The Berrien County Office of Emergency Management will soon host Community Emergency Response Team training, delivered in partnership with the Berrien County Firefighters Training Council.

There are seven sessions available Thursdays beginning Oct. 5 through Nov. 16 at the Berrien Springs – Oronoko Township  Public Safety Building, 4411 E. Snow Road, Berrien Springs. A graduation ceremony will be held Saturday Nov. 18. Graduation day will take place at 6 p.m. Nov. 18.

The CERT course will seek to benefit any citizen who takes it. The students will be better prepared to respond to and cope with the aftermath of a disaster.

Many businesses have started CERT Teams to help with their emergency response during a disaster and become, essentially, emergency responders for that business.

“CERT is about readiness, people helping people, rescuer safety and doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people.” said Capt. Rockey Adams, the Coordinator of the Berrien County Sheriff’s Dept., Emergency Management Division. “Disasters affect different people in many different ways. As more people learn about how disasters may affect them and how to cope with them, the community as a whole will become more resilient to disasters. Recent disasters have highlighted why it is important for the whole community to be better prepared.”

The CERT Program educates people in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.

Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community. The students will learn about CERT groups and volunteer opportunities available to them during the class.

For more information on the National CERT program, visit: fema.gov/community-emergency-response-teams/ also, visit www.bcsheriff.org

Pre-Registration required. For information call Ms. Gayle Bassett (269) 983-7111 ext. 4915 or email bcoem@berriencounty.org.