North Aurora offers volunteer disaster-response training
North Aurora is starting a community emergency response team to help the town should disaster strike.
Training begins in April, according to a police department news release.
It will teach basic disaster-response skills, so people can then help others at their workplaces or in their neighborhoods when professional responders aren’t available.
The topics are disaster preparedness, disaster fire suppression, disaster medical operations, light search-and-rescue operations, disaster psychology and team organization, and a course review and disaster simulation.
The free classes will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, April 1 through May 13, at the North Aurora Police Department, 200 S. Lincolnway.
Students must be at least 18 years old, and preference will be given to village residents.
The course is co-sponsored by the Kane County Office of Emergency Management and the North Aurora Fire Protection District.
After completing the course, students can apply to be on North Aurora’s first CERT. The team may be asked to help first responders during disasters, other emergencies, or during planned events such as parades and festivals.
Course applications are available at the police department from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays. It can also be downloaded at vil.north-aurora.il.us/forms.aspx.
For more information, contact Deputy Chief Scott Buziecki at (630) 897-8705, ext. 752, or email sbuziecki@vil.north-aurora.il.us.
Other nearby towns that have CERTs are Aurora, West Chicago, Naperville, Elburn and Elgin.