With heavy snow on the way and extreme weather in the news almost nightly, the selectmen also paid close attention last Tuesday to a presentation about the newly organized Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program in Harvard.
Under the direction of Pat Natoli, former longtime Harvard dispatcher and now administrative assistant for public safety, the CERT program is preparing town residents, particularly senior citizens, to shelter safely in place for at least 72 hours in the event of a future disaster, natural or otherwise. According to Natoli, CERT volunteers have visited Hildreth House to talk to the lunch crowd and have also planned training sessions for elderly residents of both Foxglove and Bowers Brook apartments on Ayer Road.
With a $1,100 grant from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, Natoli has acquired training materials and other equipment to jumpstart the program, which can deploy trained teams of volunteers to assist first responders during a major emergency.
Natoli and Fire Chief Rick Sicard introduced the CERT program to the selectmen and asked them to officially adopt it, which they did by unanimous vote. For more information about the program and how to become a CERT volunteer, visit the town website: www.harvard.ma.us.
