Mohave Today

The Mohave County Department of Risk and Emergency Management will be offering new training sessions in February for individuals interested in becoming volunteers under the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program. CERT is a national community preparedness program operated under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Citizen Corps Council. 

The CERT program is a training program for community members interested in helping to support preparedness activities and community welfare and in participating in recovery efforts following a local disaster. CERT participants receive training in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety and suppression, light search and rescue, first aid, disaster psychology, team organization and disaster preparedness. Instructors are skilled and experienced members of the first responder and emergency management community. After Hurricane Nora in 1996, Mohave County created its own CERT Program to enhance emergency preparedness and increase community education, awareness and outreach. 

Over the years, many communities have developed and implemented CERT as an effective means of assisting their local fire departments. CERT volunteers receive an initial 20 hours of training in basic disaster and emergency response skills before becoming county emergency workers in Emergency Management or disaster first responders supporting local fire service agencies. Classes will be held on February 3, February 4, February 10, and February 11. The classes on Friday, February 3 and February 10 will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. 

The classes on Saturday February 4 and February 11 will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Training will be located at the Lake Havasu City Fire Department Station 2, 2065 N Kiowa Blvd in Lake Havasu City. 

If you are interested in attending this free training course, please contact the Mohave County Department of Risk and Emergency Management by e-mail at emsm@mohave.gov or call (928) 753-0739. 

Original source can be found here.