CERT: A Brief Overview

CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Teams. They assist professional first responders during disasters and other emergencies and events. Though some are emergency medical technicians, firemen, or doctors, most CERT volunteers are ordinary citizens who want to help out when disaster strikes.

I have been a CERT volunteer since 2005, and am also a CERT instructor. Trained in Washington, DC, and New York, I serve as part a CERT unit in upstate New York.

The CERT program was developed in 1985 by the Los Angeles Fire Department. In 1993, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) made CERT training available nationally. Since then, over 3,000 communities in every state and territory have formed CERT units.

Training is offered by local governments in conjunction with first responder agencies, and in some areas, community colleges. It is open to anyone aged 18 and above, at no cost. In my county, the CERT program is managed by the Office of Emergency Management, and our community college offers CERT classes taught by Emergency Medical Technicians, firefighters, and other first responders.

CERT training fosters emergency preparedness, and teaches members a range of skills, from recognizing danger in the home to performing light search-and-rescue, and basic first aid during a disaster.

Training does not end once a volunteer graduates. Refresher courses and advanced training are available. Members can participate in exercises that simulate certain disasters or events. Some volunteers go on to train as CERT instructors or as specialists in various areas of disaster management.

CERT members not only serve their communities, but may be called to assist in major disasters elsewhere. CERT units from around the nation were activated when Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast. In the aftermath of the massive earthquake in Haiti, CERT volunteers are serving as part of urban search-and-rescue teams, helping to rescue people from the rubble of damaged or destroyed buildings.

Disasters are not the only events where CERT volunteers can be of service. Members serve as traffic and crowd control at large special events such as concerts, parades, sporting events, and Presidential inauguration activities. In the summer of 2006, while in Washington, DC, my neighborhood CERT unit was activated to staff water and cooling stations so that people could cool down during several days of prolonged extremely high temperatures. In some areas, CERT has partnered with Meals-On-Wheels to ensure that hot meals reach seniors and other shut-ins.

Sources:

Personal knowledge

CERT website: http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/index.shtm