"To do the greatest good for the greatest number of people
while preventing yourself from becoming a victim."
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.
There is a CERT Overview paper located at http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/CERT/overview.asp that gives you a complete description of CERT.
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, CERTs 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. CERTs 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, concerts and more.
Q: How Is 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 listed at http://www.citizencorps.gov/citizenCorps/statepoc.do 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.
Q: Who Can Take CERT Training?
A: Naturals for the training are neighborhood watch, community organizations, communities of faith, school staff, workplace employees, scouting organizations, and other groups that come together regularly for a common purpose. CERT skills are useful in disaster and everyday life events.
Q: Can Someone Under The Age of 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 on the CERT Web at http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/cert/supplmnt.asp.
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.
Q: What If I Have Concerns About My Age Or 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.
Q: What About Liability?
A: The text of the Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 is located at http://www.mtn.org/handiham/vpa1997.html. Also there is information about State Liability Laws located on the Citizen Corps website at http://www.citizencorps.gov/councils/liability.shtm. 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 at http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/CERT/new_CERT/t3-0.htm
The CERT material was developed by the Los Angeles City Fire Department and adopted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency 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.
Raleigh-Wake CERT - PO Box 28442 - Raleigh, NC 27611