A public meeting about creating a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) will be held on Thursday (Feb. 12) at 6 p.m. at the Methow Valley Senior Center in Twisp.
Twisp Police Chief Paul Budrow encourages citizens interested in participating on the team to attend the meeting to learn more about CERT.
CERT is a program designed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that trains citizen teams to provide immediate assistance to victims, organize volunteers, and gather information to help first responders prioritize and allocate resources following a disaster.
Basic CERT training includes disaster preparedness, fire suppression, first aid and CPR, search and rescue, disaster psychology and team organization. Trainees also take part in a disaster simulation.
Budrow trained a CERT team for the Upper Skagit Tribe when he was director of emergency management and chief of police there. He will be in charge of training the Twisp team.
Budrow said a number of community members have expressed interest in being part of a CERT team, and he has a course tentatively planned for March and April.
For more information on Twisp’s proposed CERT program, call Budrow at 997-6112.
