The Washoe County Sheriff's Office is looking for volunteers to help the community during a disaster. Washoe County has two three day academies this month.
The training is free and covers everything things like disaster prep and medical, fire and some search and rescue emergencies.
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)Â training includes disaster preparedness, emergency medical techniques, fire safety, light search and rescue, disaster psychology, and terrorism awareness education.
The CERT Academy offers six training sessions over two consecutive weekends, all sessions must be completed in order to graduate. Training is conducted by Citizen Corps staff and volunteers along with appropriate subject matter experts.
Academy dates are:
Thursday, July 18, from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., Friday, July 19, from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.,
and Saturday, July 20, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
and
Thursday, July 25, from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., Friday, July 26, from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
and Saturday, July 27, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
All sessions are required to complete the training and receive a certificate. Training takes place at the Regional Public Safety Training Center located at 5190 Spectrum Blvd.
No special skills are required. Children 12-15 may participate with parent’s supervision, teens 16-17 with parent’s permission. To sign up for training, call CERT Program Manager Michael Perry at (775) 325-6928 or email: mperry@washoecounty.us
Approximately 280 volunteers currently serve in the Sheriff’s Office Citizen Corps. The Corps consists of three teams: Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Rail Auxiliary Team (also known as the RAT Pack), and Citizens Homeland Security Council (CHSC).
For more information about the Washoe County Citizen Corps, visit www.wcsovolunteer.org.
(Washoe County Sheriff's Office contributed to this report.)
