Auburn emergency office promotes CERT classes, home preparedness and grab-and-go kits

Tyler Turner, Auburn’s emergency management coordinator, described the city’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program and urged residents to enroll. "CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Team," Turner said. "We do roughly 24, 25 hours of training…search and rescue, disaster medical operations, and a final drill."

Turner said Auburn has run almost 60 CERT classes and graduated more than 900 volunteers; the next class discussed in the interview was scheduled for early September (Thursdays at 6 p.m. for about seven weeks, with two Saturday sessions including a final drill and graduation). "The final Saturday…will be a final drill…and it'll be 9AM to 2PM," Turner said.

Both Turner and Matthew Kolpitz urged residents to sign up for alerts and build a home emergency kit. Kolpitz recommended a household kit that covers 7–10 days of self-sufficiency: water, nonperishable food, medicines and transportable supplies in a backpack or grab-and-go bag. "Get your kit together at home…make sure you're 7 to 10 days ready," Kolpitz said.

Turner noted practical tips for medications, suggesting residents check expiration dates and, when permissible, refill early to keep a small supply in a kit. "A lot of people will refill early when you're allowed…put that excess in the kit and you can build it up over time," he said.

Both officials highlighted CERT’s community value: in a large-scale event, neighborhood preparedness reduces the immediate burden on emergency services and helps neighbors help neighbors until responders arrive.

Ending: The city asked interested residents to visit auburnwa.gov/disaster for resources, alert signups and CERT registration information; no formal enrollment actions were taken during the interview.