Volunteer of the Month - September

In recognition of the dedication to the community, service to others, and commitment to the organizations supported

Montcalm County CERT

has been chosen as Volunteer of the Month on behalf of the United Way Montcalm-Ionia Counties and Volunteer Connections Montcalm-Ionia Counties.

ACTION:  What has your nominee done or is currently doing?

The Greenville Dept of Public Safety requested the assistance of Montcalm Co CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) to help with 3 parades held during the Greenville Danish Festival.  The Woman's Action Network also requested that CERT and MRC Volunteers set up a First Aid/Security Booth at Veteran's Park for 3 days during Danish Festival.  In order to recruit enough trained volunteers, the CERT team called in help from Ionia Co CERT and Kent Co CERT.  To make this happen 15 volunteers dedicated over 291 Volunteer Hours over the course of 3 days.

NEED:  What community need(s) does your nominee address?

During special events in the community, such as Danish Festival, there is a surge of people attending special events, visiting local businesses, and enjoying festivities.  These larger than normal crowds have a potential to overwhelm Emergency Services and the normal response agencies charged with maintaining public safety.    The CERT team is a group of volunteers trained in basic traffic safety, first aid, search and rescue, and other areas that can support the local incident command system when extra people are needed.  Greenville Dept of Public Safety (GDPS) made the initial request as in years past, to Montcalm Co CERT to assist with 3 parades.  The first parade, Fairy-tale Parade is made up of young children leading to an additional safety risk  therefore GDPS and CERT volunteers work side by side for public relations.  The Fireman's parade takes place at dusk with most Emergency Service Workers in the parade.  CERT Members are the main source of traffic control shifting barricades around as needed to block of roads being used for the parade.  For the Grand Dansk Parade on Saturday morning, GDPS calls in "all hands" pulling volunteers from the GDPS Reserve Officers, National Guard, and CERT.  Everyone works together under the Incident Command set up by GDPS.

Another common request of Citizen Corps Volunteers is to set up Information Booths, provide First Aid Supplies, and keep an eye on overall Scene Safety.  CERT Volunteers are taught to watch for safety issues including basic HazMat situations, possible weapons of mass destruction and acts of terrorism, and keeping an eye on your partner.  The Woman's Action Network requested that CERT/MRC work together to set up a First Aid Station at Veteran's Park throughout the 3 days that vendors and crafters were present.  In addition to handing out several band-aids and free first aid kits, volunteers also conducted routine walks through the park watching for possible safety issues.  The booth provided a direct connection to Emergency Services through radios connected directly with Central Dispatch.  All these services added together provide an additional layer of security and safety for a special event where a large number of people are gathered in one or more areas.

IMPACT:  What is different as a result of your nominee’s service?

GDPS, the Woman's Action Network, and the Danish Festival Committee all stopped by the CERT/MRC booth on the final day of the Danish Festival to thank volunteers and request the same services at this event again next year!  When working special events, planners hope that all will go according to plan without any issues or concerns.  Yet planners are forced to expect the unexpected!  By being able to rely on trained volunteers such as CERT, MRC and other Citizen Corps Programs, Event Planners can add to the safety and security of a well planned community event.  An example of good training paying off for this event is throughout the weekend there were 3 missing people.  CERT Members receive a basic Search & Rescue (SAR)  Training as part of the basic 20 CERT Class.  Many CERT Members choose to take additional SAR Training.  Although this was not part of the initial request expected of Citizen Corps Volunteers at Danish Festival, GDPS was able to use CERT Members who were already on scene and available to quickly locate missing people. 

CERT Volunteers give of their own time, talents, and resources to provide assistance to Emergency Service Workers!

More information about Montcalm County Citizen Corps Programs

Another great service provided by Citizen Corps Volunteers is Community Education.  MRC volunteers received a national grant to establish a website to help educate and train community members to prepare for emergencies.  Www,montcalmioniamrc.org is open to the public and filled with tips, tricks, and ideas to help you provide for your family.  In local emergencies, this website will be available to post local information provided by Emergency Service Agencies to get information into the hands of the community.  

Montcalm County Citizen Corps programs also partner together to provide FREE training and preparedness resources available at www.readymontcalm.us.

Upcoming Events:

Community Preparedness Training Workshop

Sept 9th from 6-8pm at Montcalm Co Emergency Services

This training is open to anyone who wants to help teach Community Preparedness Lessons.

CERT ONLINE Basic Training

October 19th from 9am to 5pm at H.O. Steele Educational Building

This training is open to anyone who wants to get involved in CERT.  There are some online pre-requisites' before taking this hands on training.