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September 23, 2004

Mayor Lauds Citizen Training Program for Emergency Readiness

Woodbridge Township is offering a course in helping residents be better prepared in a civil emergency, Mayor Frank G. Pelzman has announced.

Applications to take the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) course are now being accepted by the Township Office of Emergency Management. The course offers training in fire safety, hazardous material and terrorist incidents, disaster medical operations, search and rescue and basic first aid.

“We are aways seeking to be better prepared as a community,” says Mayor Pelzman. “CERT training is an important educational tool that will help residents be better informed about how to react in a crisis.”

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.

“ If there is a disaster that overwhelms our local response capability, CERT members can apply their training to give critical support in the immediate area to their family, neighbors or associates until help arrives,” says Walter Hanks, Director of the Township’s Office of Emergency Management. “When help does arrive, a CERT team can provide useful information to responders and support their efforts at the disaster site.”

The CERT program was developed in 1985 by the Los Angeles City Fire Department to help prepare for earthquakes. The program is now implemented nationally by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The course involves 20 hours of instruction. Applicants must be Woodbridge Township residents. To apply, call (732) 602-7377.