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Newport News calling for emergency response volunteers

The Newport News Division of Emergency Management is looking for people to volunteer to join their Community Emergency Response Team.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WVEC) — The Newport News Division of Emergency Management is looking for volunteers to join their CERT, Community Emergency Response Team, team.

The Operations Coordinator Dana Perry said volunteers are trained in life-saving skills in order to help respond during emergency disasters.

"Unfortunately during disasters, emergency responders may be overwhelmed or unable to reach you. Citizens really have to know what to do in order to help themselves, their family, and neighbors until professional help can arrive," said Perry.

Perry said this time volunteers will be the first to complete online training at their convenience from home and on their own schedule with a new module she developed.

"We have taken the previous way of teaching this class from nearly three hours of lecture and powerpoint slides in class to providing it online. We had to find a way to deliver the training a little more efficiently and make it more convenient for someone to learn at home," said Perry.

Participants will learn the principles of disaster preparedness, medical operations, fire safety, disaster psychology, light search and rescue, terrorism and CERT. Perry said while disaster may not happen every day when they do you need to know how to respond.

"You never know if you're going to be the person standing there who can either make a difference in life or death for someone. Or you're watching someone bleed out or have a heart attack, and not know what to do," said Perry.

There is no cost to residents to take the CERT course, but there is a cost to the City of Newport News for the online training. Enrollment is open to all Newport News residents 18 or over who complete a background check. The class size is limited to no more than 25 students.

To register, contact Emergency Operations Coordinator, Dana Perry, at 757-509-1125 or by email at dperry@nnva.gov.

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