Members of the Irving community are encouraged to gain emergency preparedness education by becoming a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member. The two-day training is being offered from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 24-25 and participants will be trained to be self-sufficient for up to 72 hours following a major incident. Team members also will learn how to provide critical support to professional first responders, assistance to disaster victims, and how to spontaneously organize volunteers at disaster sites.
“In a city such as Irving with more than 216,000 residents, catastrophic events of a large scale have the potential to overwhelm the limited number of first responders,” said Emergency Management Planner Nick Robison. “Following a major disaster, community members may have to rely on one another to meet their immediate life-saving and life-sustaining needs.”
Irving residents interested in participating in this free program must be able to perform physical activities, possess a valid driver’s license and pass a background check. Because space is limited, residents are encouraged to register by Sept. 1. To register for the CERT training program, contact Robison at (972) 721-2184 or nrobison@cityofirving.org.
