New Lenox Offers Free Disaster Preparedness Training

NEW LENOX, IL — The village of New Lenox will host a Community Emergency Response Team 20-hour basic course, which will start on Wednesday, Sept. 11. The village said the course is free and will be held on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the New Lenox Village Hall.

The final exercise and a graduation will then be held on Oct. 26 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

According to the village, the CERT program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations. Using their training, members can then assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.

You can apply for the class on the village website. The class size is limited to 40 and registration closes Sept. 9.