New CERT Team Members Certified in Sierra Madre
By Terry Miller
Published: Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
Spearheaded by former firefighter Gary Hood, the Sierra Madre CERT class finished its training last week and the graduates received certificates of completion from Sierra Madre’s Mayor MaryAnn MacGillivray.
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them 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.
Sierra Madre Fire Chief Stephen Heydorff thanked CERT Instructors Captain Cano and Inspectors Monzo and Mendenhall for a job well done. After the various emergency scenarios were finished, the students returned to the classroom. Just like in the Fire Department, students then discussed these scenarios in an incident debriefing.
At the end of the ceremony, the Mayor MacGillivray handed out the Certificates of Graduation and Chief Heydorff handed out the CERT equipment bags generously donated by Dr. & Mrs. Neiby.
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