No matter if it is a wildfire, hurricane, tornado or a man-made disaster, emergencies happen, and the initial response can be overwhelming for those on the front lines. That’s why cities throughout the United States offer Community Emergency Response Team programs to help ordinary citizens step into the line of duty whenever and wherever they are needed.

Developed by the city of Los Angeles Fire Department in 1985 and adopted through a variety of local, state and national organizations, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the American Red Cross and Americorps, CERT trains volunteers in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations. The CERT program offers a consistent, nationwide approach to volunteer training and organization that professional responders can rely on during emergencies, allowing them to focus on more complex tasks. In short, CERT is a proactive approach that boosts community self-sufficiency and decreases the reliance on external aid.

A major milestone

The Citizen Preparedness Corps is a program of the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services that gives residents the tools and resources they need to prepare for any type of disaster/emergency, respond accordingly, and recover as quickly as possible to pre-event conditions. Led in conjunction with the New York National Guard and the American Red Cross, the CPC program began in 2014 and is held at various locations throughout the state.

Last September, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that over 400,000 New Yorkers have participated in a CPC program over the past 10 years, which is not only a major milestone for the program itself but also makes these ordinary citizens some of the best prepared in the nation.

“The men and women of the New York National Guard are proud of the part that they have played in educating our neighbors and fellow New Yorkers in how to prepare for emergencies,” said Adjutant General of the New York National Guard Major General Ray Shields. “These trainings help people prepare to cope with emergencies that can occur at any time.”

A customized approach

While the topics covered in community CERT programs are universal, such as assembling a disaster preparedness kit, creating an emergency plan, basic first aid and more, some states take it to the next level tailoring their offerings to the typical emergencies that are common for their area of the country.

Last September — also National Emergency Preparedness Month — the American Red Cross California Gold Country Region offered the Fired-Up Institute, a three-day event designed to help train volunteers to respond to the needs of the region in the event of a disaster. The program, which was held at Simpson University in Redding, Calif., offered response and recovery workshops, food safety/meal preparation workshops, shelter simulations, mass casualty response management and CPR/AED certification.

“With our propensity for wildfires, floods and other disasters, the California Gold Country Region of the Red Cross strives to ensure our volunteer workforce is properly trained to respond to the needs of the community any time of the year,” said Regional Disaster Program Officer Robin Friedman in an American Red Cross press release.

In April, Joliet, Ill., launched its CERT program just in time for tornado season. Volunteers learned essential skills, such as triaging victims, wound care, and weather spotting, which helps identification of severe weather patterns like funnel clouds.

In a FOX 32 article, John Lukancic, director of the Joliet Office of Emergency and Disaster Management, noted that the city’s CERT program was inspired by the 1990 F-5 tornado in Plainfield and trains participants to respond to just about anything that could affect the community. About 35 residents registered for the inaugural program, and when a situation arises, they will be the initial responders to disasters in their own neighborhoods.

“In a disaster situation, people are often overwhelmed, and sometimes the only thing they may need is another human being to talk to … and that’s one of the things that we try to provide here too,” he told FOX 32.

Ready to serve

Of course, for a CERT program to be successful, it must earn and maintain community buy-in as well as volunteers who will sustain it. According to Denise Wright, emergency manager for Waseca County, Minn., her department uses the county fair as a recruiting opportunity where people can learn more about the program and sign up for a class. She said that their members are also very good about spreading the word about CERT programs to their friends.

“We feel that the more the community sees us out and about, the more familiar they will be with us,” she said in a press release. Annually, CERT members volunteer to work events in the community, including steak fries at the Waseca American Legion, breakfasts at the Waseca VFW, and first-aid sites at local parades. “This gives us an opportunity to engage with people in our community and answer questions about the group.”

Get CERT started

If you are interested in developing a CERT program in your community, visit https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/individuals-communities/preparedness-activities-webinars/community-emergency-response-team to learn more, including how you can customize the program to fit your needs.

Sources:

https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/joliet-cert-program-preparing-residents-disasters

https://dps.mn.gov/news/whats-cert-why-should-my-community-have-one

https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-more-400000-people-have-completed-new-york-states-citizen

https://www.redcross.org/local/california/gold-country/about-us/news-and-events/press-releases/american-red-cross-launches–fired-up–training-institute-to-pre.html?srsltid=AfmBOopvRqZCmGPwGO4TFB_Z-1WSDpnUEcVtcJAVakK7p994gSAxYGP0

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