Become a Junior Cert, today!

CERT GOALS

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program helps train people to be better prepared to respond to emergency situations in their communities. When emergencies happen, CERT members can give critical support to first responders, provide immediate assistance to victims, and organize spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site. CERT members can also help with non-emergency projects that help improve the safety of the community.

The CERT course is taught in the community by a trained team of first responders who have completed a CERT Train-the-Trainer course coordinated by their local emergency management agency. CERT training includes disaster preparedness, disaster fire suppression, basic disaster medical operations, and light search and rescue operations.

The CERT program is about readiness, people helping people, rescuer safety, and doing the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people. 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, citizens can manage utilities and put out small fires; treat the three killers which are opening airways, controlling bleeding, and treating for shock, and provide basic medical aid; search for and rescue victims safely; and organize themselves and spontaneous volunteers to be effective.0

CERT GOALS

The CERT Program is part of Citizen Corps, whose purpose is to educate community members about natural hazards and the potential of terrorism events that could strike them. Community members are considered to be part of the response capability for their neighborhood or workplace. They participate in 17.5 hours of basic training and continue their involvement by attending supplemental training, participating in exercises, and volunteering for emergency management projects to better prepare their community for hazards. Participants learn basic response skills that they can apply after a natural disaster when professional response resources are overwhelmed or delayed. Modules include Disaster Preparedness; Fire Suppression; Disaster Medical Operations Part I and II, Light Search and Rescue; Disaster Psychology; Team Organization; and Disaster Simulation. An orientation module on terrorism and weapons of mass destruction is being added. CERT members are encouraged to train and exercise as teams within their neighborhood or workplace.

Educate community members about natural/man-made hazards including terrorism that may strike their community.

Organize neighborhood and workplace response teams to respond to immediate needs following an event when professional response resources are delayed or overwhelmed.

Train teams in basic response and decision-making skills that can be used to protect themselves and to help others.