RENO — The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Citizen Corps is conducting a free emergency preparedness academy today, Friday and Saturday, as well as June 14-16 at the Regional Public Safety Training Center. This program has successfully trained more than 2,500 Washoe County residents during the past seven years, providing valuable information on emergency preparedness, disaster recovery, sheltering and resiliency.

“Currently, the Citizen Corps program has more than 500 members who support the community outreach efforts of Washoe County Sheriff’s Office,” said Lt. Tim O’Connor of the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Division.

The preparedness academy will take place today and Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The second session takes place on June 14 and 15 from 6 to 9 p.m. and June 16 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The program is free, but requires pre-registration. The Regional Public Safety Training Center is located at 5190 Spectrum Blvd. in Reno.

To register for the upcoming academy log on to the Community Emergency Response Team website at www.wcsovolunteer.org and click on the “Files” drop-down menu to complete the “Volunteer Registration/Application” form.

For more information about the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Citizen Corps programs contact Betsy Hambleton at 775-325-6927 or Derek Russell at 775-325-6928.