The Dawson County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Organization holds monthly meetings on the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.  These meetings are held at the Dawsonville City Hall in Room 7, located at 415 Highway 53 East, Dawsonville, GA. Educational classes are held monthly at the meetings, and all interested citizens are encouraged to attend.

The following is the schedule for the next several months:

February 5 -- Fire Safety

March 4 -- Wilderness Injuries and First Aid

April 1 -- Managing Lost Person Searches

May 6 -- Lost in the Woods—what to do and not do

June 3 -- Pre-Planning for Events

July 1 -- Introduction to Land Navigation

The February meeting will be conducted by Stephen Knowles, a fire Inspector for the Dawson County Fire Department. The class will cover home and business fire safety. Items such as kitchen fires and general safety in and around the home will be discussed. Stephen also plans on bringing the Dawson County Fire Safety House for a first-hand demonstration of what it is like to be in a smoke-filled environment.

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help.

For additional information concerning the Dawson County CERT program contact Richard W. Sims at 706-579-0496 or send an email to CERT@dawsoncounty.org.