The first Teen Community Emergency Response Team in St. Charles County has been established in Wentzville. On Aug. 3, the program graduated its first four selected area students, and will be offered on a wider basis during the next academic year.
The Teen CERT program is based on the CERT concept. CERT educates people about disaster preparedness and trains them in basic disaster response skills. Using their training and skills, CERT members can
assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an emergency.Teen CERT will teach students how to identify the types of disasters and hazards most likely to affect their homes and communities.
"The goal of Teen CERT is to better prepare the community at an earlier age and offer positive extracurricular activities to the youth of Wentzville and St. Charles County," said Mark Rosenblum, coordinator for the Teen CERT program.
Even though the program is designed for youth 12-18, students can begin taking the training in as early as third grade, with parent consent. The first four Teen CERT graduates are students at Peine Ridge Elementary, and include Mikayla Bryan, Austin Dettmer, Emily Rosenblum and Emily Hagen.
Visit www.teencert.org or www.citizencorps.gov/cert or e-mail to Rosenblum at mark.rosenblum@juno.com for more information about the program.
