Carson City first responders and citizens team up to build safer community
Over the weekend, Carson City’s Community Emergency Response Team program welcomed new and returning volunteers.
The program incorporates life-saving and decision-making skills in order to decrease injury and mortality; providing help when an unplanned disastrous event unfolds which has the potential to overwhelm the existing response capability. Volunteers focused on disaster preparedness, practiced fire suppression, emergency operations, search and rescue techniques, and response to terrorism.
The CERT program is part of a nationwide effort to empower citizens in preparedness and response to major emergencies. The training curriculum was developed and approved for the National CERT Program by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security.
Although there is no obligation, CERT was designed to enlist community members as a volunteer resource to assist City officials in a time of need.
The program is a valuable resource for the Carson City Fire Department’s Emergency Management Division which is responsible for assuring the city's readiness to respond to and recover from natural and man-made emergencies, and for assisting citizens in their emergency preparedness, response and recovery efforts. For information on emergency preparedness visit carsonfire.org.