This year’s Mum Festival ‘Hometown Heroes’ work behind the scenes, with little fanfare

Members of the Community Emergency Resource Team are honored for their service by the Bristol Historical Society with its Community Service Award last year. They appear here with former city council member Scott Rosado, pink shirt, BHS member and former mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu to Rosado's right and State Rep. Mary Forter, far right. CERT emergency management director Harley Graime is far left. | D. Fortier

Posted By: David Fortier September 26, 2024

By David Fortier

This year’s Mum Festival Hometown Heroes are a group of volunteers who over the years have provided their services to innumerable events without drawing attention to themselves.

“CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) participates in many city functions from the Shamrock Run in March to the BHS (Bristol Historical Society) Lantern Tours coming up next week,” said Harley Graime, the city’s emergency management director, in an email yesterday.

Graime oversees CERT, coordinating activities and ensuring its preparedness, which often times includes second responder services at emergencies and requires training in disaster response skills, such as, fire safety, search and rescue, and medical operations.

“They are the main support and management should the city require a shelter operation as they did for the Governor’s Cold Weather Protocol for four nights last January,” Graime said.

And they are all volunteers.

Aside from providing second responder services to city agencies, on an as needed basis, they assist with pedestrian and traffic control, first aid, communications and distributing emergency preparedness literature, Graime said.

You might see them in their neon vests, directing traffic as they did this year and have done many times in the past at the Rockwell Park Festival, Bristol Boys and Girls Club Color Dash, the DK5K Race, Duck Race, Health Fairs and, this weekend, at the three-day Mum Festival, which begins tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 27 and runs through Sunday, Sept. 29.

And regarding the later, CERT members will be recognized at the opening ceremonies of this year’s Mum Festival on the main stage on the Bristol Arts and Innovation Magnet School field at 5 p.m. Friday night.

“We have mutual assistance from other CERT teams to assist in the CERT duties at that time and throughout the Mum Festival,” Graime said.

In addition to this year’s Hometown Heroes recognition, Graime mentioned that CERT has been honored in the past. Last year they received the Bristol Historical Society’s Service Award.

“The Bristol CERT is one of the most active teams in Hartford County (DEMHS Region 3), west of the river,” Graime said.

During early Covid, he said, they assisted with the traffic control at the testing and inoculation sites downtown and at the ESPN North facility.

“We are always looking for new members whether they live in or out of town,” Graime said. “People join for all sorts of reasons, mainly they want to help others and provide services to the city. There are many opportunities for a CERT member to assist in a CERT activation, we try to accommodate everyone.”

CERT is open to all adults over 18 years, as well as all skill levels. Team members take a 20-hour training class designed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS).

Completing a course does not mean a person must join, but only that they are trained in emergency preparedness.

With more members CERT would be able to assist at more city functions and provide more educational program for the public, regarding its role in the city.

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