Burleson honors CERT's 20 years of service and awards lifesaver recognition after tower rescue

Joe Laster, Burleson's emergency operations manager, told the council the Burleson Community Emergency Response Team marked its 20th anniversary and received the FEMA Region 6 Whole Community Preparedness Award for its regional training and public-education work. "This year marks the twentieth anniversary for the Burleson CERT program," Laster said, and he noted the group recently became a 501(c)(3) to expand training and support.

Laster said Burleson CERT conducts biannual basic training that covers disaster medical operations, fire safety, light search-and-rescue and disaster psychology, and that volunteers logged 2,400 service hours over the past two years, valued at about $79,000 using national volunteer-rate estimates. He asked the council and public to join in congratulating the team for the award.

Later, representatives of the Chisholm Trail 100 Club presented lifesaver awards to Burleson Fire, EMS and public-safety communications personnel for a high-angle tower rescue on Jan. 24. The club described a contractor crew stranded atop a 150-foot tower after contact with electrical lines left one worker critically injured; Burleson Fire requested Fort Worth's technical-rescue team, and the multiagency crew lowered the injured worker after roughly four hours.

"This is above and beyond," a presenter said of the rescue, adding that the operation required careful rigging and coordination in cold, windy conditions. The club presented clocks, certificates and lapel pins to those involved and named the firefighters, EMS personnel and communications specialists who participated.

The council paused for photographs and public recognition of the awardees. The presentation emphasized volunteerism, interagency coordination and the city's investment in public-safety training and mutual-aid relationships.