 24 hour CERT Basic Training Class. Training will be geared to each individual's strengths, expertise and abilities. Previous emergency training or experience is not a requirement.

An informational meeting will be held for potential volunteers at the Summerfield Community Center, 5404 Centerfield Road, Summerfield, NC on Thursday, August 31, at 7:30 p.m. For more information, contact Bob Wray at (336) 601-5891 or by email at cert.nwgc@gmail.com.