The City of Auburn Emergency Management Office announced the addition of 29 new members to the area’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), bringing the total number of graduates in the local program to 305.
The 29 new members graduated from the area’s 16th CERT course.
The class consisted of three-hour classes each Tuesday for six weeks and two four-hour drills on Saturday mornings. The class started Oct. 5 and ended Nov. 13 with a hands-on practical exercise simulating an earthquake in Auburn.
Graduates included community members from Algona, Auburn, Bellevue, Des Moines, Graham, Kent, Milton, Pacific, and Sumner.
Graduates of the class were: Espy Varela of Algona, Eddie Melrose, William Jarvis, Janice Goodman, Joseph Pasquini, Vicki Freelund, Shannon Tiegs, Brian Doran, Jonathan Miller, KellyAnn Jensen, David Halverson, Eric Johnson, Diana Johnson, John Gallacher, Jim Chambers, Carroll Wagner, Hannah Harrow, Eva Tuxbury, and Keith Blaisdell of Auburn, Sean Greenfield of Bellevue, Claudia Roberts and Rebecca Huntsman of Des Moines, Anthony Schneider of Graham, Michelle Koven of Kent, Patsie Johnson of Milton, Loni Fischer and Florence Shockley of Pacific, Christopher McElroy and Susan Griffin of Sumner.
CERT training is comprised of 24-plus hours of classroom education and hands-on practice in topics including disaster preparedness, emergency management, fire safety / suppression, disaster medical operations, light search and rescue, disaster communication, disaster psychology and all-hazards identification and awareness.
Graduates have the opportunity to become registered emergency workers with their respective cities and the State of Washington, allowing them to aid in local and regional disasters. Graduates also have the opportunity to participate in local and regional continuing education activities, including training and field exercises. Courses are sponsored by the White River Valley Citizen Corps Council and taught by fire and emergency management professionals from the cities of Auburn, Pacific, and the Valley Regional Fire Authority.
