Forsyth Residents Can Apply for Disaster Relief Training

Nobody likes to think that a disaster will strike in their community, but the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office wants to help county residents prepare for any such eventuality and train them how to become ”auxiliary responders” in case of emergency.

The next Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training program offered by the sheriff’s office will be held between Sept. 8 and Nov. 8. Classes will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. each Monday, with a final practical exam on Saturday, Nov. 8.

CERT training is designed to provide information and skills that will help individuals learn how to properly prepare for a disaster and how to effectively respond to the aftermath. The training program also teaches individuals how to assist others by teaching skills such as locating and shutting off utilities, performing triage, conducting searches in damaged buildings, and organizing response teams.

The program’s overall goal is to help ordinary citizens be useful to their friends, family, and associates in the immediate aftermath of a disaster without taking unnecessary and foolhardy risks.

Residents who are interested in applying for CERT training must download this application, complete it, and mail or hand deliver it to Deputy Pete Sabella at 475 Tribble Gap Road, Suite 200 Cumming, GA 30040.

Before submitting the application, applicants must obtain a copy of their background check from the Ordinance and Permits Office 475 Tribble Gap Road, Suite 225 for $15.

For further information on the program or to ask questions about the application process, please contact Sabella at 678-780-1524 or email at PJSabella@forsythco.com.