FLORENCE, SC – Florence County Emergency Management will host its second Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Basic Training Course the weekend of October 21-23.
The CERT Basic Training Course is the pathway to becoming a CERT member in Florence County. Although the course is intended to train potential CERT members, it is open to any and all, over the age of 18, who wish to learn more about protecting themselves, their families, their friends and neighborhoods during a manmade or natural disaster. A CERT is a ready group of organized and trained volunteers that operate at the neighborhood level. When disaster strikes, CERT members spring into action: they take care of themselves, their family, check on neighbors, suppress small fires, conduct light search and rescue and provide emergency medical aid and psychological comfort to their neighbors.
Florence County Emergency Management recognized a need for our community to be better prepared in the case of a natural or manmade disaster and because of this need adopted the National CERT Program which is provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through the Department of Homeland Security for the county. The course teaches the basics of disaster preparedness, fire safety, utility controls, disaster medical, light search and rescue, CERT organization, disaster psychology and terrorism to individuals of a variety of backgrounds who wish to learn more about preparedness. There are no prerequisites or prior training required before taking this course.
The course will be instructed by Florence County Emergency Management, Florence County EMS, and Howe Springs Fire Department. It is FREE to anyone interested and lunch will be provided on Saturday and Sunday. You can register for the class on the Emergency Management webpage at www.fcemd.org. Space is limited.
For more information contact FCEMD Public Information Officer Andrew Golden at 843-665-7255.
-This is from a Press Release.
