Northwest to host crisis response course

In the News

MARYVILLE, Mo. — Northwest Missouri State University’s Emergency and Disaster Management program will host Community Emergency Response Team training in March.

The free program is open to students, Northwest staff, and members of the general public.

CERT is a nationwide program sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Northwest CERT operates under the auspices of campus’ emergency management coordinator.

Classes will take place in room 3520 of the Garrett-Strong Science Building and other university facilities at the following times: 6-10 p.m. Thursday, March 9; 6-10 p.m. Friday, March 10; 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, March 11; and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, March 12.

To register, email Peter Adam, assistant professor of biology, at [email protected].

The four-session course is designed to educate citizens about disaster preparedness and introduces participants to basic crisis response skills, including fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and medical operations.

Trainers include Mark Corson, professor of geography, and John Carr, instructor of emergency management. Corson and Carr helped found Northwest’s EDM program and have conducted disaster response training in the United States and abroad.

Membership in Northwest CERT is open to all university employees and students as well as community members age 18 years and older. Members must have completed the 24-hour basic CERT training course.

There are three membership levels:

• Associate member. Available for emergency callout only.
• Full team member. Participates in training at least twice a year, participates in event support missions, available for emergency callout.
• Leadership team member: Serves on Northwest CERT Advisory Committee, may serve on Northwest CERT staff, participates or conducts training at least twice a year, participates in event support missions, available for emergency callout.

In addition to assisting with campus and community disaster response efforts and providing event support, Northwest CERT works with the Nodaway County Ambulance District Mass Casualty Response Squad to maintain and deploy a medical operations facility capable of treating up to 100 patients.

For more information about becoming a Northwest CERT member, email Corson at [email protected] or Carr at [email protected].