Winter 2004                                             Volume 7    Issue 1

The New Jersey State Police Office of Emergency Management in conjunction with FEMA Region II and the New York City Office of Emergency Management, coordinated CERT training for employees of Ellis and Liberty Island.  The program was sponsored by the National Park Service and the US Park Police and attracted 35 employees that represented the islands and the Circle Line ferry boat.  The CERT training took place on March 23, March 30 and April 6th. On the last day of training the team had to complete a disaster simulation exercise that consisted of fire suppression, search and rescue, medical operations and cribbing.  All successfully completed the training and a formal graduation was held.  The CERT team will be prepared in time for the reopening of the Statue of Liberty for tourists this summer.

Assisting with the training were the New Jersey State Police, New Jersey Task Force One (Urban Search and Rescue Team), New Jersey Department of Corrections, Middlesex County Fire Academy, New York Chapter of the American Red Cross, New Jersey Department of Agriculture, and volunteer members of the Bergen County CERT team.  The National Park Service intends to send several of their employees to the New Jersey State Police Office of Emergency Management CERT train-the-trainer course to have them certified to coordinate and manage a CERT course on their own and meet the demand of additional employees that want to take the training.

Thanks to the tremendous support of FEMA Region II and our sponsors this training was able to take place.  New Jersey provided all graduates with their CERT equipment bag which contained; a helmet, goggles, work gloves, dust masks, flashlight, emergency tool and identification vest. Group pictures were taken with the Statue of Liberty and the New York skyline as a back drop.  CERT graduates left the program better prepared to safeguard themselves and their families and if needed the many who visit the historic sites of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. 

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