Volunteers for emergency training sought
BURNET — Burnet County officials are looking for a few volunteers who want to make a difference in their community during a crisis.
The county is holding a Community Emergency Response Team certification course April 8-June 3.
The program trains “citizens to handle some types of emergency situations until first responders arrive,” said Burnet County Emergency Management Coordinator Jim Barho.
Topics on first aid and medicine, search and rescue, disaster psychology and emergency-response organization are included.
Each training session is 7-9 p.m. on Thursdays.
“The CERT program takes these citizens and puts them through training so they can handle emergencies,” Barho said. “It comes from following the (Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist) attack. Following the attack, President (George) Bush asked Americans to volunteer and help in times of crisis or emergencies. One of the things we learned from (the attack) was that there aren’t enough first responders.”
On a local level, this became very clear in Burnet County during the June 2007 flood that ravaged Marble Falls and surrounding areas, Barho said.
“There just wasn’t enough first responders to handle everything,” he said. “They can’t be everywhere.”
So county officials began looking at ways to help residents help themselves during an emergency until public safety personnel arrive. Barho said this particular CERT program started in California, offering training for fires and earthquakes.
“Soon other states began picking up on it,” he said. “Burnet County felt it was time for us to do this.”
The nine-week session, which includes 22 hours of training, is limited to 25 people. Interested individuals should contact Barho at (512) 750-0507 for an application.
“The idea is to get somebody from each community trained so they can go back and be able to respond in emergencies,” Barho said.
Those who complete the program will receive a certificate and emergency kit.
The course is free; a grant covers the program. But interested individuals will have to undergo a background check, which also is free.
“This is a real good opportunity for people who want to help their community and make a difference,” Barho said.