December First Thursday: Community Emergency Response Team

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 22, 2019

ST. HELENS, OR – Are you and your family prepared if a major wildfire sweeps through Columbia County next summer? Do you know what you would do if a devastating earthquake hits our area, leveling buildings and cutting off Columbia County from major emergency response assistance for days or weeks?

The St. Helens Police Department is hosting the St. Helens Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) at the Police Department’s monthly First Thursday community meeting. The meeting is at 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 5, in the Columbia Center auditorium, 375 S. 18th Street.

St. Helens CERT members will talk about the disaster training course offered to community members each year in St. Helens and the volunteer opportunities available to assist local and regional first responders after graduating the course.

The CERT concept was developed and implemented by the Los Angeles City Fire Department in 1985 to train civilians to meet the immediate emergency needs in their area following a disaster. After a major disaster, local first responders may not be able to meet the overwhelming demand for assistance in their area, and community members may have to rely on each other for help in order to meet immediate life-saving and life-sustaining needs until additional state and federal resources arrive.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) expanded on the CERT concept to develop a national program that outlines a clear plan for citizen involvement in all types of hazard situations.

The first St. Helens CERT training was held in 2005 and has been offered every year since then. The six-week course which is held each spring teaches community members about disaster preparedness, disaster fire suppression, disaster medical operations, light search and rescue operations, and disaster psychology and team organization. At the end of the classroom training, attendees practice the skills that they have learned in hands-on simulated situations.

First Thursday is a monthly community meeting with the St. Helens Police Department held on the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. A new topic is presented at each meeting related to community safety, crime prevention, police services, or seasonal-specific safety information. After a brief presentation, participants have the opportunity to ask St. Helens officers and presenters questions, find out what’s happening in St. Helens neighborhoods, and discuss any topics of concern with fellow community members and police.

The goal of First Thursday is to bring the St. Helens community and local law enforcement together once a month for meaningful conversation about the community. The meetings are an opportunity to make connections in the community, not just between police officers and residents, but also between neighbors.

The vision of the St. Helens Police Department is to provide professional police services that will secure public trust and keep our neighborhoods safe and free of crime. Our mission is to work with all citizens to make our city a place where people live safely and to promote individual responsibility and community commitment. 

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For further information regarding the St. Helens Police Department’s First Thursday program, please contact Communications Officer Crystal Farnsworth at crystalf@ci.st-helens.or.us or 503-366-8215.