Woman is interim director for CERT
CHERRY TWP — A 2008 Moniteau graduate and passionate emergency responder has been named interim search and rescue operations director for the local Community Emergency Response Team.
Jessica Jackson received the designation Monday night to direct the CERT that covers 14 counties in Western Pennsylvania.
Jackson works as a surgical technician at Butler Memorial Hospital and as an emergency medical technician with Karns City Regional Ambulance.
She is a firefighter, EMT and secretary at West Sunbury Volunteer Fire Department.
Jackson graduated in 2012 with a certificate in surgical technology from Sanford Brown Technical College.
She explained that CERT responds to floods, tornados, terrorism events or any other disaster. The state or Federal Emergency Management Agency dispatches CERT.
Jackson said the relatively new CERT has about 30 members. She hopes to have more members trained and certified in the near future.
The group meets once per month in addition to attending training exercises.
Jackson said the next CERT training will be a mock suicide bomber exercise at the Grove City Outlets in Mercer County in cooperation with the Springfield Township Volunteer Fire Department.
Jackson will lead the CERT team until a permanent director is appointed.
“I love helping people,” she said. “When people are at their worst, it's so great to be able to get them out of that situation.”
The director job is a volunteer position.
