Ridgefield Community Emergency Response Team Looking For New Recruits

RIDGEFIELD, CT — Ridgefield's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) will offer a four-part course for future CERTs on Oct. 8, 10, 15 and 17 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Emergency Operations Center at Yanity Gym, at 22 Prospect Street. A final, comprehensive hands-on training class will be held on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 8 a.m.

The Ridgefield CERT team is trained to the standards established by the Citizen Corps program put forward by the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency, and includes 20 hours of training.

Residents may email pio@ridgefieldoem.org to enroll or receive more information. Classes will be held on a first come basis and will be capped at 25 students.

CERT is a volunteer organization that serves the town in times of disaster, community emergencies and town-wide events such as the annual Main Street holiday lighting, the Fourth of July fireworks and the Ridgefield Triathlon. CERTs have supported Ridgefield'd Office of Emergency Management during many major storms and hurricanes, as well as during the pandemic.

Throughout the COVID crisis, CERTs ran the operations side of the vaccination clinic in support of RVNAhealth; delivered PPE so businesses could reopen; provided test kits to residents and businesses when none were available so that people could return to work, school, and activities; operated the Ridgefield Responds Rental Assistance Program; and provided daily pandemic updates, according to a news release from the OEM.

Today, CERTs provide storm preparedness information, support the town’s Emergency Operations Center, operate a phone information center, collect information and provide accurate and timely updates to the community, among other responsibilities.