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	CERT PROFILE *Wendy Dippel, CERT Member, Edgewater, Florida* You have heard of them. You see them from time to time running in the streets like ants with their orange hard hats, orange tee shirts and their steel-toed boots. They are not playing games. They have given of their time and their monies to practice, qualify in CPR and study Search and Rescue Tactics and maybe someday save your life.
Everyone knows how taxed and understaffed the Edgewater Fire Department is. Try as they might, there is no way they would be able to handle all the calls and cries for help if we ever did suffer a Category 3 or 4 hurricane and the tornadoes that may come with it. People would be left waiting, as the CERT Team knows it would be on a worst needs first basis. They found this out in California when they had their last earthquakes and you also know how much larger and better equipped and staffed they were. It still wasn't enough. Andrew taught us all just what can happen. California is just where CERT began. To begin with CERT does not have anything to do with the Homeowners Association. CERT was developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is intended to help citizens prepare themselves to safely take care of their families and neighbors after a disaster occurs. To quote our former Fire Chief Bill Vola, "Edgewater Fire-Rescue's two on-duty personnel and daily average of seven volunteers is severely understaffed in comparison with our service population of 18,000." There are many activities that go on at our Clubhouse and these are enjoyed by all. Now that we are larger, the demands on the Clubhouse are a lot heavier, there will have to be some sharing of facilities. None of these activities have the capability of saving lives as CERT does.
	Hard hats off to all the graduated CERT team members. They have given a lot to protect us and will continue to, keeping their CPR ratings current and their training abreast of the times and conditions. I'm glad they all bought their CB radios to communicate with their boss, the Edgewater Fire Department, and take their instructions. Yes, my husband, Stan, and I are members of that very same CERT team and very proud of what we all have accomplished. You, as residents, should be too.
The above article by Wendy Dipple was written for the homeowners' newsletter "The Pelican's Pouch" in October 1996. Wendy is a charter member of CERT. Over the years she has been very active and presently is our P.I.O. and Secretary. Some things have changed in CERT and the Edgewater Fire/Rescue since 1996. In January 1998 Tracey Barlow was appointed Chief of the Edgewater Fire/Rescue. Under Chief Barlow's leadership we increased our career manpower to 21 and increased our volunteer and support group to 34. We are an Advanced Life Support Fire Department and built a new fire station. The CERTs have expanded to 72 members and is a top-notch disaster response group. The have proven to be a valuable resource for the citizens of Edgewater and an outstanding asset to the Edgewater Fire/Rescue. (See CERT article in the Fall 1999-2000 issue of "The Connection" Volume 2 Number 1)

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