Sussex County Citizen Corps to hold two-day class in March 2015

The Sussex County Citizen Corps Council, in conjunction with the Delaware Citizen Corps Council, will offer a free, two-day disaster preparedness class for anyone interested in learning how to assist their community before, during and after a disaster. The class will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 6, 2015, and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 7, 2015. Classes will be held at the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center, 21911 Rudder Lane, Georgetown, DE.

The classes are open to any county resident 18 and older who has an interest in emergency preparedness and community service.

Created in 2002 by President George W. Bush as a response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, Citizen Corps provides everyday people an opportunity to learn how to respond to disasters, whether man-made or natural, and use that training to support public safety. Sussex County adopted a volunteer Citizen Corps program in 2007.

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training is designed to help citizens help themselves and their neighbors before first responders arrive and, in some cases, assist them when the emergency system becomes overwhelmed. CERT is not a replacement for 911, rather it trains citizens to help each other safely in the event emergency services are unavailable. Training includes: disaster preparedness, fire safety, disaster medical operations, light search and rescue operations, CERT organization, disaster psychology, and terrorism awareness.

For more information on CERT, please visit FEMA's website.