Community Emergency Response Team receives Service to the Area Award

  CARIBOU,  Maine — The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) of Caribou was recognized during the Chamber of Commerce’s annual Recognition Dinner on May 8, receiving the Service to the Area Award.
Director of the Caribou Area Chamber of Commerce William Tasker noted to the dinner’s audience that the greater community probably doesn’t know too much about the CERT team — which is one of the reasons he was honored to present the citation.
“These are volunteers that are behind the scenes,” Tasker explained. “They’ve experienced over the years things like floods, accidents, fires, and through it all, they’ve volunteered their time, they’ve trained constantly and whenever there’s been a disaster or trouble in The County, these folks are up there in the forefront helping out.”
Accepting the award on behalf of the CERT was Caribou Police Chief Michael Gahagan. He pointed out that not only does the Caribou CERT help Aroostook County at large, “we’re the only CERT team north of Bangor.”
Though the CERT volunteers are a quiet, humble bunch, Tasker mentioned that some of the volunteers have been participating for 40 years.
“These are the people who, when your house is in danger, they’re leaving their house to come and help you,” Gahagan described. “So really, for the volunteer group, I couldn’t be more proud.”
Community members serving on the CERT include: Warren Dobson, Patricia Dobson, Dennis Bosley, Bob White, James Jalbert, Bill Thomas, Colleen Sutherland, Doris St. Hilaire, Herm Tercotte, Sheree Belanger, Bill Schofield, Sgt. Paul Vincent and Chief Gahagan.
With so many individuals recipients of the Service to the Area Award, Tasker explained that the CERT received one plaque for the group to display wherever they wanted, and individual awards for the team members.
“When I learned about what these folks do,” Tasker said, “I thought it was fitting that we honor them.”