The Community Emergency Response Team welcomed a new leader on Thursday evening at the general membership meeting at Laurel Manor Recreation Center.
CERT Commander Wayne Ward is flopping roles with Dave Bussone, who has served as training officer. Bussone, of the Village of Sanibel, will be the new CERT Commander. Ward, of the Village of Palo Alto, will be the training officer, a role he had before taking the top leadership role.
Ward has been head of CERT for the past five years. CERT is a joint partnership with the Villages Public Safety Department. CERT volunteers are trained to respond to emergency situations.
“He has done a fantastic job with CERT,” Villages Public Safety Chief Edmund Cain said of Ward.
The man who preceded Ward in the CERT leadership role, Charles Miner, had words of great praise for Ward and for the CERT volunteers.
“Well done, guys. Very well done,” Miner said.
CERT is prepping for a Nov. 5 exercise at the Wildwood Community Center. The drill will be in response to a “tornado,” something CERT members responded to on Groundhog Day in 2007.
CERT was formed in 2003. Today it has 270 members.
To learn more about CERT, visit: