If you would like to participate in one of our 2010 classes, (Group 15 in February or Group 16 in August), let us know. All of the details are below along with the 2010 schedule.
Columbia County Emergency & Operations Division
“Columbia County Community Emergency Response Team”
Training Program
Since the Columbia County CERT training program began in 2004, we have had 304 citizens become certified in how to take care of themselves, their families, and help their neighbors in the event of an emergency or disaster.
If you are interested in helping your community by participating in this training, please complete the CERT Team Volunteer Training Application and return it to our office to sign up. Please note the pre-requisites listed in the application package.
Please contact the Columbia County Emergency Services Office at (706) 868-3303 or email Pam Tucker if you have any questions about the class.
About CERT...
CERT training started in Columbia County in January 2004 with citizens from all over Columbia County volunteering their time to learn emergency response skills that make our community safer.
The CERT program includes training in disaster preparedness, fire suppression, hazardous materials, disaster medical operations (such as triage, treating life threatening injuries, assessment, treatment and hygiene), light urban search and rescue, radio operations, team organization, disaster psychology and a disaster simulation exercise.
Seasoned instructors from the Emergency Management Agency, Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue, Gold Cross EMS, Grovetown Department of Public Safety, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Augusta Chapter of the American Red Cross volunteer their time to conduct the training.
When emergencies happen, CERT members can give critical support to first responders, (who can easily become overwhelmed in major events), provide immediate assistance to victims, and organize spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site. CERT members are also called upon to assist other counties and states during major disasters.
CERT members can also help with non-emergency projects that help improve the safety of the community, such as making public presentations, assisting with public safety awareness events, and assisting with community disaster exercises.
The CERT training program is provided to Columbia County citizens who are 18 years or older at no cost. This program is 100% funded by Homeland Security Grant funds.
2010 CERT Training Schedule
CERT Instructors
|
Name |
Topic |
|
Pam Tucker |
CERT Program Overview and Emergency Preparedness |
|
Patricia Champion and Rusty Welsh |
CERT Team Organization |
|
Dennis Jones |
Disaster Psychology |
|
Rusty Welsh |
Radio Communications |
|
Danny Kuhlmann / Brent Willis |
Fire Safety and Hazardous Material Awareness |
|
Sandra Culver |
Disaster Medical Operations |
|
David Bullard / Wayne Kent |
Light Search & Rescue Operations |
|
Jeremy Wallen / Brent Willis / Rusty Welsh |
Ø Distribution of CERT Kits/Gear
Ø Disaster Simulation
Ø Final Exam |
CERT Group 15 Training Schedule
|
DATE |
TIME |
TOPIC |
|
02/23/10 |
6 pm to 9 pm |
CERT Program Overview and Emergency Preparedness |
|
03/02/10 |
6 pm to 9 pm |
CERT Team Organization |
|
03/09/10 |
6 pm to 9 pm |
Disaster Psychology and Radio Communications |
|
03/16/10 |
6 pm to 9 pm |
Fire Safety |
|
03/23/10 |
6 pm to 9 pm |
Hazardous Material Awareness |
|
03/30/10 |
6 pm to 9 pm |
Disaster Medical Operations |
|
04/13/10 |
6 pm to 9 pm |
Light Search & Rescue |
|
04/17/10 |
7 am to 12 pm |
Distribution of CERT Kits/Gear, Disaster Simulation, and Final Exam |
|
04/20/10 |
6:00 pm |
Graduation / Presentation of Certificates @Commission Meeting |
CERT Group 16 Training Schedule
|
DATE |
TIME |
TOPIC |
|
08/10/10 |
6 pm to 9 pm |
CERT Program Overview and Emergency Preparedness |
|
08/17/10 |
6 pm to 9 pm |
CERT Team Organization |
|
08/24/10 |
6 pm to 9 pm |
Disaster Psychology and Radio Communications |
|
08/31/10 |
6 pm to 9 pm |
Fire Safety |
|
09/07/10 |
6 pm to 9 pm |
Hazardous Material Awareness |
|
09/14/10 |
6 pm to 9 pm |
Disaster Medical Operations |
|
09/21/10 |
6 pm to 9 pm |
Light Search & Rescue |
|
09/25/10 |
7 am to 12 pm |
Distribution of CERT Kits/Gear, Disaster Simulation, and Final Exam |
|
10/05/10 |
6:00 pm |
Graduation / Presentation of Certificates @Commission Meeting |
HOW CERT MEMBERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE COMMUNITY!
Columbia County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members have participated in several major projects, both in Columbia County and serving in Gulfport, MS to help Hurricane Katrina victims. Below is a brief description of how their "willingness to serve" is helping our community.
-
CERT members assist with training exercises by helping to apply moulage, assisting with MOC and EOC operations, serving as simulated victims, and participating in the exercises to practice skills.
-
Twenty-nine (29) CERT graduates volunteered to participate in the local production of a new CERT Training Video that will be used nationwide to train new CERT members. The video required members to demonstrate all of the roles that CERT would fill in a disaster, including emergency preparedness at their homes, fire safety, emergency medical operations, search and rescue, disaster psychology and operating the Mobile Operations Center (MOC).
-
Assisting other departments, such as the Forestry Services office, with helping to issue burn permits at the end of the open burning ban.
-
Volunteering to serve on the Mobile Operations Center (MOC) Operations Team. These individuals can mobilize and set up the MOC for on-scene command during emergencies and disasters.
-
Train in Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and 3-1-1 operations to help during emergency activations.
-
Individual CERT members provide presentations to community groups, assist with safety day events, and volunteer in many other ways all during the year.
-
Deploying to disasters across Georgia or other states. Thirteen (13) CERT graduates volunteered to deploy to Gulfport, Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina left the area in shambles. They left on Friday, September 9th at 8:00 a.m. to assist the State of Mississippi in Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. The team was deployed through GEMA and the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) to serve in the capacity of a “Community Relations Team” to work with getting supplies to victims in one of the hardest hit areas...Gulfport, Mississippi. This was the only CERT team in the nation to assist with this disaster.
Standing from left: John Tucker, Margaret Williams, Jan DeAsis, Susan Hayden, Stephanie McWhorter, Joe Matosian, Ed Campbell, and KauVonda Amos (Mississippi EMA CERT Program Manager)
Kneeling from left: John Harlan, Gwen Wood, Lorraine Lynch, Jill Harpe, Bob Crutchfield, and Kathryn Crutchfield
CURRENT CERTIFIED CERT MEMBERS
|
**Steve Aaronson
Ben Adkins
Margaret Alligood
~Cynthia Ammar
~Max Ammar
Andy Anderson
Brian Armstrong
Dan Armstrong
*Elissa Armstrong
Angela Banez
Maritess Banez
*Mario Banez
Robin Banta
~Don Beasley
~Loma Beasley
Dan Beckman
John Allen Beckman
Mark Beckman
Paula Beckman
Wanda Bell
*Rich Belles
*Virginia Berkhimer
Maria Bezubic
Shena Binns
Wesley Black
Lyn Bonner
*Laurie Booher
~*Sam Booher
Drew Botkin
**Debra Bozeman
*Todd Brandenburg
Todd Brantley
~*Andrew "Drew" Brejda
David Brill
Clint Brotemarkle
*Charlie Brown (In Loving Memory)
*Felicia Brown
Felicia Brown
Johnny Brown
Kent Bruntz
Betty Bugg
Matthew Bugg
Helen Burton
~Edward Campbell
Brad Cansler
Penny Carpentar
~*Ramon Carroll
*William P. Caskey
**Bob Cipperly
Jason Claar
Gene Clark
Sylvia Clark
Aretha Clayton
Richard Clegg
Dennis Cokenour
*Anthony Colbert
**David Coley
Cynthia Cooper
Eric Crawford
**Kathryn Crutchfield
**Robert Crutchfield
Scott Daniel
Judy Davidson
Joann Davis
Roger Davis
Judy Daviscokenour
*Jan DeAsis
Royal DeAsis
Roy DeBolt
~Mary Desormeaux
Gina Dickson
Todd Dickson
John Diefenderfer
Kathy Diefenderfer
Marie Dill
Michele Dillard
~*James Dolce
Dick Donnelly
Margaret Doss
Gregory Dross
Tina Dross
*Jo Dyke
Gloria Eargle
Richard Eargle
*David Earnest
*Cristo Eclavea
Chuck Elliott
Dick Embry
Betty English
Mark Erbland
Johnny Evans
John Fender
~*Bill Ferguson
Larry Flanagan
Matt Frame
Cheryl “Cricket” Frederick
Amanda Freeman
Wendall Freeman
*Charles Frick
*Cheryl Garcia
Richard Garniewicz |
*Clarence Gavitt
John Geeter
Cindy Gilbert
Delores Gillis
Ron Goldberg
Rebekah Gray-Henderson
Troy Green
*James Greene
*Marla Greene
Carolyn Grey
*Ravinder Gujral
Tom Gunnels
Peter Gustin
Diana Hamilton
Kip Hamilton
~*John Harlan
John Harlan, Jr.
