- April 19, 2024
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Since the nationwide Community Emergency Response Team program was revived in Flagler County, 200 residents have been trained, according to Judy Mazzella, of Flagler Volunteer Services. Another group graduates after its ninth session on June 8, just as this year's hurricane season begins.
CERT educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area, according to flaglercounty.org. The volunteers get trained in fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. CERT offers a consistent, nationwide approach to volunteer training and organization that professional responders can rely on during disaster situations, which allows the pros to focus on more complex tasks.
"The students come from all over the county and are ready to assist their neighborhood should the need arise," Mazzella said in an email to the Palm Coast Observer. "CERT members can also help in other ways. CERT members partner with REACT and assist them with crowd and traffic control events."
All ages can participate. "One of my favorite students was a gentleman in a wheelchair," Mazzella said. "He fully participated in every physical exercise that we did. ... He was able to take pieces of wood and create a way to be able to lift a car up enough to extract a victim 'dummy.'"
The next CERT Basic Training class will begin on Oct. 7. Classes are Monday and Wednesday evenings through Nov. 6. Call Flagler Volunteer Services at 386-597-2950. The class is a 25- to 30-hour commitment and is held at the Emergency Operations Center, at 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Building 3.
In addition to FVS, the course is administered by Flagler County Emergency Management and Flagler County Fire Rescue. Those who are interested in learning more about CERT should consider taking the FEMA IS-317 interactive web-based course.
