Local emergency responders awarded federal grant

PHOENIX, Ore. — Catastrophic events like a major flood or earthquake don’t happen often. But when they do, it’s essential for our community to be prepared and resilient.

Ashland’s Community Emergency Response Team or CERT was awarded a nearly $4,000 dollar federal grant to purchase what’s called a “conex box.”

The box is a storage facility filled with supplies needed for CERT volunteers. So, if a major catastrophic event hits the area, trained volunteers can assist the fire department and other responding agencies.

“They’re going to need backboards, they’re going to need medical supplies, they’re going to need water pump bags and fire extinguishers, so it really just serves as a storage unit in a place that is easily accessible to them,” said Terri Stewart, Ashland Fire-Rescue.

Stewart says Ashland already has a number of conex boxes, but this is the first one of its kind at the Jackson County Fire District 5 station in Phoenix.

She says the box will be essential for volunteers coming from Talent or Phoenix, especially if roads to Ashland are not accessible in a disaster.

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