Jill Harpe
Lori Harrell
George Harrison
**Susan Hayden
Richard Haygood
Reid Henderson
Kitty Hernlen
Karen Hickman
Earl Hilson
**John Holden
Bette Holzberg
Gene Homschek
Sheila Homschek
Gail Hoover
Donald Horton
Andy Howell
Barbara Howell
Suzie Hughes
Ziad Husein
*Tom Hyer
*Pete Igel
Evette Ingwersen
~David Iverson
Curtis James
**David Jewell
**Donna Jewell
~Tammy John
Krista Johnson
Troy Johnson
Brandy Jones
~Carrie Jones
Kendall Jones
David Jones
*Dennis E. Jones
Glorious Jones
Jerry Jones
*Rip Jones
**Thomas Kane
Robyn Kelley
Gretchen Keneson
William Keneson
*Michael Kennedy
Margaret Kim
David Koch
Jose Lantingua
*Tara LeMay
Mike Lemaire
Andrew Lines
Angela Lowe
Lani Luciano
Jose’ Lugo
*Dorothy Luke
*Lorraine Lynch
Kenric Lynn
*Stan Maciaszek
*Michael Maloney
*Sherry Martin
Valerie Martin
*Douglas Massey
~Joseph Matosian
Janice Matthews
Daniel Mayne
Robert McCorkell
Jennifer McCracken
~Rick McDonald
Clifford McGhee
Georgia McKain
Jean McKain
Alan McKenney
Ben McWhorter
Scott McWhorter
Stephanie McWhorter
Eric Meaders
**James M. Mecredy
**Lucette Mecredy
Martin Meinshausen
Jenna Miller
Travis Miller
Iris Miranda
John W. Morgan
Pete Mourfield
**David Muntz
James Murray
**Jim Murray |
Martin Murray
*John Murrell
Tim Nelken
Dana Nelms
Laurie Nerling
Dennis Niehoff
*Ann Nordin
**Calvin Norris
**Tonji Norris
Doug Nunley
Daniel O'Brien
Michael O’Byrne
~*George O'Connell
Betty Palmer
Robert Payne
Ryan “Mike” Peel
Francisco Perez
Tony Perrotto
*George Perry
Bill Pettyjohn
*Tom Phair
Stephanie Pilcher
Jerry Pitman
*Chester Plecha
Cherie Portinga
Nathan Portinga
Darlene Pressley
Henry Pruett
Lauren Rabb
Emory Rabitsch
William Ragnow
Anthony Rakofsky
Shelley Redd
Kimberly Richard
Bob Richards
Kathy Riley
Bruce Robinson
Donald Robinson
Mel Rosabal
Christa Royal
Shelly Rucker
Zaki Rucker
*Richard Runnels
~Mark Salter
Gwenda Sanderson
Daniel Sankey
Bobbie Sue Schiffhauer
Lee Schiffhauer
David Schwartzkopf
Steve Shelt
~*David Silver
~Mollie Silver
Leonard Simmons
Hugo Sinclair
Dawn Sindelair
Scott Smith
Brett Smith
Joel Smith
*John T.Y. Smith
*Patricia Smith
*Stephen J. Smith
Tanya Smith
Nancy Snyder
Cheryl Spindler
Todd Spindler
Dave Stewart
Andrea Stevens
Matt Stevens
Rachel Stith
Joan Stoddard
John Sweat
Jackie Tatum
Randall Tatum
~**Ira Tindall
Jorge Thompson
Shari Tyson
*Janet Vaughn
Raam Vichare
Eden Vickrey
Basil Vintinner
~**Bob Waldera
Troy Ward
Jeffrey A. Ward
Wesley Wehunt
*Roland Weisser
Thomas Weisz
Earl Welsh
Kristina Wendorf
~**Margaret Willliams
Shannon Williams
~*Teri Williams
*Aleta Williamson
*Jim Williamson
YeSun Wiltse
*Mike Wiltse
William Wingfield
Marcie Wingo
Douglas Wood
*Gwen Wood
~Eddie Writer
~Kim Writer
Michelle Zupan |
*Completed the Refresher Training in October 2006.
**Completed the Refresher Training in October 2006 and November 2007.
~Completed the Refresher Training in November 2008.