Montgomery College recently became the first organization in Montgomery County to have its Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) complete the official training, as it competed in the first annual CERT Rodeo Round Up. The CERT Rodeo was organized by the Harris County Citizen Corps, and held at the Harris County Fire and Sheriff’s Office Training Academy in Humble.

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Montgomery College's 2nd place CERT team (l. to r.) were Maria Partida, Linda Scroggs, Barbara Lyle, Martina Kusi-Mensah, Roger Villegas, Linda Corbin, Roscoe Tippetts, Reyna Tippetts, Shari Tracey and Rufus Jett.

At the rodeo, Montgomery College’s CERT team placed second, with 805 points out of 900 in a field of 12 teams. Participating with Montgomery College's team were Linda Scroggs, Barbara Lyle, Maria Partida, Martina Kusi-Mensah, Reyna Tippetts, Shari Tracey, Linda Corbin, Rufus Jett,  Roscoe Tippetts, and Roger Villegas. Kathy Josey, another team member, was unable to participate on the day of the rodeo.

CERT members from across the area competed in a series of events incorporating the skills learned during their eight-week emergency preparedness training. The competition gave a hands-on test of participant's skills in basic medical operations, search and rescue, fire suppression, incident command, and other aspects of emergency preparedness and response.

"CERT teams are truly first-responders at the community level,” said Harris County Judge Robert Eckels. “The program gives them the skills to protect themselves, their family, and their neighbors. They prepare throughout the year for various types of disasters and this rodeo-style competition is a fun way to showcase the skills they bring back to their community after completing the program.”

For more information about the CERT Rodeo Round Up, visit http://www.harriscountycitizencorps.com/

For more information about Montgomery College, visit montgomery.lonestar.edu, or call (936) 273-7000. Montgomery College is located at 3200 College Park Drive, approximately one-quarter mile west of I-45 between Conroe and The Woodlands.

NHMCCD, among the largest and fastest growing community colleges in Texas, comprise, Cy-Fair College, Kingwood College, Montgomery College, North Harris College, Tomball College, six satellite centers, and The University Center.