Stearns County will offer training for individuals who wish to help protect this community in the event of a natural disaster or terrorism. Training will involve a commitment to attend two 2 1/2-hour sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7-9:30 p.m., in St. Cloud, for a total of eight sessions. Based on a model created by the Los Angeles City Fire Department, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) began promoting nationwide the use of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) concept in 1994. Since then CERTs have been established in hundreds of communities. Stearns County is committed to establishing CERTs throughout the county and therefore is offering this training at no charge to the participants. Having CERT members in the community is a valuable asset toKimball and the surrounding areas. Emergency preparedness is vital to any community, whether for natural disasters like tornadoes, accidents like toxic spills, or the unthinkable – terrorism. CERT volunteers will work hand-in-hand with the county, law enforcement and fire/rescue/medical teams. In the event of a disaster, the training and organizational skills of CERT volunteers will free up emergency professionals to do more of what they do – giving medical attention, for instance. The first training session is Tuesday, March 23, at Atwood Memorial Center on the St. Cloud State University campus. Any questions about CERT can be addressed to Erin Hausauer at (320) 650-3116 or Bob Bellamy at 650-3118. Donn Driver
