Registrations Now Being Accepted for York County CERT Training Program – FREE
CERT prepares individuals, families and neighborhoods for disasters and large scale emergencies
The York County Department of Fire and Life Safety is now accepting registrations from York County residents 18 years of age and older for its Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training course scheduled to begin on Thursday, September 15. Classes will be held at the Public Safety Building, 301 Goodwin Neck Road, from 6 to 9 p.m. Registration is FREE and limited to York County residents.
The CERT program provides citizens the knowledge, skills and abilities to not only help their families be better prepared for emergencies, but also to help their neighborhood be better prepared, and to take action, when York County is affected by major emergencies or disasters.
Residents interested in participating in York County’s CERT Training Program should be prepared to attend courses one Thursday night a week beginning September 15 for eight weeks and on the morning of Saturday, November 5 for a final course exercise and graduation.
The topics covered in the program include: CERT organization and expectations, disaster preparedness, disaster fire suppression, disaster medical operations, light search and rescue, disaster psychology, terrorism, neighborhood fire station tour, and practical training and exercise. CERT classes are taught using multiple instructional methods including presentations, discussions and practical experiences.
The York County Department of Fire and Life Safety has seen that training citizens to be prepared for an emergency offers another level of protection for the community. The CERT program is intended to train residents to have the skills to be better prepared personally, to help their family be better prepared, and to be able to assist their neighbors/neighborhood during and immediately after a major emergency or disaster until emergency services arrives. Creating a team of trained CERT members within your neighborhood, at work, or at your place of worship is encouraged. CERT is a model that has been adapted throughout the nation to prepare citizens to assist in both man-made and natural disasters.
Pre-registration is preferred on or before September 7.
For more information on CERT and to obtain CERT registration information, call the Department of Fire and Life Safety at 890-3600 Monday through Friday from 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. or visit the website at www.yorkcounty.gov/fire .
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