(MARCH 25, 2025) — Fourteen Cherokee County residents recently graduated from the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, an initiative led by the Cherokee Emergency Management Agency to equip citizens with critical disaster preparedness skills.

The CERT program is an all-hazard training course designed to help citizens protect themselves, their families, and their communities in emergency situations. Local government agencies prepare for everyday emergencies, but large-scale disasters can overwhelm conventional emergency services. CERT provides community members with the skills necessary to respond effectively in these situations while ensuring their own safety.

Program graduates included: Rachel Meece, Lois Zellman, Tim Sweatt, Jacqueline Loovis, Julie Davis, Alison Arisohn, Daniel Meece, Harry Moats, Robert Young, Trevor Dallier, Luther Boyett Jr., David Hazen, John Jacobs Jr., and Dennis Kosmetatos.

“This training has equipped us with skills that will not only help to prevent panic if any kind of emergency happens but also has also provided us with knowledge that will help our community,” said Rachel Meece. “One of the worst things in an emergency situation is the unknown and feeling helpless.  I highly recommend this training to learn practical and perhaps life-saving skills to assist your loved ones and nearby neighbors”

CERT training empowers individuals to identify and mitigate potential hazards in their homes and workplaces, prepare for emergency situations, and work cooperatively as a team within their neighborhoods or workplaces. While CERT volunteers do not replace professional first responders, they play a critical role in complementing and enhancing emergency response capabilities by assisting their families and communities until first responders arrive.

“Before retirement, I was a volunteer member of a disaster response team and have found myself wanting to be involved again,” said Luther Boyette Jr. “Cherokee County’s CERT opened that opportunity, offering training and skills to accomplish those goals.”

CERT graduates are considered Good Samaritans and operate under the Volunteer Protection Act. Their training emphasizes self-awareness of personal capabilities and limitations, ensuring they respond effectively without placing themselves in unnecessary danger.

To join the waitlist for the next CERT class, visit www.cherokeega-ema.org and click on CERT.