CERT Activated for the First Time

CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn [CHI] — Friday afternoon a fire broke out in a building on the corner of Washington Avenue and Lincoln Road in Crown Heights, the fire quickly escaladed all the way up to a 6 alarm fire and forced the evacuation of the entire apartment building, which consists of 84 apartments. When the fire was finally placed under control the building had sustained significant damage and residents were not allowed to return to their homes.

More pictures in the Extended Article.

The Red Cross set up a ‘disaster relief’ area and tended to all those who were displaced by the fire. The NYC Buildings Department and the Office of Emergency Management responded to the scene and began determining the buildings structural integrity.

Once the building was deemed safe the Community Emergency Response Team, a program which involves volunteers from the community who are trained for such situations, escorted the residents in and out of the building so that they can reclaim some of the essential possessions.

The first CERT class consisted of around 20 members, out of which 15 of them are Shomrim members who were among those who spent their Sunday morning helping the residents of the building.