Rep hopes participants pick up knowledge, skills at CERT course
KAPIT: Bukit Goram assemblyman Jefferson Jamit Unyat hopes that participants of a three- day course on ‘Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)’ have acquired the basic knowledge and skills in dealing with emergency situations.
Held at the District Office here from Oct 29 to yesterday, it was attended by about 200 grassroots and community leaders from 73 longhouses and villages in Bukit Goram constituency.
They were trained on emergency response skills during incidences of fire, flash flood, landslide, boat mishap, accident at workplace or even road accidents, which culminated in the formation of Bukit Goram CERT.
Officiating at the closing of the course yesterday, Jamit thanked the various government departments and agencies involved for organising the course in his constituency.
“This course is very useful for my constituents as it teaches very useful knowledge and skills to respond appropriately on the spot while waiting for paramedics to arrive when mishaps happen,” he said.
On the CERT programme, he said it empowers the community to be prepared for emergency and at the same time promote the spirit of volunteerism in the community.
“With the skills community members picked up during the CERT programme, it is hoped that they will be able to help themselves, their families and neighbours during emergency. Each member in our community ought to play an active role during emergency so that we can alleviate sufferings and mitigate loss and damage,” he added.
He thus called on the participants to set up their own CERT team in their longhouse or village and share the knowledge and skill they had learned with fellow villagers.
He also said CERT members must always be in a state of readiness to take immediate action when situations warrant as no one could predict when they would happen.
Dorainah Labing, who represented Datuk Dr Chai Khin Chung, the director of State Security and Enforcement Unit in the Chief Minister’s Department, also spoke at the function.