By: Lydia Crawley
The Parsons Advocate
Dr. Ed Rader and Aimee Verdisco along with Amanda Simmons will be hosting a meeting on June 29th at 5 p.m. at the Davis Fire Hall to provide more information on an initiative to form and train five to six new Community Emergency Response Teams or CERT Teams within the County.
“CERT Teams play a critical role in our communities,” Simmons said. “There are so many people who want to make a difference close to home—they may not want to be in EMS or fire service, but they still want to step up and help their neighbors when it matters most.”
Simmons said that individuals in EMS, Fire and County residents are sought for the new teams and training will be provided. Training is slated to include Mass Casualty Incident (MCI), Search and Rescue, First Aid and CPR, FEMA Classes and radio classes. The purpose of the radio classes is to instruct individuals how to speak on the radio and operator radio.
“We especially want to encourage county residents with no prior training to get involved,” Simmons said. “They’re exactly who we’re hoping to reach, because we’ll be providing all the training they need to become part of the team.”
Teams would be utilized by Fire and EMS Squads in the event of Mass Casualty Incidents (MCI) such as a school shooting, evacuation assistance, logistics during an event, shelter support, search and rescue, and reunification assistance.
The Teams will also be tasked with Emergency Preparedness for their areas of the County. As an example, during a pandemic, the Teams would be able to coordinate and distribute supplies. The Teams will also assist individuals with the assembly of 72 hour kits and bringing in training for the individuals in their area.
Teams will be assembled for the following areas: Canaan Valley, combined Davis/Thomas, Parsons, Hambleton and Hendricks, as well as supporting the CERT Team in Leadmine. Hambleton and Hendricks had CERT Teams previously, according to Simmons, but they dissolved due to lack of members over the years.
“We would like to revive that CERT Team and help out with the CERT Team down in Leadmine with any training that they might want or need,” Simmons said.
Funding for the initiative is supplied by a grant. The grant funding will be used to pay for such things as training and support to form the CERT Teams, Simmons said.
The program and funding will be governed through the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) for the initial startup and training Simmons said. Simmons serves as the LEPC President currently.
