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A <br />01\il \ZUNIT�' I- RESPOI\TSI�I TEA-M <br />CERT Coordinator Michelle Lakso <br />2009 was a strong training year for the <br />Community Emergency Response Team. <br />CERT welcomed and trained 28 new members <br />from around our communities. This brings the <br />total number of committed CERT volunteers to <br />67 members. These are people who live within <br />the communities of Centerville, Circle Pines, <br />and Lexington. <br />There was an opportunity for team members to come back and do some <br />review training beginning in December of 2009. This was a way to refresh <br />skills previously learned, but more importantly it was a way to make <br />connections between team members who came through training at different <br />times. Team building has become a priority as we work to integrate our <br />volunteers who come in throughout the year. <br />The CERT volunteers had several opportunities to assist with various drills <br />conducted by police and fire department personnel. Their main role was to <br />be "players" in the drills, mainly as people who were impacted by some sort <br />of accident or disaster. This has been a tremendous learning experience for <br />CERT members. They were able to observe how the professional responders <br />will react, and then learn from their observations and apply that to how a <br />volunteer with training would handle the situation. <br />CERT was also on -hand at city celebrations. The CERT members helped <br />out at the Lexington 5K run, and had a presence at the city festival. There <br />were CERT members helping at Centerville's 8K run last August as well. <br />CERT members worked throughout the year to educate family, neighbors, <br />and friends on the importance of preparing a kit for family survival, <br />discussing emergency plans, and getting involved with community <br />programs. <br />20 <br />39 <br />