Members of Jasper County’s Community Emergency Response Team underwent basic training this past weekend at the Jasper County Emergency Management Agency Office in Newton. Director Jamey Robinson says communities often rely on trained volunteers when disasters occur, and the training that was just completed strengthens the volunteers’ ability to respond.

“With the Community Emergency Response Team, it is a group of volunteers that come together in a time of need to assist other emergency responders. As an example, in the past, I have dealt with a roof that was blown off a government facility. Instead of tying up our law enforcement by blocking those roads so that people aren’t driving through, by using Cert members to block that off, it allows law enforcement to do what they still need to do.”

Robinson helped form a CERT team in Mahaska County, where he worked before coming to Jasper County. He says CERT members can also help with search and rescue, clear debris from natural disasters, and assist at an Emergency Operation Center. The training this past weekend included working through various disaster scenarios, how to operate as a team, and practicing CPR.