The first UGA Community Emergency Response Team class will begin Oct. 15 at 3 p.m. in the room 275 of Miller Learning Center.
The UGA CERT program is an extension of the Athens-Clarke County CERT concept, which provides training on basic disaster medical operations, fire safety, light search and rescue, disaster psychology, terrorism preparedness, disaster organizational skills and an exercise component that will allow participants to practice the skills learned in the program.
The objective of the nine-week program is to create a cadre of well-informed, responsible individuals who will be able to utilize the skills learned in the CERT program to assist other faculty, staff and students on campus as well as their families during emergencies. In addition, UGA CERT participants will be used in campus and community drills and to assist in campuswide efforts to promote a culture of disaster preparedness.
The program is free and open to all interested faculty, staff and students. The class is limited to 25 participants who must attend each 2.5-hour class session to complete the program. In addition, UGA CERT program graduates will receive a backpack containing emergency preparedness equipment and an invitation to a formal graduation dinner as a part of the grant-funded program. A background check is a requirement to participate in the program. Additional details, class dates and the registration information and link may be found at www.osep.uga.edu/CERT/.