Ocean City’s emergency response professionals paid tribute and said thank you to the members of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members Wednesday night with a special event at the 6th Street Fire Department Headquarters.
On hand to show their appreciation were OC Director of Emergency Services Frank Donato III, Acting Chief of Police Jay Prettyman and Fire Chief Jim Smith. Attendees heard an informative and educational talk by Prettyman which discussed the value the CERT team brings to the City’s public safety efforts.
Later in the evening, Donato told OCNJ Daily that CERT members, all unpaid volunteers, play an important role in supporting Police, Fire and EMS personnel at Ocean City’s many community events. He said this was particularly true in the ‘shoulder season’ after Labor Day when the 45 seasonal police officers are no longer available, but numerous large scale events such as the Block Party and the Halloween Parade are taking place.
Event support is in addition to the members’ primary role of serving as backup to the first responders in the event of an actual emergency.
The members, including those from the newest and largest class of volunteers enjoyed a meet and greet session to compare experiences and to get to know one another in a friendly and informal setting,
“Our CERT volunteers are crucial to helping us keep Ocean City safe, and also helping us to smoothly host such events as parades, fireworks, road races and many others,” Donato said.
