(Gloucester Township, NJ) – As increasingly dangerous hurricanes and storms pummel the east coast, and the ever-present threats presented by global climate change loom large, many Americans are seeking education to make sure they can protect their family even in the direst situations. Thankfully, the Camden County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is making those lessons increasingly available to individuals of all ages.
“The CERT program is designed to help you protect yourself, your family, and your community in the event of disaster,” said Freeholder Jonathan Young, liaison to the Camden County Department of Public Safety. “The program is completely free to participants, and includes over 20 hours of training in a single weekend. This is an excellent opportunity to give yourself and your family peace of mind in an increasingly unpredictable environment.”
The training is comprised of both practical exercises and classroom instruction and includes:
- Recognizing types of hazards
- Disaster medical operations
- Fire safety
- Light search and rescue
- Lift and carries
- Debris removal techniques
- Door breaching
This month the Camden County CERT team is hosting a special training session in Haddonfield at the same location as the South Regional CERT Rodeo. Beginning at approximately 8:30 a.m. on May 18, trainees will begin various exercises to sharpen their disaster preparedness skills. At approximately 1 p.m., certified team members from around the region will participate in a larger team exercise. The training will be held at the former site of Bancroft School in Haddonfield.
CERT teams from Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties will be represented at the training and will have their CERT trailers on site for inspection by state officials.
Pre-registration is required to take part in this training. Participants under the age of 18 must receive parent/guardian permission to attend. If you are interested in joining the CERT Team, please register by contacting cert@camdencodps.org.