Tri Boro Cert: Palmyra Safety Day 2009

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Palmyra Safety Day 2009

Despite the weather conditions and the advanced warnings from the health department for group gatherings the Palmyra Safety Day went on as planned. Tri-Boro CERT had our team out there to try to explain what the CERT program is to as many people that came out for the day.This year's participants included for the event: Tom O'Donnell,Margaret Genzano,Cindi Vee, Sheila Reynolds, Joe Threston,Lisa Threston, Eileen Young, Coordinator Chuck Young. We were also fortunate to have representatives from the Palmyra Office of Emergency Management as well as the Palmyra Fire Marshall alongside us this year during the event.

Thank-you to all that participated during the event.

What is CERT

The eight-week, 20-hour CERT training program is part of the nationwide Citizen Corps program, which organizes volunteer resources to respond to natural disasters.

The program is designed to train people in basic disaster response skills such as fire safety and search and rescue.

“It's important that people know how to prepare for these kinds of things, what to do in certain situations and what they can do to help their neighbor. The first moments following a disaster are crucial.”

CERT volunteers give critical support to first-responders in emergencies and provide immediate assistance to victims during disasters when traditional emergency services resources may be delayed.

Team members are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.

Trainees will receive basic training in such areas as first aid, family disaster preparedness, fire suppression and light search-and-rescue operations. As part of the training, they will participate in a disaster simulation.

To be eligible for training, residents must be at least 18 years old and possess a valid New Jersey driver's license.

Our Mission Statement

It is our mission to bring community and government leaders together to coordinate the involvement of community members in emergency preparedness, planning, mitigation, response and recover.
To help protect lives, property and the environment within the Tri-Boro area. (Or other location when/if needed).
CERT volunteers give critical support to First-Responders in emergencies and provide immediate assistance to victims during disasters when traditional emergency services resources may be delayed.
Team members are encouraged to support Emergency Response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.

What is Skywarn?

The effects of severe weather are felt every year by many Americans. To obtain critical weather information, the National Weather Service established SKYWARN, a volunteer program with over 230,000 trained severe weather spotters. These volunteers help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the National Weather Service.
Although SKYWARN spotters provide essential information for all types of weather hazards, the main responsibility of a SKYWARN spotter is to identify and describe severe local storms. In the average year, 10,000 severe thunderstorms, 5,000 floods and more than 1,000 tornadoes occur across the United States. These events threatened lives and property. Since the program started in the 1970s, the information provided by SKYWARN spotters, coupled with Doppler radar technology, improved satellite and other data, has enabled the weather service to issue more timely and accurate warnings for tornadoes, severe thunderstorms. SKYWARN storm spotters are part of the ranks of citizens who form the Nation's first line of defense against severe weather. There can be no finer reward than to know that their efforts have given communities the precious gift of time-seconds and minutes that can help save lives.

Who is Eligible?
NWS encourages anyone with an interest in public service and access to communication, such HAM radio, to join the SKYWARN program. Volunteers include police and fire personnel, dispatchers, EMS workers, public utility workers and other concerned private citizens. Individuals affiliated with hospitals, schools, churches, nursing homes or who have a responsibility for protecting others are also encouraged to become a spotter.

How Can I Get Involved?
Each year, classes are offered on the basics of thunderstorm development, fundamentals of storm structure, identifying potential severe weather features, how to report information and basic severe weather safety. Classes are free and typically are about three hours long.