Kirkwood Police and Fire Invite Residents to Sign up for CERT Training

After the 2011 tornado in Joplin, many Kirkwood and St. Louis-area residents asked how they could help the people of Joplin.  Many people just wanted to do something.  In Kirkwood and across the country, Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) provide an outlet for citizens to get involved and do just that.  The Fall 2013 CERT class in Kirkwood is taking applications now.

The CERT program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help.

Kirkwood’s CERT volunteers have helped out during major storms that caused widespread power outages, by responding to phone calls and inquiries from residents.  They help staff the EOC (Emergency Operations Center) during situations such as that, and sometimes they get hundreds of calls during a power outage.  They also help out with the twice-yearly Drug Take Back Day that the Kirkwood Police Department runs in partnership with the DEA.

Registration is Now Open for this Fall's CERT Class!  The class begins October 7.  Interested citizens can learn more about the program the City of Kirkwood’s Website, kirkwoodmo.org, under Departments / Police / CERT.  They can also call Kirkwood Community Relations Police Officer Jim Cox at 314-822-5868.