After a disaster strikes, the capacity of our first responders may be overwhelmed by the number of people in need of their services; fire, police, medical, and utilities personnel are not able to respond to every need at once. If our emergency responders cannot reach us, we will have to help ourselves. Do you know how to take care of yourself, your family, and your neighbors after a disaster? DuPont citizens have the opportunity to learn these skills through Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. CERTs are trained by uniformed fire personnel in various disaster topics. The twenty hours of training include sessions on personal preparedness, fire safety, disaster medical, search and rescue, and disaster psychology. Upon successful completion, graduates will receive a CERT helmet, goggles, and a backpack filled with emergency response supplies. The training culminates in a four-hour, hands-on disaster drill at the DuPont Fire Station.

CERT training is free to anyone who lives or works in DuPont. Come take CERT training and help DuPont become a more prepared community! There are no knowledge or ability requirements; we invite any citizens with the desire to help others to join our CERT team. The next class begins October 18th and meets every Monday and Wednesday from 6:30-9:00pm for three weeks. The final drill is from 10:00am-2:00pm Saturday, November 6th. For more information or to register, please contact Vincent Martinez, at 253-983-4580.