GREENVILLE, WI (WTAQ) – The Outagamie County Community Emergency Response Team is looking to their neighbors to help fund a new vehicle for carrying out CERT missions.
The volunteer service hauls a trailer to major incidents like fires and long police responses to provide aid to first responders. But right now, the truck pulling that trailer is 25 years old with a number of mechanical issues.
“The age of this vehicle says it all, right? They’re being proactive in saying ‘You know what? For us to get our equipment there safely, we need a new vehicle’,” said Grand Chute Fire Chief, Timothy Bantes. “We can’t do what we can do if we can’t get there. If we can’t save a life because our fire truck breaks down on the way or is too old to get out of the doors, that’s a problem. We have to be more proactive versus reactive in that nature.”
“That trailer is as much a part of CERT as are the volunteers. It carries everything that they need to help us with the situation, and if they can’t get the trailer to the scene, they can’t provide the level of support that we need. So having that vehicle to tow the trailer is critical,” said Grand Chute Police Chief Greg Peterson.
The CERT team helped out Grand Chute officers and all of the other departments who showed up on scene at the Fox River Mall back in January after a shooting in the food court.
“It was a terrible night. It was cold and we had no shelter in the middle of the parking lot where we ran the incident. It was a relief to see the trailer and the CERT volunteers roll up with a warm shelter and warm beverages,” Peterson told WTAQ News. “We’d rather not have to call [CERT], but when situations like that arise, thank goodness that they’re there and able to respond to meet our needs.”
“In January when they had the incident at the Fox River Mall, this CERT team showed up and provided rehab and refreshment and rest in a warm area,” said Friends of CERT Chairman, Gene Reece. “They can refresh and rehab and be prepared to go back into the battle. That’s what that group does…25-below-zero and sitting on the curb is not rehab. This group provides that [rehab] for us. They have the vehicle, they have tents, they have heaters – for the summer when it’s really hot out, they have cooling chairs.”
Reece says the volunteer service operates under one main motto.
“A volunteer service. Neighbors helping neighbors.”
“It’s about a partnership within the community and outside the community. As a fire service, we rely on our partners. They are critical for us to do our functions,” said Bantes. “We need that kind of support. The people power is is not there like it used to be, so our crews have to be recycled quicker. Just as a big safety element, if we don’t have [CERT], it’s harder on our firefighters and it’s really unsafe.”
The group is looking to raise $75,000 for a new truck, with hopes of hitting that goal by spring. You can learn more about CERT via their Facebook page or online here.
