The City of Auburn Emergency Management Office announced the addition of 16 new members to the area’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), bringing the total number of graduates in the local program to 197.

The new class graduated from the area’s 11th CERT course. The class consisted of three-hour classes every Thursday for six weeks and two – four hour drills on Saturday mornings. The class started on April 9 and ended May 16 with a hands-on practical exercise inside the now closed Mel’s Lumber in Auburn.

Graduates included community members from Auburn, Pacific, Enumclaw and unincorporated King County.

Graduates of the class included: Bill Bell of unincorporated King County, John & Will Cadra, Kim Cook, Taraz French, Kathy Jackson, Lori LIppert, Tom O’Brien, Julie Pederson, Phillip Perincheril, Char & Richard Shaw, Doug Rutherford and Susan Vande Voort of Auburn, Roger Graham of Pacific and Sandy Parker of Enumclaw.

ABOUT CERT TRAINING

CERT training is comprised of 24-plus hours of classroom education and hands-on practice in topics including disaster preparedness, emergency management, fire safety / suppression, disaster medical operations, light search and rescue, disaster communication, disaster psychology, and all-hazards identification and awareness.

Graduates have the opportunity to become registered emergency workers with their respective cities and the State of Washington, allowing them to aid in local and regional disasters. Graduates also have the opportunity to participate in local and regional continuing education activities, including training and field exercises. Courses are sponsored by the White River Valley Citizen Corps Council and taught by fire and emergency management professionals from the cities of Auburn, Pacific, and the Valley Regional Fire Authority.