LANSING, MI — LANSING, Mich. — Lansing Emergency Management officials are hoping neighbors will step up to help keep their community safe by signing up for specialized basic training.
The one-week training course is for CERT, or the Community Emergency Response Team. This group of volunteers is trained to help in disasters and community events. But since 2020, the number of volunteers has dropped significantly.
"We had hundreds of people on the roster before COVID and now we're looking to build that number back up again," said Phillip Dowker, CERT volunteer.
The basic training brings neighbors into a classroom setting twice a week for the month of September, then they test out their skills in the field. Some of the skills they learn include CPR training and even firefighting.
Leaders with the CERT program in Lansing say volunteers will get various items inside of a backpack that they will use to help out in emergency situations.
"We have four categories that we use here in the United States. Black, red, yellow and green. Each one of those corresponds to a specific patient condition," said Charles Bonaparte, CERT volunteer.
William Engleter is the chief of Lansing's Emergency Management division. He says the CERT team plays a critical role in times of need.
"Our police agencies get out responding to things and our resources get stretched pretty thin. That's when our CERT really comes and makes an impact for us," said Engleter.
The last day to sign up for the training program is today.
The signup email is:
capitalareacert@gmail.com
"This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy."
