2012 Citizen of the Year: Bethany CERT

The Bethany Democratic Town Committee chose not one individual, but a group of individuals to honor as its 2012 Citizen of the Year: the Bethany Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

The choice, according to former Citizen of the Year Michael Okrent, was simple, "It's rare that a team is chosen. In this case, considering the group's contribution to the community in the past year, it's been amazing and we wanted to recognize them."

"Many people are worthy of this recognition, but this group has risen to the top through their dedication to the town, their expertise and amount of training they go through and their willingness to be there at the worst possible times," Okrent said. "And they seem to do it with a smile."

“Our volunteers are so vital and represent the best of what Bethany is all about”, First Selectwoman Derrylyn Gorski said. “It is comforting to know that our volunteers are eager to assist and fully prepared to help our residents and neighbors in difficult times.”

The volunteer members of CERT are Carlos Alvarez, Liz Appel, Jeanne DelVecchio, Bill Difrancesco, Mary Ehrler, Cindy Howard, Clark Hurlburt, Mike Katzmark, Bruce Loomis, Dave Mortensen, Sue Mortensen, Carol Paugas, Nicole Philbert, Gary Ross, Don Shea, Kris Sullivan, Paul Tomasco, Sue Tomasco and Rod White. These volunteers are dedicated to provide both public service and emergency deployment when they are most needed.

Bethany CERT is young. The first training class graduated in the spring of 2010. They were immediately called into action to assist in a flu shot clinic in Woodbridge. Most, however, have been personally impacted by Bethany CERT by the work they have done in the area of emergency deployment. The volunteers assisted in the horse barn collapse in Bethany last winter. Due to the special training of some of the volunteers, they coordinated the loading of the horses into various trailers and kept on lookers back from the impacted site. This allowed the firefighters and veterinarians in to do their jobs effectively.

Bethany’s Community Emergency Response Team contributed mutual aid to the Town of Orange by looking for a lost girl in 2011. She was eventually found. This was not the first time that Bethany CERT provided mutual aid to Orange. In its short history, the team has worked with Woodbridge and Prospect, as well.

In September 2011 the Community Emergency Response Team responded to the disaster of Hurricane Irene by opening a shelter in Bethany. It was staffed from 10:00 am to 11:00 pm for seven days. People in Bethany had no water, electricity or heat. The shelter provided those things. CERT made sure that the shelter was warm, that there was a shower for those who wanted it, that there was electricity, water and food. People in town had a place to go to be warm, to visit, to charge their cell phones, to hear the news of the day and to get comfort.

CERT quickly went to work again during the snowstorm of October 2011. Because of the volunteers of CERT, people in Bethany had a place to go. They were, again, comforted by those volunteers who gave up their time to give to others. This time the shelter was opened overnight for those who needed to stay – and there were many. Again there was heat, electricity, food, water, showers and comfort from neighbors. People stopped by just for a few minutes – or stayed all day and night. They were together with their neighbors. This was made possible because of CERT’s volunteers. CERT volunteers also helped man the Emergency Operations Center – the heart of the Administration of the storm’s impact and response in town.

When CERT is not responding to emergencies, their public service consists of assisting at Amity’s Relay for Life, coordinating staging areas and crowd control for events such as the Bethany Memorial Day Parade and proving a Safety Patrol for the Bethany Fireman’s Carnival. They also provide safety and public health information to the public at the Senior Housing Fair and the Bethany Harvest Festival.

Clearly, CERT is an integral and vital part of Bethany.

“This small group of community volunteers put their own needs aside in times of great stress to spend long hours seeing to the health and safety of their fellow residents using the skills obtained during many days and evenings spent planning and training for just such an occurrence. Recognition by the community is indeed appreciated and a humbling experience for which we are extremely grateful.” said Clark Hurlburt, Deputy Director of Emergency Management, and volunteer coordinator.

Bethany CERT will be honored at the Spaghetti Supper on March 24, 2012 where the Citizen of the Year award will be presented. This event at Bethany Town Hall starts at 6:00 p.m. Adults are $12.00; Seniors $8.00; Children $6.00. Tickets can be purchased at the door or by calling 393-0350. All are welcome to celebrate this special occasion.