Daisy Mountain Fire offers disaster response training
Staff Report ~ 3/3/2010

Daisy Mountain Fire Department is offering Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. Developed by the Department of Homeland Security for Local Community Preparedness, this 24 hours of training is provided free of charge.
The class is tailored to the Phoenix area and more specifically, the Daisy Mountain communities. Training is open to anyone who is at least 18 years old.
Those interested should E-mail their name, address, phone number and E-mail to cert@daisymountainfire.org.
The first class is from 7 – 10 p.m. Thursday. Participants must attend all eight sessions to receive a certificate of completion. A ninth evening of class will be available for anyone who needs to makeup a missed class.
In 2004, Daisy Mountain Fire Department formed its own CERT to assist the communities of Anthem, Desert Hills and New River.
CERT training promotes a partnering effort between emergency services and the people that they serve. The goal is for emergency personnel to train members of neighborhoods, community organizations, or workplaces in basic response skills. CERT members are then integrated into the emergency response capability for their area.
If a disastrous event overwhelms or delays the community's professional response, CERT members can assist others by applying the basic response and organizational skills that they learned during training. These skills can help save and sustain lives following a disaster until help arrives.