Learn What To Do in Emergencies, as CERT Offers Disaster Preparedness Training

Wilton’s all-volunteer Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), in conjunction with the Wilton Emergency Management Director, Police Chief John Lynch, will be holding its annual disaster preparedness training program. Wilton citizens are invited to become trained to help family, friends, and neighbors in the event of an emergency or disaster.

CERT Instructors certified by the Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, along with other instructors from the Wilton Police Department, Fire Department and Emergency Medical Service/Wilton Volunteer Ambulance Corps (WVAC) will assist in the training.

The training will cover a variety of emergency skills, such as how to prepare for when a disaster strikes, fire safety, including how to extinguish small fires and how to evacuate a smoke filled building, basic first aid, disaster psychology, hazardous materials and terrorism awareness. At the conclusion of the course, disaster preparedness backpack kits will be provided free to all participants.

Upon successful completion of the course, graduates are eligible for and encouraged to join the Wilton CERT organization. As part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Wilton CERT regularly provides assistance to the town and its first responders at large emergency incidents and public events. Wilton CERT has performed a broad range of deployment activities, including traffic and crowd control duties, search and rescue for missing persons, staffing Wilton’s COVID-19 vaccination clinics, emergency shelter, and distributing emergency food and water as and when required.

The class begins Tuesday, Feb. 1, and will run two times each week for four weeks on Tuesday and Thursday evenings via Zoom. Interested persons should register as soon as possible. Please visit the Wilton CERT website for information and to register online. Course participants must be 16 years or older, however those wishing to join CERT must be at least 18. There is no cost for this training.

For further information, reach out to Wilton CERT via email.