The City of Auburn Emergency Management Office announced the addition of 15 new members to the area’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), bringing the total number of graduates in the local program to 506.

The 15 new members graduated from the area’s 27th CERT course that included 24 intensive hours of training over six weeks. The training culminated in a hands-on practical exercise simulating an earthquake.

Graduates of the class included: Raymond Carolan, Karen Derrig, Kristen Drew-Manning, Donald Fadden, Edna Fadden, Mike Gooseman, William Humphries, Joetta Lee, Timothy Lindsey, Jaki McDonald, Edward Pawlowski, Amy Saunders and David White of Auburn; Bryan Thurman of Des Moines and Jeff Dong of Seattle.

The next CERT class is schedule to begin on Wednesday, May 22, running for six consecutive Wednesday evenings from 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. with the exception of two Saturday drills, which will be 8 a.m. to noon on June 8 and 29.

Space is still available, though pre-registration is required. Information and applications for classes may be found on the City of Auburn website at www.auburnwa.gov/disaster.

About CERT training

CERT training is comprised of 24 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 City of Auburn’s Office of Emergency Management and taught by fire and emergency management professionals from the cities of Auburn, Pacific, and the Valley Regional Fire Authority.