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    West Trenton- Colonel Joseph R. Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, today announced the graduation of an army of volunteers from emergency response training. Each of the attending volunteers received their tools of the trade during a ceremony held at State Police headquarters Wednesday evening. More than 278 citizens completed a 20-hour, eight-week course to prepare them to be members of a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). These citizen responders will now be an integral part of the state's answer to disasters, both natural and man-made.

     First Assistant Attorney General Edward M. Neafsey, State Police Emergency Management Coordinator Major Dennis DelFava, and dignitaries from the areas these citizen responders will serve welcomed the 96 volunteers able to attend this ceremony.

     "I am proud of your sacrifice, bravery and display of the American spirit in putting your communities ahead of yourselves," First Assistant Attorney General Neafsey told the CERT graduates. "And I am certain that you will provide an invaluable addition to our professional police and rescue workers on whom we rely so heavily."

     Each graduate was given a basic emergency kit including an identification vest, a hard hat, safety goggles, dust mask, work gloves, special wrench and a carrying bag. Volunteers received their training at a number of different sites throughout the state. They have been schooled in disaster preparedness, fire suppression, disaster medical operations (triage), search and rescue, disaster psychology, terrorism and team organization.

     The Citizen Corps Program was originally established by President George Bush to give direction to the spirit of American volunteerism after the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Governor James E. McGreevey created the New Jersey State Citizen Corps Council to coordinate the activities of the Citizen Corps Program in our state. He appointed Major Dennis DelFava of the State Police Emergency Management Section to chair the council.

     "It's very rewarding to equip these enthusiastic volunteers with the training and tools necessary to make them an important part of our first response to any public safety threat," said Major DelFava.

     The state's capacity to train CERT volunteers is being rapidly increased through the addition of more than one hundred instructors who have passed an intensive "Train The Trainer" course offered at the Rutgers University campus in New Brunswick. Additional instructors will be trained at the State Police Training Academy in Sea Girt during August and September. Each of these new teachers will pass on their knowledge by developing trained teams in their neighborhoods.

     New Jersey leads the nation with 74 Citizen Corps Councils established and registered on the Citizen Corps website. Information regarding the program and a list of these councils may be viewed at .

     CERT volunteers will be called on to aid in the search for lost or kidnapped children, help staff emergency operations centers, guide and direct spontaneous volunteers during events and assist the Red Cross and other relief organizations with mass care. Volunteers for CERT must be 18 years of age and possess a valid driver's license. Interested persons should call 1(877) CERT 411 to speak with the State Police CERT coordinator.

     A list of the CERT graduates and their hometowns is below:

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