Informational meeting slated Feb. 18
ANSONIA
–
The Ansonia Rescue Medical Service and the Ansonia Office of Emergency
Management will sponsor a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
Training to begin March 5.
The training is free to applicants (14 years of age and older) and
preference will be given to Ansonia residents, as class size is limited;
senior citizens are also encouraged to participate. No experience in
emergency services is required.
The training focuses
on disaster preparedness and emergency response skills, as well as
special training to aid in sheltering during an emergency.
An informational meeting
will take place Feb. 18 (snow date Feb. 20)
at the Ansonia Rescue Medical Services headquarters, 22 West Main St., beginning at 6:30 p.m. for those interested. Class size is limited.
The
CERT training is scheduled from 6:30-9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays March
5-28 at the Ansonia Rescue Medical Service
headquarters.
Graduates
of the program who join the Ansonia CERT team will be issued CERT
identification and a backpack with basic equipment.
After completion of
training, members will be qualified to assist
in operating a shelter during a major emergency as well as supporting
emergency responders in various roles. The Ansonia team members will
also be eligible to participate in additional CERT training events in
Connecticut.
“In
times of disasters we find our City’s emergency services, namely
police, fire, medical services and public works are taxed to the
limit. By implementing CERT in Ansonia, we can supplement city
services by training CERT members to help with vital tasks,” said Jared
Heon, Chief of Ansonia Rescue Medical Services.
The
Community Emergency Response Team is a program of the Citizen Corps, a
nationwide program supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security and the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and
Public Protection.
The purpose of CERT and the Citizen Corps is to train
community members in emergency preparedness to support local emergency
responders as volunteers with disaster relief
and community safety.
The Ansonia Citizen Corps will work with the City
of Ansonia’s Office of Emergency Management.
The state-approved curriculum for basic training includes Disaster
Preparedness, Fire Safety, Disaster Medical Operations, Light
Search and Rescue, CERT Organization, Disaster Psychology, and Terrorism.
In addition, classes will be given in sheltering, which is critical when people need to be evacuated
to a local shelter.
For information and registration forms:
contact Assistant Chief David Geloso, (ACERT) Coordinator, at dgeloso@ansoniarescue.com
or at 203-410-7372.
Applications are available at Ansonia
City Hall, Town & City Clerk’s Office, Ansonia Rescue & Medical
Service Headquarters, Ansonia
Police Department or online at www.cityofansonia.com.
Applications should be dropped off at the Ansonia Rescue Medical
Services Headquarters or mailed to: ACERT, PO Box 149, Ansonia, CT. 06401
no later than Feb. 28 as advance registration is required.
This information is from a press release from the City of Ansonia.
