RED BANK — In a post-9/11 world, knowing know what to do in an emergency situation and being able to react appropriately to help yourself or neighbors is of paramount importance.
Having completed the training and all the requirements of the course, Wesleyan Arms’ CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) graduates are prepared to help in emergency situations involving their neighbors as well as the entire community.
Five residents and five staff members of Wesleyan Arms, 9 Wall St., Red Bank, have completed the eight -session CERT for Seniors certification course.
With fellow residents, family and friends in attendance, the CERT graduates were honored at a ceremony and luncheon April 21 at the senior housing facility’s Community Room.
Residents Ghordenbhai Patel, Marylyn Richter, Rose Russo, Cecilia Santiago and Charlotte Terry and staff members Gertrude Kehleay, Dee Carmichael, Mary Patichio, Jim McGuinness and Kevin Rhoads received certificates and a pin.
They were congratulated by guests, including James C. Batten, president, United Methodist Homes; Ed Peloquin, domestic preparedness coordinator, New Jersey Association of Homes and Services for the Aging; Steve McCarthy, chief of police, Red Bank; and Joann Harrison, sergeant first class, New Jersey State Police.
The residents and staff are now trained to assist each other in an emergency and know how to assist others to remain self-sufficient for 72 hours in a large-scale emergency.
Each graduate received a green canvas CERT bag of essential tools: flashlight, batteries, pad and pencil, safety goggles, helmet, baseball cap, vest, dust mask and a special, lightweight multitask emergency tool that can be used to shut off water and gas valves, pry open windows and doors, axe through drywall and glass, hammer and dig. The curricula included Disaster Preparedness, Fire Safety, Disaster Medical Operations-Parts 1 & 2, Light Search and Rescue Operations,
CERT Organization, Disaster Psychology, Terrorism & CERT, and finally Course Review & Disaster Simulation.
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to Ellie Kinsey, vice president operations, United Methodist Homes, “The Homes, which owns and operates Wesleyan Arms, has a strong commitment Homes began its training in 1998. We have implemented an All Hazard Emergency and Preparedness Plan statewide in all of our 10 senior communities and have improved it each year through exercises and drills in conjunction with our local, county and state emergency response partners. We appreciate and thank them for their planning, participation and time.”
Citizen Corps, FEMA’s initiative to bring together government and community leaders to involve citizens in all-hazards emergency preparedness and resilience, funds the CERT program. CERT for Seniors is a standardized program developed for the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Fire Administration and the Emergency Management Institute by Human Technology.