Chester County to hold CERT Training

Citizens can learn how to help others

West Chester, PA – Chester County Department of Emergency Services will be holding a Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) beginning April 9, 2015 at the Chester County Public Safety Training Campus in South Coatesville, PA.    There is no cost for this course and citizens can register by going to destraining.chesco.org or calling 610-344-5540.

The CERT program educates people about disaster preparedness and trains them in basic disaster response skills; such as fire safety, basic medical care and other skills needed to help themselves and their neighbors during an emergency.  “Because emergency services personnel will not be able to help everyone immediately during a disaster, a citizen can make a difference by using their CERT training to help save lives and protect property,” said Robert Kagel, Director of Emergency Services. 

Once trained, CERT members are also encouraged to support and volunteer with their local emergency response agencies and by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness in their community.

Registration ends on March 31, 2015.  There are still seats available for this Course.

Pictometry Online is now available to Chester County First Responder Community

Pictometry Online (POL) provides web-based access to high-resolution oblique imagery and analytical tools via a web browser.  Oblique images are aerial images captured at an angle to provide a more natural perspective, making objects and buildings easier to recognize.  The images were taken in the Spring of 2014 from the north, south, east, and west directions providing a virtual 360 degree view of any location in the County.  Chester County DES would like to make this product available to every Emergency Management Agency, Fire, EMS, and Police department in the County.  Attached are a few sample screen shots to give you an idea of what Pictometry and the images look like.

User accounts are limited, so please respond with only one point of contact per agency.  This account can be shared within your organization; however, only one person can be using the account at a time.

To request an account, please provide me with the following information:

·         First Name

·         Last Name

·         Email Address

·         Department/Agency

For any questions regarding POL, please contact Dave Sekkes at  DSekkes@chesco.org or 610-344-4485

DES names Tom Glass Deputy Director for EMA

Chester County Department of Emergency Services Names 

Tom Glass
Deputy Director for Emergency Management.

Since 2000, Tom has served as the Hazardous Materials Coordinator for the Chester County Department of Emergency Services (DES).  He has been Chief of the Hazardous Material Response Team for the past 15 years.  Tom’s responsibilities included planning in the emergency management division for the SARA/Hazmat related facilities as well as managing the Hazmat Response Team and the 30 part-time Hazmat Responders. 

Tom started his career with DES 1974 as a Fire/EMS dispatcher rising to the rank of Shift Supervisor for the communication center.

In 1990 he then went on to serve as the SARA Coordinator where his primary role was the development of the required, by SARA Title III, off-site response plans for the 70 to 120 facilities. During this time Tom was instrumental with the startup of the Hazardous Materials Response Team in Chester County. Chosen by his peers, he served as the Deputy Chief of the team, before taking over as Chief in 2000.

During his time at DES, Tom has served as Chairman of the Hazmat Subcommittee for the Southeast PA Regional Task Force and various positions in the Pennsylvania Association of Hazardous Materials Technicians including President.  

Tom is also a part-time fire instructor with the Chester County Public Safety Training Campus where he teaches responders about hazardous materials.

Outside of DES, Tom is a top responding volunteer firefighter with over 40 years’ experience.

Tom holds certifications in firefighting, EMT and hazardous materials.  Tom holds an Associate Degree in Emergency Management and Planning from Delaware County Community College.

3 Recognized for PEMA Certifications

The PA Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) Certification Program requires municipal Emergency Management Coordinators (EMC) to participate in training in three levels of certification – Basic, Advanced and Professional.  During this training, EMCs learn about the duties and responsibilities they are charged with as an EMC.  Recognition was given for the completion of training to:

Left to right:

Gerald McKee – Highland Township EMC – Professional Certification

Stephen Roberts – Elk Township EMC – Basic Certification

Dan Kerrigan – East Whiteland Township Deputy EMC – Professional Certification

Congratulations !!