As we roll into spring 2019 there is a lot to report on: CERT Basic 19-01 is well underway with an engaged (and engaging!) group of new CERT students. Grant funding is being renewed for the next cycle, so I hope to be able to announce date for CERT Basic 19-02 soon. Look for a class in the June time frame. We are also in the process of training additional CERT ASHI CPR instructors, with the plan being to train up to twelve new people this year. This will allow us to offer more free CPR outreach classes and demonstration in 2019 and beyond. Watch this website for class announcements. Our Go Team continues to practice and completed an excellent FTX ( Field Training Exercise) on March 2. Team members were cold, but worked well together to problem solve and communicate… the two crucial CERT skills. Please watch for updates here and on our other platforms as class dates, events, and training opportunities are announced. Have a great month! Greg St. JamesCommunity Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.) Program Manager Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service100 Edison Park Drive Gaithersburg, MD 20878 240-777-2407

Welcome to Montgomery CERT 2019. This year looks to be a very active one for MC CERT. We expect to offer multiple CERT Basic classes, CERT refresher classes, CPR for friends, family and the community, a Teen CERT class, and much more. Our Go Team has a number of active events planned, our partnership with OEMHS will require more training this year, and the opportunities to assist on or VERT team will continue. The best way to stay informed and keep up with all that CERT offers is to watch this website, attend the monthly meetings (Second Thursday at 1900 each month at the PSHQ), and get involved in something that appeals to you.  Listen up, show up, sign up. I look forward to a fulfilling and exciting 2019 for Montgomery County CERT, and I hope you will join us along the way. Greg St. James Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.)  Program Manager Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service 100 Edison Park Drive Gaithersburg,  MD 20878 240-777-2407

Everyone should be prepared and up to date with life-saving skills like CPR and AED usage. Montgomery County CERT offers free CPR/AED classes taught by ASHI professional instructors as a service to our team, our family and friends, and to our community. Help make Montgomery County a more resilient place – learn or refresh your CPR and AED skills. Like the CERT class, our public CPR /AED class is open to all residents of the county who are at least 18 years of age. Exceptions are made for people who work within Montgomery County boundaries. Any class labeled “Friends and Family” is open to the friends and family members of anyone who has completed CERT Basic training. Don’t know anyone who has completed CERT training? Email the registrar at registrar@montgomerycert.org   Register For the Next Friends & Family CPR Class!

Well… the Holidays are in full swing, the parties, the goodies, the warmth of family and friends…for most of us anyway. I thought we might spare a thought or two this season for the ones among us who are struggling at this time of year. The first word of CERT is Community, and if we truly are a community, then we need to care for each other as a family would. There are friends in our circles right now who may be suffering from loneliness, the loss of a loved one, health problems, job loss, drug or alcohol issues.. You know the list. Let’s take a moment or two this December to check in on each other, and offer the hand of friendship where we can, the shoulder to lean on, or the ear to bend. Let’s be a friend, make a friend, or help a friend. Let us remember that a community is built on bonds of trust and kindness. And let’s all have a safe, happy, and very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!   Greg St. James CERT Program Manager Montgomery County Fire and Rescue PSHQ 2nd Floor 100 Edison Park Drive Gaithersburg, MD 20878

November 2018 finds me reflecting on how quickly time passes. When we are younger we think that some things last forever, and the future is impossibly far away.  Were that it was so… however, as we mature a bit, we learn that all good things must come to an end. Change is the true constant. A change has come to our corner of the world with the retirement of our Division Chief Alan Hinde. Chief Hinde became the first ever Chief of the Division of Volunteer Services in 2006 and has served a total of 44 years with the RVFD and MCFRS. Chief Hinde cited ongoing health concerns as the primary reason for retiring now. It has been a distinct privilege to work with Chief Hinde both at the RVFD and here as CERT Program Manager.  Alan has been a leader, a mentor, and a friend. Montgomery CERT has had no greater supporter and cheerleader than Chief Hinde. He brought vision, clarity, and a mischievous sense of humor to every situation. On behalf of all of my fellow CERT members, we wish Alan and his family every success and good wish in the future. Thank you Chief for a job well done! Greg St. James Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.)  Program Manager Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service 100 Edison Park Drive Gaithersburg,  MD 20878 240-777-2407