CERT seeking new squad members

The Kerr County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is currently seeking new squad members who are willing to train and then be at-the-ready to serve their neighbors in their biggest times of need.  “If you can keep a cool, level head during an emergency situation, if you can jump into action without hesitation when you are needed and if you are ready to be trained on emergency procedures so that you can be our first ‘boots on the ground’ after a disaster, then we would like you to think about joining our team,” said Kerr County Emergency Management Coordinator Dub Thomas.

The CERT Recruitment Day event is set for 10 a.m., Saturday, January 25, in the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office Training Room on Paseo Drive in Kerrville.  The recruitment event will be followed by the mandatory basic training for CERT members February 21-23.  Topics which are covered during training include:  disaster preparedness, fire safety and utility controls, disaster medical operations, light search-and-rescue operations, CERT organization, disaster psychology, terrorism and more.

CERT members are deployed in the immediate aftermath and arrive on the scene oftentimes even before uniformed emergency units, according to Thomas.  CERT members help provide situation assessments and recon for emergency personnel before agencies can respond and tackle the logistics of organizing volunteer responses.  Members also assist in the distribution of emergency food, water and other resources to citizens who find themselves negatively impacted by disasters.

Kerr County CERT meets the second Thursday of each month at the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office, 400 Clearwater Paseo in Kerrville.

Applications and other pertinent information about Kerr County CERT are available at https://www.co.kerr.tx.us/sheriff/CERT/apps.html.

For more information, email Thomas at wthomas@co.kerr.tx.us or call (830) 315-2430 during regular business hours.