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Volunteer firefighter has also aided search-and-rescue efforts
Search and rescue spotlight
Photo courtesy of Charley Hogwood.
After serving over 15 years in the U.S. Army and Florida National Guard, Charley Hogwood wanted to continue serving his community. That desire to serve eventually led him into first responder work and to Dawson County’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). CERT programs are designed to teach the community to be self-sustaining in times of natural disasters when emergency services cannot respond, said Public Affairs Officer Laura Fulcher. While Dawson County doesn’t currently have a CERT team, Hogwood has more recently taught classes to prospective fire and EMS volunteers, though not during the pandemic. Trainings have allowed participants to learn and develop the skills that can help them respond as citizens in the event of a natural disaster. These volunteers are not county employees.