Be prepared for disaster - Attend a free CERT course next month

The Eatonville Community Emergency Response Team is hosting a three-day course on community safety and disaster preparedness for residents for free. 

CERT classes are aimed to prepare residents in the South Pierce Fire and Rescue District for disasters, according to a CERT news release. The classes follow a model developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and are offered in cities across the county. 

"The idea behind this model is to teach (residents) in all communities how to help each other int he first few minutes, hours and possibly days following a disaster before emergency responders are able to get to us to render professional help," the news release states. 

The course contains a series of eight classes spanning over 22 hours of learning time for three Saturdays in a row. An open-book test is given on the third day and those who pass the test receive a certificate of completion. 

Class schedules include; 
• Community preparedness, fire safety and extinguishers, and disaster medical one from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 20. 
•Disaster medical two, light search and rescue, and CERT organization and incident command from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 27. 
•Disaster psychology, terrorism and the open book test beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 4. 

All classes are free and will be hosted at Home Spun Ministries Chapel, 37117 103rd Ave. St. E., Eatonville. 

For more information and to register for classes email ldorothy@spfr.org or call Chaplain Larry Dorothy at 253-888-2563.