WHAT
IS CERT?
Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.) is a self-activating
group of citizens who care enough about their families, friends, and
neighbors to prepare themselves to be self-sufficient during crisis
situations.
After Hurricane Andrew, and its accompanying devastation, the Hollywood
Fire Department realized
the necessity of such a community program and began the process of
teaching citizens basic first aid, light fire fighting techniques
utilizing portable fire extinguishers, light search and rescue techniques
and certified them in CPR. With Fire Department guidance, the Hollywood
CERT team grew to over 180 members. These members are divided into
ten teams that cover designated geographical areas of the city in
the event of any type of disaster. The members are taught to care
for themselves and their families before any attempt is made to help
their communities and safety is stressed in all aspects of CERT activities.
BACKGROUND:
The Community
Emergency Response Team
concept was developed and implemented by the Los Angeles City Fire
Department (LAFD) in 1985. The Whittier Narrows earthquake in 1987
underscored the area-wide threat of a major disaster in California.
Further, it confirmed the need for training civilians to meet their
immediate needs. As a result, the LAFD created the Disaster Preparedness
Division with the purpose of training citizens and private and government
employees.
The
training program that LAFD initiated makes good sense and furthers
the process of citizens understanding their responsibility in preparing
for disaster. It also increases their ability to safely help themselves,
their family and their neighbors. The Federal
Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) recognizes the importance of preparing citizens. The Emergency
Management Institute
(EMI) and the National
Fire Academy
adopted and expanded the CERT materials believing them applicable
to all hazards.
The
CERT course will benefit any citizen who takes it. This individual
will be better prepared to respond to and cope with the aftermath
of a disaster. Additionally, if a community wants to supplement its
response capability after a disaster, civilians can be recruited and
trained as neighborhood, business, and government teams that, in essence,
will be auxiliary responders. These groups can provide immediate assistance
to victims in their area, organize spontaneous volunteers who have
not had the training, and collect disaster intelligence that will
assist professional responders with prioritization and allocation
of resources following a disaster. Since 1993 when this training was
made available nationally by FEMA, communities in 28 States and Puerto
Rico have conducted CERT
training.
TRAINING COURSES:
Our CERT courses are delivered in the community by our team of first
responders who have the requisite knowledge and skills to instruct
the sessions. Our instructors have completed CERT Train-the-Trainer
(TTT) conducted by the State Training Office for Emergency Management
or the Emergency Management Institute in order to learn the training
techniques that are used successfully by the LAFD.
The
CERT training courses, for our community groups, are usually delivered
in 2 1/2 hour sessions, one evening a week, over a 7-week period.
CERT trainees must meet the minimum age requirement of 18 years old.
The training consists of the following:
Session
I, DISASTER PREPAREDNESS: Addresses hazards to which people
are vulnerable in the community. Materials will cover actions that
participants and their families take before, during, and after a disaster.
As the session progresses, the instructor will begin to explore an
expanded response role for you in that you will begin to consider
yourself a disaster worker. Since you will want to help your family
members and neighbors, this training can help you operate in a safe
and appropriate manner. The CERT concept and organization are discussed
as well as applicable laws governing volunteers in our jurisdiction.
Session II, DISASTER FIRE SUPPRESSION: Briefly covers
fire chemistry, hazardous materials, fire hazards, and fire suppression
strategies. However, the thrust of this session is the safe use of
fire extinguishers, sizing up the situation, controlling utilities,
and extinguishing a small fire.
Session III, DISASTER MEDICAL OPERATIONS PART I:
You will practice diagnosing and treating airway obstruction, bleeding,
and shock by using simple triage and rapid treatment techniques.
Session IV, DISASTER MEDICAL OPERATIONS, PART II:
Covers evaluating patients by doing a head-to-toe assessment, establishing
a medical treatment area, performing basic first aid, and practicing
in a safe and sanitary manner.
Session V, LIGHT SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS: You
will learn about search and rescue planning, size-up, search techniques,
rescue techniques, and most important, rescuer safety.
Session VI, DISASTER PSYCHOLOGY AND TEAM ORGANIZATION:
Covers signs and symptoms that might be experienced by the disaster
victim, disaster workers and yourself. It addresses CERT organization
and management principles and the need for documentation.
Session VII, COURSE REVIEW AND DISASTER SIMULATION:
You will review your answers from a take-home examination. Finally,
you will practice the skills that you have learned during the previous
six sessions in disaster activity.
