Navarro County C.E.R.T.
 
The Navarro County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) just added fourteen new members to their Search and Rescue (SAR) team. Following two weekends of training, the volunteers completed their national certification as SAR Technician III from the National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR).
 
CERT is an organization of trained volunteers operated under the Navarro County Office of Emergency Management that provides disaster response services, emergency preparedness education, and community services. The SAR team is a special unit within CERT that assists with missing person searches.

"We are primarily deployed in Navarro County through the Navarro County Sheriff's Office but have been requested to assist in neighboring counties, "says John Gantt, Coordinator of Navarro County CERT. "Missing person searches are usually time critical and require significant manpower. The CERT SAR Team can quickly add trained, equipped, and screened volunteers to assist law enforcement in the field. All our SAR team have passed criminal background checks and have NASAR certification. Whether it is a child or an older adult that has wondered off, we're here to get as many trained people looking for the person as quickly as possible."

Congrats to: Wayne Grundmeier, Kaleb Hopkins, Suzie Hopkins, Patrick Metcalf, Michael Walden, Tom Gerston, Kim Boales, Hunter Smith, Ron Bennett, Van Wagnon, Harold Steele, and Tim Easley.