Emergency Response Training Beginning in Fairfield

Fairfield residents looking to make a difference in their community will soon have the chance to learn disaster preparedness and emergency response skills from the town’s emergency officials.

The Fairfield Office of Emergency Management and the Fairfield Citizen Corps Council will sponsor Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training beginning in March. CERT is a program of the Citizen Corps, a nationwide program supported by the US Department of Homeland Security and the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. 

The purpose of CERT and the Citizen Corps is to train community members in emergency preparedness to support local emergency responders as volunteers for disaster relief and community safety. CERT operates under the direction of the Town of Fairfield Emergency Management, according to Assistant Chief Christopher Tracy.

“This training is very important, because in the case of a big storm or natural disaster, the CERT trained residents are the ones that often help staff and prepare the community shelters,” said Tracy.

The training is free and applicants must be at least 18 years of age.  The training program will take place Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. from Mar. 1 – Mar. 29. 

For more information residents should contact Norma Peterson, Coordinator, Fairfield Citizen Corps Council, at citizencorps@optonline.net or (203) 255-3554.  Forms can also be picked up at the Fairfield Fire Department Headquarters, 140 Reef Road in Fairfield.