Media Release

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL - The Alachua County Public Safety Departments' Emergency Management Division has begun enrolling citizens for its Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program.  The next CERT class begins on Tuesday, March 2, 2010 and runs through April 13, 2010.  All classes are on Tuesday evenings, and each session runs from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Classes are held at the Alachua County Emergency Operations Center located at 1100 SE 27th Street in Gainesville.  The registration deadline is February 26, 2010.

"It is never too early to begin preparing for the 2010 Hurricane Season," Emergency Management Chief David Donnelly said, "and there's no better way than to attend the CERT program.  CERT teaches citizens how to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters."

The seven-week class is free-of-charge to the public and covers the following topics:

• Disaster Preparedness
• Fire Safety
• Disaster Medical Operations
• Light Search and Rescue Operations
• CERT Organization and Disaster Psychology
• Terrorism and CERT

If you miss the deadline, or cannot make it to the classes listed above, there are two more classes scheduled  this year beginning June 1, 2010, and September 7, 2010.

Registration  is available online at:  http://assets2.alachuacounty.us/CERTapplication/ .  

For more information, call Emergency Management at 325-264-6500.