October 15, 2011: The Spartanburg County CERT Rehab Unit responded to the Haven Apartment Fire on 10/15/2011.  Our job was to hydrate and nourish first responders on-scene.  A special thanks to Arby's (Duncan), Bojangles (Duncan), Clock Restaurant (Duncan), COSTCO, Firehouse (Duncan), McDonalds (Duncan), Pizza Inn (Duncan), Publix (Duncan), and Zaxby's (Duncan).  In addition a special thanks to our volunteers.

For this activation, the following CERT Rehab volunteers responded: Christie Cheatham, Jackie Danielson, Barbara Grudzien, Doug Nissley, and Teresa Foster.   Without the support of our community partners and volunteers, we could not offer this service throughout the community.

Related Links

• Community Helps Duncan Apartment Fire Victims

• 30 Units Evacuated As Apartment Complex Burns

• Community reaches out to 28 families displaced by fire
• Police chief says investigators may not know cause of Duncan apartment fire
• Apartment Fire In Duncan Area

September 10, 2011:  More than 20 CERT volunteers assisted with setting up, participating, and tearing down  for the 2011 Community Emergency Preparedness Day.  An event that gets bigger and better every year, this years event started with an opening ceremony and witnessed steady traffic throughout the day.  With September being Emergency Preparedness Month, this has become an annual tradition.  We hope we can continue to foster our working relationships with such great agencies/businesses as Westgate Mall, ServPro, Service Master, Batteries Plus, Spartanburg Regional, Red Cross, SCSARDA, EMS, City Fire, Count Fire, Public Safety, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, NWS, SCEMD, Coroners Office, Fire Marshal's Office, and many more in the years ahead. For those who could not attend, pictures from this event will be posted on our Facebook and Flickr pages.

May 11 - 14, 2011: The collection drive was a joint effort of Spartanburg County CERT, Restoration Church in Spartanburg and the Marshall Tucker Band.  The drive began Wednesday, May 11 and ran through Saturday, May 14, 2011. Overall, a truckload of donations were sent to Alabama.  To learn more, visit the related links below:   Related Links Newspaper Link Video CERT Activated for Missing Person The Spartanburg County CERT Rehab and Search & Rescue units were called out for a missing person on May 4, 2011.  Fortunately, 77-year-old Shirley Ballenger was found in a room off a carport at a home near where Ballenger has been living.  For more information, feel free to view the related links:             Related Links Spartanburg deputies searching for Inman woman WSPA Missing Inman Woman Found in Shed WYFF Officials: Missing Woman Found Inman woman reported missing has been located   CERT's Bob Grudzien - 2011 SCEMA Volunteer of the Year Our own Bob Grudzien was awarded the 2011 Volunteer of the Year award by the South Carolina Emergency Management Association.  This is a huge accomplishment and we can't thank Bob enough for all that he does and means to this program.  There is truly no way to verbalize what he and his family mean to us.  Without him and his family, this program would not be where it is today.  We are very thankful for the Grudzien's and we're thrilled that Bob's accomplishments were acknowledged at the State level.