Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department
4100 Chain Bridge Rd, Fairfax, Virginia 22030
Phone: 703-246-3801, TTY: 711 and Fax:703-385-1687
Duty PIO (Weekends/After-hours): 703-280-0694
Media Information Line: 703-324-3000
Email: fire-rescue.PIO-LSE@fairfaxcounty.gov
Website: www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fire

06/05/2007

Community Emergency Response Team Exercise

A Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) exercise is scheduled for 11:30 a.m., Saturday, June 9, 2007, at the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy. The exercise is a culmination of the 30-hour Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) standard course designed to train residents from the community to be better prepared to assist emergency personnel during disasters, both natural and manmade.

The exercise will evaluate an individual’s ability to use their skills to respond and assess structural damage and locate, treat, and rescue victims until first responders arrive on scene. Participants will include Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department personnel, Police Department personnel, and over 150 victims.

Since March 2007, approximately 70 community members have been undergoing the training. The CERT class also include: Northern Virginia residents, Falls Church High School students, and Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Venture Scouts.

For more information, call Daniel L. Schmidt or Lieutenant Raúl G. Castillo, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, 703-246-3801 and TTY 711. Fairfax County is committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in all county programs, services and activities. Reasonable accommodations will be provided upon request.