Citizens of Dallas are doing what they can to contribute in the wake of the July 7 ambush on law enforcement, including signing up to help.
The phones at the Dallas Office of Emergency Management have been ringing off the hook during the last two weeks with people wanting to participate in Community Emergency Response Team classes. The free classes are taught by OEM emergency personnel and cover basic emergency response skills.
“In the wake of events such as this, we tend to get a lot more interest in programs that focus on community and safety and security,” CERT manager Cassandra Wallace said. “Obviously, the CERT program lends to that.”
Wallace said her office has been forced to cancel classes in the past because too few people signed up for them, but that incidents like the Dallas ambush and the Dec. 27 tornado outbreak often cause a spike in interest.
“I absolutely get it,” Wallace said about the renewed focus on preparedness. “If I were a citizen, I would be reaching out. This is obviously a tragic event that happened a couple weeks ago and I would be reaching out, trying to find out what I can do, how I can help and then how I can help going forward in events like this."
The next round of classes begins Sept. 17 and runs three consecutive Saturdays.
