Grove UMC in West Chester, South District

ERT (Early Response Team) Training

ERT-only training event open to all.

The Eastern PA Conference Disaster Response ministry team will sponsor in partnership with Grove UMC an ERT training event . The event is scheduled for September 21, from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, at Grove UMC 490 W Boot Road, West Chester, PA 19380-1112.

Early Response Team (ERT), whose mission is to provide skilled support to disaster survivors as soon as communities allow response teams into disaster-impacted areas.

• Robert Simcox, the conference’s Disaster Response Coordinator, will lead the ERT training.

• contact: drc@epaumc.org or 610-427-0470.

“End of Summer” Special Training $25 per person, includes training manual, material, a light breakfast, and lunch.

Early Response Teams are “background-checked, badged, trained and motivated to be a caring, listening Christian presence,” said Simcox. “You will learn how early responders prevent further damage by tarping roofs, stabilizing structure, and clearing out debris and water-soaked materials. ERTs know how to prepare a structure for UMVIM recovery teams to do their work and how to provide hope to desperate survivors that God’s people do care about their lives and their homes.”

The goal of the training is for you to have a better understanding of the roles of team members and the “team” as a whole, The concepts of “prevent further damage” and “do no harm” , an overall understanding of the disaster process and where ERT fits. We will cover the importance of safety and the importance of listening.

Presently we have a shortage of trained and badged ERT’s in EPAUMC. We are looking to grow the ERT ministry to be able to respond as quickly as possible in our own neighborhoods when disaster strikes. Hoping to see you at the training.