U.S. Rep. Mark Souder and Sen. Evan Bayh have announced the awarding of a $1.07 million grant from the Department of Justice to Grace College for the development of an Integrated Community Emergency Response Training Center (ICERT).
Bill Darr, a registered/certified emergency medical technician and Director of Library Services at Grace, will head the ICERT Center. Darr will work in partnership with Ed Rock, Executive Director of the Kosciusko County Office of Emergency Management.
“Community Emergency Response Teams can be a huge asset in the event of a major disaster, such as a flood,” Rock explained. “Having organized and educated groups of residents who can assist professional responders can go a long way to mitigating significant risks to affected victims in a disaster. The Kosciusko County Emergency Management Agency is very pleased that the U.S. Department of Justice has the vision to award Grace College the funds necessary to make this a reality.”
The grant will allow both emergency first responders and local community members to respond to sudden disasters and emergencies by endowing community outreach, disaster simulations and drills, and local workshops. It will also permit Kosciusko County to recruit and train CERT trainers through the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
The training center, to be located in the Orthopaedic Capital Center at Grace College, will provide for the training of emergency personnel and volunteers to assist local authorities in response to natural disasters throughout Kosciusko County.
Darr has been a registered/certified emergency medical technician for 34 years and an advanced EMT for 27 years. He has been honored two times as “Advanced EMT of the Year” in Kosciusko County and has completed more than 1,500 hours of additional EMT training in the last 27 years.
Rep. Souder, who sponsored the legislation resulting in the grant, explained that the grant is from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Edward Byrne Memorial Discretionary Grant Fund.
“I am pleased that Grace College will receive $1,073,218 to assist residents of Kosciusko County,” Rep. Souder said. “In the unfortunate event of a natural disaster, such as a flood or a severe snow storm, CERT will help protect our community. In a crisis, preparedness programs and response resources are crucial to help guard against additional harm.”
“These funds will help ensure that our first responders are well equipped to proactively prepare for the unexpected,” Sen. Bayh commented. “The Community Emergency Response Team will be essential in keeping Hoosiers safe in the event of an emergency or local disaster.”
Grace President Ronald E. Manahan, Th.D., expressed the institution’s appreciation for these resources to enable Grace to achieve a long-term objective in community involvement and assistance. “On behalf of Grace College and the Kosciusko County community,” Dr. Manahan said, “I express our sincere appreciation for the strong support and committed efforts given by Congressman Souder and Senators Lugar and Bayh to help our community train and equip citizens to respond to various natural disasters and emergencies.”
