Dianne Edmondson
When he arrived at the Cooke/Denton county line recently to inspect the tornado damage there, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said, “When Texans need help, other Texans respond.”
In recent weeks, North Texans have needed help, as tornadoes struck viciously here in Denton and Cooke Counties. And earlier this year, wildfires were burning thousands of acres in other parts of our state. Denton County’s Emergency Management Team was involved in helping fellow Texans. Our team’s leadership was requested, and they responded to assist with containing the wildfires. We are very proud of their expertise, which is noted statewide.
Closer to home, as a massive cleanup and repair operation followed the tornadoes, the Denton County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) jumped in. CERT is an organization of citizen volunteers that reports to the Denton County Office of Emergency Management. Its members are trained in disaster preparedness, medical triage and treatments, light search and rescue, and other skills. These volunteers manned the “one-stop shop” set up to help tornado victims connect with assistance agencies, as well as offered assistance and passed out water to victims going through the rubble which used to be their homes.
The team also assists the community by providing disaster preparedness education to the public through safety fairs, assisting first responders in searching for missing persons, and, if requested, responding during a disaster to assist emergency services responders.
In addition to disaster response, CERT also assists in:
• Missing Person Searches,
• Public Safety Fairs,
• Firefighter Rehab, and
• Many others.
In disasters, Emergency Services (Fire, EMS, Police) can be overwhelmed and their resources stretched in the immediately following hours. CERT is trained to step in and assist (upon request) in the immediate hours after the disaster, as well as collecting damage assessment information.
CERT became a national program in 1993. There are now CERT programs in all 50 states, including many tribal nations and U.S. territories. Each is unique to its community, and all are essential to building a Culture of Preparedness in the United States. There are over 2,700 local CERT programs nationwide, and more than 600,000 people have trained since CERT became a national program.
Denton County CERT is looking for additional volunteers. Are you interested in joining the Denton County CERT?
There is a job for everyone! You can start by taking the free Basic CERT Course held twice each year. The next class is Oct. 11, 12, 18, and 19, 2024. The link to register for the class is https://tinyurl.com/395fhyp2. Friday classes are 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday classes are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. You do need to attend all four days to receive completion credit for the course. The course is approximately 20 hours long and is free.
Please enroll if you would like to be part of the Texans helping other Texans when disaster strikes. You can be CERTain your help will make a difference!
Precinct 4 County Commissioner Dianne Edmondson may be contacted by email at [email protected] or by phone at 972-434-3960. You can also visit her by appointment at her office in the Southwest Courthouse, 6200 Canyon Falls Drive, Suite 900, in Flower Mound. If you would like to receive her periodic e-newsletter, just request it at her email address.