Do you know what to do if a crisis happens in your area? Would you like to be able to protect yourself, your family, and help neighbors when such an event occurs? Applications are being accepted for the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) course, which will be held on Saturdays, August 3rd, 24th and 31st, 2019 at the Adult Education Room of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church 87 Lacy Street NW., Marietta, Georgia 30060 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00p.m.

All three classes must be attended to get the CERT certification.

What is CERT?

In an earlier conversation with the Courier, Bernard King, the Public Programs Coordinator with the Cobb County Emergency Management Agency said, “What is the number one threat we all face in the way of disasters? Fires. Wherever we live, work, worship, everywhere we go there could be a fire. How do you plan?  How do you respond?  How do you recover from that? If you make a plan, if you create an awareness about it, and you decide how you’re going to respond before it ever occurs, then you’ve worked it out a little bit in your brain, and your learning curve is not as big.”

The Cobb County website describes the program as follows:

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program provides an opportunity for Cobb County citizens to gain knowledge about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their areas and trains them in basic disaster response skills such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.

Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhoods or workplaces following events when professional responders are not immediately available to help.

To join Cobb County CERT, you must:

• Be over the age of 16
• Live, work or worship in Cobb County
• Pass a Criminal History background check