Fearrington Homeowners Association (FHA): January 2018

OPEN FHA Meeting -- A presentation by AnneMarie Riether, FHA Director of Health, Safety & Security, about the CERT Program.

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a federally-established program Under the Department of Homeland Security/Ready.gov), which educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.

Among the 50 states, CERT programs are managed by the county and/or municipal emergency management officials. In the past, Chatham County participated in the program; however, approximately 10 years ago, the two immediately-prior County Emergency Management Directors withdrew support for the program and canceled any funding for on-going CERT volunteer training.

Fearrington Village had been an active participant with more than 50 active volunteers. Several years after the county withdrew support for the program, the Fearrington CERT program was closed. Without on-going training, especially over the course of multiple years, volunteers could not be effective or do their work safely.

The newly-appointed (November 2017) Chatham County Emergency Management Director, Steve Newton, is reinstating CERT in the county.

AnneMarie Riether, the FHA Director of Health, Safety, & Security (HSS), will be speaking about the program and the opportunity for a limited number or Fearrington residents to participate in a CERT training program.

All Fearrington residents, especially former CERT members and others who are interested in becoming members, are encouraged to attend.

Q and A on CERT Issues
Q and A on issues of general interest.

Information on the national CERT program is available on the Federal Community Emergency Response Team website.

FHA Heath, Safety & Security Mission

As stated in the Fearrington Homeowners Association (FHA) Articles of Incorporation, one of the important purposes of the FHA is to "provide for the health, safety and welfare" of the residents of Fearrington Village. As part of this important mission, and to comply with the Articles, the FHA works hard to develop and sustain policies, programs, and services that will help to keep village residents healthy and safe.

The FHA HSS Director oversees emergency preparedness, village road safety, and Community Watch information, sometimes working with ad hoc advisory committees.
At times in the past several years, over 35 residents have served in such advisory roles. Their work and support have been invaluable and very much appreciated.

In addition to its communication with Fearrington residents, the FHA HSS Director maintains collaborative relationships with the Chatham County Emergency Management Department and 911, Emergency Medical Services (FirstHealth/EMS), the Chatham County North Chatham Fire Department, the Chatham County Sheriff's Department, and traffic engineers at the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT, which is responsible for 54 state secondary roads in the village).

Fearrington Homeowners Association (FHA)

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Monday, January 22, 2018 7:00pm -- Presentation About Re-Establishing the County's CERT Program