Medical Reserve Corps Training To Begin In January In Manalapan

MANALAPAN, NJ — A special training program on emergency preparedness will be offered here in January.

The Manalapan Township Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) announced that a 13-week CERT training program will begin on Jan. 10.

The free training will cover basic personal and community emergency preparedness topics including emergency first aid, CPR, fire safety and suppression, disaster psychology, basic search and rescue techniques, and working within an organizational framework.

Participants who complete the training program will be invited to join the MRC-CERT team.

High school students are welcome to participate.

Program graduates will receive a personal response "go bag."

Training classes will begin on Jan. 10 and continue one night per week, on alternating evenings, Mondays to Thursdays at 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., through the middle of April.

A Manalapan location will be announced to participants.

For more information about MRC-CERT or to register for the Jan. 10 training program, email: mrc-cert@mtnj.org with your contact information and expression of interest.

Manalapan Township established the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) in 2002. The volunteer Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) team was established in 2003 in support of the township’s emergency management and response agencies.

The Manalapan MRC-CERT program provides a unique opportunity for Manalapan residents to support their community during times of emergency and to assist in educating the public on emergency preparedness.

Community members with or without medical experience and credentials are welcome. The MRC-CERT provides training and equipment. It schedules exercises and drills to practice skills.

Currently, there are more than 300 volunteer MRC-CERT team members. Trained members may be contacted to assist local officials during an emergency, and to support municipal sponsored events, including Manalapan Day and National Night Out.

Prior activations included staffing shelters, ice distribution and cell phone charging stations, and 24-hour information lines during storms such as Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy. Members also assisted missing persons searches and large-scale vaccination clinics.