September is National Preparedness Month and the Carbon County Sheriff’s Department along with the Community Emergency Response Team better known as CERT will be hosting basic training sessions to make sure that all citizens are educated on how to plan and prepare for emergencies. The CERT Team is putting on their next block of classes beginning on Thursday, September 15 from 6:00 pm to 9:30 PM and will run for the next four weeks on Thursday evenings. The final mock disaster will take place on Saturday, October 8 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Carbon County Fairgrounds Event Center.

“So this week we are just focusing on preparing through service though the community. I planned it kind of perfectly because we start a new CERT class on Thursday the 15th at 6:00 pm at the fairgrounds,” said EM Coordinator, Amy Jones. “It’s free to anyone that wants to come and do it. You have to be 18 or older and no criminal background because we do criminal background checks. But it’s just the basic safety – fire safety, first-aid safety, curbing, what to do if there is a disaster. If you don’t want to do it for the community, do it for yourself.” 

If you are unable to attend the CERT classes you may find helpful hints on the CERT Facebook page as Jones explains, “Just go to CERT Carbon County and there will be tips from Be Ready Utah and FEMA.gov and some basic guidelines of storing food, water, matches, blankets, and what not.” Emergency kits should be designed to accommodate you and your family’s needs.

Get involved and volunteer, your involvement can help rebuild your community.

For more information on becoming a member of the CERT Team you can go to the Emergency Management website at https://www.carbon.utah.gov/Administration/Public-Safety/Emergency-Management