Wellsville to offer emergency responder training to residents
February 18th, 2012 Posted in OpinionWELLSVILLE — The Cache County Sheriff’s Office and the Cache County Response Team are offering an eight-week emergency training program for the community. The classes, which begin March 8 and end May 3, will be held Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. at the County Sheriff’s Office, 1225 West Valley View Highway, Logan. 
The program, developed by the Los Angeles City Fire Department in 1985, has been adopted by communities across the United States.
“This program has proven to be effective time and time again,” Rick Williams, the county emergency manager, said. “If people have these skills they’re more likely to keep themselves, their family and their community safe during emergencies.”
This program serves two purposes, Williams said. It gives members of the community basic safety skills, and it provides police and fire departments with extra manpower in the event of a large-scale emergency or natural disaster.
“If there was a large earthquake tomorrow and you considered the number of EMTs, firefighters and police officers available,” Williams said. “There just wouldn’t be enough people to answer all the calls.”
“These classes help people take care of themselves and others, until they can be reached by emergency teams,” he said. “In the event of an emergency, community members with CERT training are our first line of defense.”
The course, which is divided into eight modules, focuses on topics such as basic first aid, disaster preparedness, fire safety and search and rescue.
Along with the eight-week training, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a simulated emergency scenario. The simulation will take place at the Logan City Fire Department. The date has not been announced yet.
The course is free of charge, but material and supplies for the class are required. The materials which will cost approximately $50, will be reimbursed by the city of Wellsville upon completion of the course.
“Cities are willing to reimburse individuals because they look at this kind of training as a resource,” Williams said.
CERT classes are offered twice a year, in spring and fall. According to Williams, class size is typically around 25-30 people.
“We do a lot of hands-on training,” Williams said. “If classes are too big it really takes away from the development of those skills.”
Due to the limited space, pre-registration is required. Those interested in taking the class must be at least 18. For more information contact Ron Case, 435-245-4021.
NW
Tags: CCSO, CERT, emergency training, Wellsville
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