During each session you are required to bring safety equipment (gloves,
goggles, mask) and disaster supplies (bandages, flashlight, dressings)
which will be used during the session. By doing this for each session,
you are building a disaster response kit of items that you will need
during a disaster.
MAINTAINING
INVOLVEMENT:
When you have completed this training, it is important to keep yourself
involved and practiced in your skills. Our Trainers will offer periodic
refresher sessions to reinforce this basic training. Our CERT team
may sponsor events such as drills, picnics, neighborhood clean up,
and disaster education fairs which will keep you involved and trained.
As
a CERT First responder, you will need to be educated about the CERT
and your value to the community. Using CERT as a component of the
response system when there are exercises for potential disasters can
reinforce this idea.
CONCLUSION:
CERT is about readiness, people helping people, rescuer safety, and
doing the greatest good for the greatest number. CERT is a positive
and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where
citizens will be initially on their own and their actions can make
a difference. Through training, you can manage utilities and put out
small fires; treat the three killers by opening airways, controlling
bleeding, and treating for shock; provide basic medical aid; search
for and rescue victims safely. Anyone
who lives or works in the City of Hollywood is eligible for training
with the CERT team. There is no cost associated with the team. Please
call the Training Division of the Hollywood
Fire Department
for more information at (954)967-4341 during normal working hours.
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Not
sure about joining CERT?
Read
the FAQ's (and answers)
about CERT Training below
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|
Q: What is CERT?
A: The Community Emergency
Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness
for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster
response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team
organization, and disaster medical operations. Using the training
learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist
others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when
professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT
members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies
by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in
their community. The "About CERT" section of this site gives
you a complete description of CERT.
BACK
TO FAQ'S
Q: How does CERT benefit the community?
A: People who go through CERT
training have a better understanding of the potential threats to their
home, workplace and community and can take the right steps to lessen
the effects of these hazards on themselves, their homes or workplace.
If a disaster happens that overwhelms local response capability, CERT
members can apply the training learned in the classroom and during
exercises to give critical support to their family, loved ones, neighbors
or associates in their immediate area until help arrives. When help
does arrive, CERT's provide useful information to responders and support
their efforts, as directed, at the disaster site. CERT
Members
can also assist with non-emergency projects that improve the safety
of the community. CERT's have been used to distribute and/or install
smoke alarms, replace smoke alarm batteries in the home of elderly,
distribute disaster education material, provide services at special
events, such as parades, sporting events, conCERT's and more.
BACK
TO FAQ'S
Q:
How do we start a CERT program?
A: CERT requires a partnership
between community members and local government, emergency management
and response agencies. The program does take a commitment of time
and resources from all parties. Interested community members should
discuss with local government and emergency management officials ways
to improve their community's preparedness capability and how they
can be involved. The outcome of these discussions can range from education
programs to an active training program like CERT that prepares participants
to be part of the community's response capability following major
disasters. It is also important to develop a plan that covers training,
maintenance and activation standards as well as administrative requirements
like databases and funding. This plan will act as a guide so that
one can evaluate the program and make adjustments.
BACK
TO FAQ'S
Q:
How is the CERT funded?
A: Congress has provided funds
through the Citizen
Corps program
to the States and Territories. Grants from these funds may be available
to local communities to start CERT programs. Contact your State Citizen
Corps point of contact to learn more about grant possibilities.
Also,
there are a variety of local approaches to funding. Some communities
build costs into their local budget while others charge participants
to attend training to cover costs for instructors and course materials.
In a few communities, CERT organizations have formed 501 (C) 3 for
non-profit status to allow them to do fundraising and seek corporate
donations.
BACK
TO FAQ'S
Q:
Why take the CERT training?
A: Local government prepares
for everyday emergencies. However, there can be an emergency or disaster
that can overwhelm the community's immediate response capability.
While adjacent jurisdictions, State and Federal resources can activate
to help, there may be a delay for them getting to those who need them.
The primary reason for CERT training is to give people the decision-making,
organizational, and practical skills to offer immediate assistance
to family members, neighbors, and associates while waiting for help.
While people will respond to others in need without the training,
the goal of the CERT program is to help people do so effectively and
efficiently without placing themselves in unnecessary danger.
