Daisy Mountain Fire volunteer team receives $42,000 in grants
Money earmarked for emergency and disaster preparedness

by Jennifer Krahe                    

NORTH VALLEY – The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) of the Northern Maricopa Citizen Corps, formed to provide training for public assistance during emergency/disaster situations, has received three grants totaling $42,000 from the Department of Homeland Security.

Facilitated by the Daisy Mountain Fire Department (DMFD), these grants are classified as reimbursement grants, meaning the funds must be spent by CERT first and then, with proper documentation, the federal government reimburses 75 percent of the monies spent. The grantee is responsible for the remaining 25 percent.

The Citizen Corps is comprised of four bodies: CERT, the Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS),  the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) and the Fire Corps (FC).

The CERT program was started by the Los Angeles Fire Department in 1985. Training consists of two‑and‑a‑half‑hour sessions one evening a week over seven weeks, focusing on disaster preparedness, fire suppression, medical treatment, light search and rescue techniques, disaster psychology and team organization, course review and disaster simulation.

“CERT training enables individuals, families and communities to take care of themselves and others” during a major emergency or disaster situation, said Nancy Selleys, a member of the Daisy Mountain Kiwanis board of directors. CERT and other Citizen Corps programs are subsidized by the U.S. government or are designated as nonprofit organizations. Grants are a large part of their funding. 

“There’s a certain amount of money available to the states and allocated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),” explained Capt. Dennis Tyrrell, public information officer of DMFD. Homeland Security divvied up $380,000 it had given to Arizona among the counties. The CERT team of Northern Maricopa Citizen Corps applied for three grants and received money for all three, totaling $42,000. 

The team received $750 for CERT kits (personal protection equipment, helmets, gloves and  flashlights). The second grant, worth $1,875, was requested in order to send two CERT members to the Citizen Corps conference. CERT members who attend the national conference, which Tyrrell described as a “train‑the‑trainer” event, come back prepared to train other CERT members. The third grant of $39,375 was for a mobile training and demonstrating apparatus–a trailer for transporting training materials to different sites.

“We explained that we are in a mostly rural area and we needed a training module by way of a trailer,” Selleys said. “It’s able to be towed behind a truck and be taken to communities and schools. During an emergency situation, we have it deployed with supplies.”

“It is important to point out that the Daisy Mountain CERT team has been deployed in at least two major events,” Tyrell reported. “During the Cave Creek Complex fire, they helped with evacuations and getting information out to the community. The CERT team was also sent to the Coliseum–folks from (hurricane) Katrina were staying there.” 

CERT is intended for community groups such as Neighborhood Watch, workplace groups, scouting organizations and others who meet regularly for a common purpose.  CERT welcomes people from all walks of life, and the training is free. The only requirement is that the individuals involved are at least 18 years old.  “It doesn’t matter if you’re retired, handicapped,  black, white or green,” Selleys stated. “CERT training is a valuable resource and is easily accessible.”

Selleys, who says the team is having trouble filling up training classes, is adamant about getting the community involved.

“You’d think that free information on how to save your family and your life would be going like hotcakes,” she said. “It’s free! Why would anyone want to turn down free schooling?”

For more information on CERT, visit www.daisymountainfire.org call (623) 465‑7400.