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Maryville emergency responders will get extra help the next time the village is hit with a major wind storm, power outage or other emergency.
The Maryville Community Emergency Responders Team will provide 14 certified volunteers who can check on the elderly and answer non-emergency disaster response calls.
"The snow storms from last year were a big factor (in forming the group)," said Dan Wright, a member of CERT who serves on the Maryville Community Improvement Board. "We could have used some people volunteering in the community."
Snow storms that hit the St. Louis area during the 2007-2008 winter made roads treacherous, cut power and sometimes trapped people in their homes. According to the National Weather Service, St. Louis received 20.2 inches of snow that winter.
The snow was a big factor in forming the team, village officials said.
"We didn't have the manpower to make sure the roads were open and then still go door to door to check on some of our residents," said Mayor Larry Gulledge. "Our Fire Department and our Police Department were running in every direction."
The Maryville Community Improvement Board spearheaded the decision to have the CERT team formed. They sought out volunteers and had them trained by members of the Collinsville CERT team.
The team will be under the authority of the Maryville Fire Department and Maryville Police Department and deployed as needed.
"If we have any kind of emergency here, we'll call them out, either to direct traffic or go door to door to check on residents," Gulledge said.
The team was officially activated at the Nov. 5 Village Board meeting.
The CERT team will direct traffic and make sure elderly or ill residents are safe during such emergencies, when the weather can make it especially dangerous for them.
Each member works on a volunteer basis and is not paid for their commitment to the team.
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