MONTICELLO, FL — In rural Jefferson County, when emergencies strike, neighbors are stepping up to save lives before first responders can arrive.
- Jefferson County's CERT program trains residents to respond to emergencies amid delays in professional help.
- Recent flooding events highlight the importance of community preparedness.
- Watch the video below to learn what skills CERT volunteers are trained in.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
When disaster strikes in rural areas, professional help can be miles away.
“Our role is to support the first responder, so we’re trying to get in there and be the hands and legs to help them be more efficient at their job,” CERT Program Manager Bob Jones said.
I’m Lentheus Chaney, your Monticello neighborhood reporter, speaking to officials and volunteers about why Jefferson County is training residents to respond fast to emergencies.
The Jefferson County Community Emergency Response Team — CERT — launches a new training round this month. Backed by local authorities, it equips volunteers with vital skills.
From first aid to fire mitigation, light search and rescue, and incident management — CERT closes the critical gap before professional reinforcements can arrive in remote areas.
CERT volunteers like Patricia Carnell say having neighbors trained to respond can make a life-saving difference.
“That is exactly what we’re about because it is a volunteer base, and what you’re doing is you’re training your community to help support one another in ways that maybe the resources aren’t there at the immediate level, at the county level,” Carnell said.
And with the kind of deadly flooding currently happening in Texas, emergency response and recovery efforts can take time to mobilize.
CERT Program Manager Bob Jones says that local volunteers are critical.
“When something unforeseen happens like the floods in Texas, the faster we can get in there and help the people on the ground help people that they’re suffering the better we are,” Jones said.
I spoke by phone with neighbor and future CERT volunteer Betsy Upchurch, who lives between Waukeenah and Wacissa. She says her neighbors already look out for one another, but signing up for the upcoming CERT training is the best way she can serve the surrounding rural communities.
“My excitement is to be involved and I love helping people that's all I've ever done all my life in this way we can make a difference and then we can spread it further,” Upchurch said.
And despite recent federal cutbacks to FEMA funds, Jones says for now Jefferson County’s CERT program remains fully operational. CERT training begins July 15.
In Monticello, Lentheus Chaney, ABC27.
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