Tcday's speaker was Ramsey County Sheriff's deputy Steve Yoachim. Steve has been with the Sheriff's department for almost 30 years, serving in many departments. One of his current responsibilities is leading the County's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). This is a FEMA program which is designed to train citizens how to better prepare themselves and their families should their home or neighborhood be affected by a disaster. During disasters, communities may not have immediate access to emergency services because of the size of the area affected, lost communications, or unusable roads. CERT trained citizens learn how to stay safe and help themselves, their family and neighborhood. The course outline includes: Disaster preparedness, Fire safety, Light search and rescue, Disaster psychology, Disaster medical operations, Terrorism, and Final exrcise and graduation. The sessions are held on Wednesday evenings from September - November from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. for nine consecutive weeks. Classes are limited to 25 students. Equipment and materials are provided at no charge, thanks to a generous donation from the Ramsey County Sheriff's Foundation. The next available session will begin September 2024.