Ashland’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) continues to promote community preparedness through diverse community-based hands-on disaster ready training. Trainees will be able to use the knowledge and skills obtained during the free intensive training to rescue the injured, treat injuries, transport injured safely, and assist patients with coping and with extended care in a disaster or other major emergency. Local schools participate by encouraging students to sign up for a disaster victim role. The students are given specific injury roles including life-like characteristics in acting out that role with make-up, fake blood, props, and screaming providing a life-like situation for trainees.  
Fall session trainees will be immersed in a disaster earthquake simulation this Saturday, October 19 beginning 1:00-4:00pm at 90 N. Mountain Ave. The simulated incident emulates an eruption of the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
CERT is a community-based program with a mission and core competency of preparing our community to endure disasters through resiliency only attainable by having the proper understanding of disaster basics and how to be prepared before disaster strikes.
Created in 1999 after the community experienced a severe flood on New Year’s Day 1997. Ashland's CERT program has trained more than 880 volunteers to be better prepared during disaster, making Ashland's CERT program one of the most successful in the nation, according to CERT officials. 
For more information contact Ashland CERT at 541-552-2226   www.ashlandcert.org
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