Note: The following item was provided by the Paulding County Emergency Management Agency for publication. – KtE

Recently, the Paulding County Emergency Management Agency held its seventh Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Basic Training Course, with nine new volunteers successfully completing the application and training requirements to hold a position on the team.

Training included classroom study and hands-on practical exercises in the following topics: disaster preparedness, CERT organization, disaster psychology, light search and rescue, fire safety and utility controls, terrorism, and disaster medical operations. These instruction blocks were delivered on weekday evenings throughout October at the Paulding County Emergency Operations Center.

Graduates of the CERT Basic Training include Jourdan Bourque, Daniel Estes, Kari Estes, Connie Hawkins, Dena Hudson, Maggie Karner, Ashe’ Morgan, Eric McDaniel, and Laura Neal.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security promote the CERT Program nationally. FEMA supports CERT through grant funding and sponsored train the trainer and program manager courses. Each CERT program is unique to its community, and all are essential to building a Culture of Preparedness.

Paulding County EMA started its CERT Program in 2016 to assist with shelter management operations, search and rescue of missing persons, Skywarn storm spotter participation, and disaster recovery operations for incidents such as tornadoes or flooding. CERT Volunteers also assist with first aid, information, lost/found property, suspicious activity monitoring, and general safety at community events such as parades, festivals, and fireworks events.