BAMBERG, S.C. - Fourteen volunteers are now trained in basic disaster survival and rescue skills as members of Bamberg County's Community Emergency Response Team.

Eva Manigault, Bamberg County CERT community coordinator, said the program's first graduation was held Aug. 23 at the J. Carl Kearse Agricultural Building in Bamberg.

The CERT members completing the training were Marlo Brown, Anissa Gordon, Teresa Hannibal, Helene Kirkland, Nannie Manigault, Sand Manigo, Juanita Murdock, Yvonne Murdock, Marolyn Moody, Emma Orr, Samella Porter, Sherry Thompson, Crystal Welcome and Dianne Williams.

On hand for the graduation ceremony were Colleen Mixson, Citizen Corps coordinator, South Carolina Emergency Management Division, Columbia, and Sharon Hammond, Bamberg County Emergency Services director.

The second class of six CERT members got started on Tuesday, Aug. 21. The members in that class are Anna Chappelle, Deloris Chatman, Bervay Carter, Lewis Middleton, Alzena Robinson and Leo Roberts.

The Community Emergency Response Team concept was developed and implemented by the City of Los Angeles Fire Department in 1985. They recognized that citizens would likely be on their own during the early stages of a catastrophic disaster. Accordingly, LAFD decided that some basic training in disaster survival and rescue skills would improve the ability of citizens to survive until responders or other assistance could arrive.

The training program that the LAFD initiated proved to be so beneficial that the Federal Emergency Management Agency felt that the concept and the program should be made available to communities nationwide. In 1994, the Emergency Management Institute, in cooperation with the LAFD, expanded the CERT material to make them applicable to all hazards.

In 2003, President Bush asked all Americans to volunteer in the service of their country. The Citizens Corps program was created to spearhead this effort to harness the power of every individual through education, training and volunteer service to make communities safer, stronger and better prepared to respond to the threats of terrorism, crime, public health issues and disasters of all kinds. CERT was selected as one of the primary programs offered to the American public to meet this challenge.

The Bamberg County Emergency Services Office received a Homeland Security grant through which the county hired Manigault as community coordinator. One of her responsibilities is to train residents to help themselves, family members and neighbors during an emergency or disaster.

"The greatest good for the greatest number of people" is the CERT Motto.

Classes were held over a period of time from July 16 through Aug. 23. The training included disaster preparedness, fire safety, disaster medical operations, pandemic flu and light search-and-rescue operations.

Consultants assisting in the training included Govan Fire Chief Mike Epperson, Paramedics Martha Hammett and John Pitman of the Bamberg Rescue Squad and Sharon Hammond, Bamberg County Emergency Services director.

For more details about CERT, contact Eva Manigault, community coordinator, Bamberg County Community Emergency Response Team, at 803-245-4313 803-539-5698 or e-mail her at evabambergcert@bellsouth.net.

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