Ware County Citizens Emergency Response Team was activated and active during the relief response to Hurricane Helene.
“When everyone was safe and could get out, we activated the Emergency Operations Center at the industrial park in the Public Safety Administration Building,” said CERT Coordinator Perry Blackburn. “The CERT members came in to answer phones, communicate with all the public officials in the building and worked as runners.
“They also helped in the PODs (Points of Distribution). It’s the first time our CERT people have experienced PODs. They learned a lot and were very, very helpful. They jumped right in and didn’t think twice about it and did a great job.”
The CERT program is administered by FEMA’s Community Preparedness Division. CERT is a training program which prepares people to help themselves, their families and their neighbors in the event of a disaster in their community.
Through CERT, citizens learn about disaster preparedness and receive training in basic disaster response skills such as fire safety, light search and rescue, and disaster medical operations. With this training, volunteers can provide critical support by giving immediate assistance to victims before emergency first responders arrive on the scene.
“CERT teaches you, your neighbors and your co-workers how to respond to an emergency and take care of yourselves for 72 plus hours,” explained Blackburn.
CERT volunteers also support the community year-round by participating in community preparedness outreach activities and distributing materials on disaster preparedness and education.
“For example,” said Blackburn, “during the pandemic, GEMA handed down masks and our CERT team set up at various locations and distributed masks. We also train on a regular basis to stay on top of things.”
The Community Emergency Response Team program helps train people to be better prepared to respond to emergency situations in their communities. When emergencies happen, CERT members can give critical support to first responders, provide immediate assistance to victims, and organize spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site.
The CERT concept was developed and implemented by the Los Angeles City Fire Department in 1985 as a response to the need for training civilians to be able to assist following earthquakes.
According to www.fema.gov, “CERT became a national program in 1993. There are now CERT programs in all 50 states, including many tribal nations and U.S. territories. Each is unique to its community and all are essential to building a Culture of Preparedness in the United States. There are more than 3,200 local CERT programs nationwide and more than 600,000 people have trained since CERT became a national program.”
Blackburn credits local Georgia Emergency Management (GEMA) Director Jonathan Daniell and the Ware County Commissioners for helping to create the Ware County CERT program.
“With Jonathan’s help and the commissioners back seven or eight years ago, we were able to get the program in Ware County,” said Blackburn. “I work for EMS. I’m a paramedic and have been a volunteer for GEMA for years,. I did my homework, did the research, and I went to him and asked, ‘Do you think we could benefit?’ and he agreed, and the commission agreed.”
The Ware County CERT program presently has 19 participants and has had up to 25 participants.
“We are constantly recruiting,” says Blackburn.
The training to become a CERT member is taught by first responders in a 40-hour course.
“Training is mostly Saturdays. We will work around your schedule,” Blackburn said. “People don’t worry about stuff until it actually affects your doorstep. ‘I don’t need this, this is not going to ever happen,’ but there’s always the day it may happen—you never know.
“Waycross Ware County is a big area. We’ve got a rail yard through here. We’ve got hazardous materials going back and to. We’ve got highways that inter connect and stuff transported. You just don’t ever know when disaster’s going to occur.”
To become a part of the Community Emergency Response Team, contact Perry Blackburn at 912.287.4454 or 912.287.4394 or email [email protected]. For more information, visit www.warecitizencorps.co m.
