Wayne's Community Emergency Response Team Seeks Volunteers

Wayne Mayor Chris Vergano and Wayne’s Emergency Management Coordinator, Mark McGrath, announced a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) recruiting and training effort for the spring of 2015.

The CERT program aims to prepare citizens in basic response skills through training from the Town’s professional emergency services. Trained and qualified CERT members increase their ability to be self-reliant and are in a better position to assist family, friends and neighbors by applying these basic response and organizational skills during a disaster.

CERT is also designed to supplement the Township’s emergency response services and improves the overall emergency response preparedness of the community.

Wayne’s CERT is headed by Tom Cantisano, who developed the program for the Wayne Township Office of Emergency Management (OEM) in 2003 and has been employed by the Township as Chief Sanitarian of the Health Department and OEM Deputy Coordinator for 20 years.

Cantisano has also served on the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross, Metro NJ Chapter from 2000 to 2004 and was chairman of their disaster services committee.

Since its inception in 2003, over 200 Wayne residents have participated in the program.

Applications for Wayne CERT are available at the Wayne Health Department or online at www.waynetownship.com. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and reside or work in Wayne Township. Those who are accepted will receive approximately 30 hours of training over a period of several weeks.

Training will begin in late April and will include: basic first aid and disaster medical operations, disaster preparedness, disaster fire suppression, light search and rescue operations, and terrorism awareness.

At the conclusion of the training program, a field skills exercise will be given and graduates will receive a disaster tool kit.