WHEN THE PROS NEED A HAND.

• Position: STATELINE - Brief article

Local sheriffs' departments have long relied on volunteer search and rescue teams to help them locate lost or injured hikers. Now, with climate change bringing more costly and deadly natural disasters, communities are calling in teams of trained civilians to ease the pressure on professional first responders during wildfires, floods and other emergencies. Pew's Stateline reports. The volunteers are part of the CERT program, started 25 years ago by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. CERT, which stands for Community...