By Mary Welander
State Rep., D-114
Mary Welander
It all started about a year ago when I stopped by the Community Emergency Response Team tent at the Orange Country Fair. While talking with some of the team members, I happened to see a sign up for more information. Thinking of my husband’s activities and interests I quickly jotted his name down and then continued on to enjoy the day.
I will admit that I forgot about that action…until my husband received a call from the Assistant Director of Emergency Services, Tino Russo, a few months later.
Tino: “Matt! There is a spot for you in the upcoming CERT training class if you’re still interested.”
Matt: “Thank you, Tino, but I have no idea what you are talking about. I didn’t sign up.”
Me: “Oh wait! That was me! I think you would really enjoy it!”
Matt: “Well, I guess I am interested.”
Everyone laughs.
All joking aside, Matt did take the course and really enjoyed it. He graduated with over a dozen other residents of Orange and other surrounding towns recently after a nine-week course. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but it was eye-opening to me to see just how long and intensive the training was for this volunteer role, and level of commitment from the experts and professionals who helped with instruction.
Funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, CERT was started in California in 1985. Orange’s CERT is an organization that works to support local emergency services in times of crisis, like after hurricanes Sandy and Irene. The members also serve important roles in keeping the public safe at many community events. You have probably seen them in their neon yellow shirts at events at the community center, or helping with traffic and pedestrian safety at the haunted firehouse in the fall. Or perhaps they also helped you, as they did me, through the process of getting a COVID vaccine at the clinics held at High Plains Community Center just a few years ago.
There are so many ways that our community is made better and safer through training and responding efforts that most of us will never see. I said this the night of the CERT graduation, but I want to restate it now for a broader audience and direct it not just to CERT, but also to our first responders and all other organizations in Orange:
Thank you for taking the time out of your busy lives and away from your friends and families to put in the effort and time to support our town and the areas beyond. We may not see everything, but it is all so very much appreciated.
You can find more information about CERT and other ways to get involved in town at orange-ct.gov. As always, if I can be of help, please reach out to me at mary.welander@cga.ct.gov.