1500 Hours, Friday, April 29, 2011: Heroes aren’t born, they’re made. Sussex County is hoping to mold a few heroes of its own with a training session aimed at regular citizens.

The Sussex County Citizen Corps Council and the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center will host a two-day training session May 13 and May 14 for residents interested in joining the County’s Community Emergency Response Team. Also known as CERT, the team is intended to assist public safety officials during major disaster events. Members of CERTs are trained in basic response, fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations.

“The public should be prepared at all times for any type of disaster, and these training sessions are a great way to educate people on what they can do in a time of crisis,” said Joseph L. Thomas, director of the Sussex County EOC. “Government will assist in disasters, but citizens need to know how to respond and react themselves, should the unthinkable happen.”

Citizen Corps was created in 2002 by President George W. Bush in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. It provides citizens an opportunity to learn how to respond to disasters, whether man-made or natural. Sussex County adopted a Citizen Corps program in 2007.

The two-day session will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, May 13, and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at the Sussex County EOC, 21911 Rudder Lane, near Georgetown. The training is free to attendees.

For more information or to register, please call (302) 858-5302 or send an email to citizencorps@sussexcountyde.gov.

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