A
success story about CERT's comes from events during the wildfires
in Florida. The Edgewater CERT helped emergency management and the
fire department personnel by assisting with evacuation; handling donations;
preparing food for firefighters; and answering the phone while the
professionals were fighting the fire. This is a great example of CERT
members and response personnel working together for the benefit of
the community.
BACK
TO FAQ'S
Q:
Who can take the training?
A: Naturals for the training are neighborhood
watch, community organizations, communities of faith, school staff,
workplace employees, scouting organization and other groups that come
together regularly for a common purpose. CERT skills are useful in
disaster and everyday life events.
BACK
TO FAQ'S
Q:
How do I take CERT training?
A: To become a CERT member,
you will have to take the CERT training from a sponsoring agency like
an emergency management agency, fire department or police department
in the area where you live or work. Contact the local emergency manager
where you live or work and ask about the education and training opportunities
available to you. Let this person know about your interest in CERT.
BACK
TO FAQ'S
Q:
What if I want to do more than basic training?
A: CERT members can increase
their knowledge and capability by attending classes provided by other
community agencies on animal care, special needs concerns, donation
management, community relations, shelter management, debris removal,
utilities control, advanced first aid, Automatic External Defibrillator
use, CPR skills, and others. The sponsoring agency should maintain
records of this training and call upon CERT members when these additional
skills are needed in the community.
CERT
member also can use their skills to help the program flourish by volunteering
to schedule events, produce a newsletter, perform administrative work,
and take leadership positions.
BACK
TO FAQ'S
Q:
How do CERT members maintain their skills?
A: CERT members and the local
sponsoring agency work together to maintain team skills and the working
partnership. It is suggested that the sponsor conduct refresher classes
and an annual exercise where all CERT members are invited to participate.
Some response agencies have conducted joint exercises with CERT teams
and operate as they would during an actual disaster. The last point
does bring up a lesson learned. Besides training CERT members, it
is also important to educate members of response agencies in the community
about CERT's, the skills that team members have learned during training
and the role that they will have during a major disaster. One way
to develop trust between CERT and responders is by encouraging agency
personnel to participate in classes as instructors and coaches and
in activities with CERT members.
Understanding
that CERT's may operate independently following a disaster. CERT's
can practice this independence by taking some responsibility for their
own training. Teams can design activities and exercises for themselves
and with other teams. Some members can be rescuers, some victims,
and some evaluators. After the event, there can be a social so that
community teams can discuss the exercise and get to know each other.
BACK
TO FAQ'S
Q:
Can someone under age 18 participate?
A: This is a local decision.
Someone under 18 should be with a parent or have permission to attend.
Some communities have reached out specifically to young people. Winter
Springs High School in Florida offers the training to high school
students. You can read an article about this. CERT is a great way
to address the community service requirements for high school students
and provides students with useful skills. CERT also fits nicely with
training given to Boy and Girl Scouts and the Civil Air patrol.
BACK
TO FAQ'S
Q:
What if I have concerns about my age or my physical ability?
A: There are many jobs within
a CERT for someone who wants to be involved and help. Following a
disaster, CERT members are needed for documentation, comforting others,
logistics, etc. Non-disaster related team activities may include keeping
databases, developing a website, writing a newsletter, planning activities,
helping with special events and organizing exercises and activities.
During
CERT classroom training, if one has a concern about doing a skill
like lifting, just let the instructor know. You can learn from watching.
We would like everyone who wants to go through the training to have
an opportunity to participate and learn the skills. CERT educates
participants about local hazards and trains them in skills that are
useful during disaster and life's everyday emergencies.
BACK
TO FAQ'S
Q:
What about liability?
A: The text of the Volunteer
Protection Act of 1997 is available for viewing. Also there is information
about State Liability Laws located on the Citizen Corps website. During
training, each sponsoring agency should brief its CERT members about
their responsibilities as a CERT member and volunteer. Finally, there
is a job aid on liability for you to review in our Start a CERT Program
section.
The
CERT material was developed by the Los Angeles City Fire Department
and adopted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
in 1993. The CERT manual contains basic and straightforward material
that has been accepted by those using it as the standard for training.
It
is important to remember that the best sources of help in emergencies
are professional responders. However, in situations when they are
not immediately available, people will want to act and help. We have
seen this time and again in our history. CERT training teaches skills
that people can use to safely help while waiting for responders. The
alternate is to do nothing and that is not in our nature.
