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professional help can arrive. In a disaster that could be days.
In an emergency CERT teams are under the direction of local emergency responders. They
help provide critical support by giving immediate assistance to victims, providing damage
assessment information, and organizing other volunteers at a disaster site. Volunteers trained
in CERT also offer a potential workforce for performing duties such as shelter support, crowd
control, and evacuation. The role of a CERT volunteer is to help others until trained
emergency personnel arrive. If activated by an Emergency Operations Center, the Fire
Department will page the CERT members that are deployable and they will report to the area
designated on their pagers.
CERT helps the community in other ways. In addition to supporting emergency responders
during a disaster, the CERT program builds strong working relationships between emergency
responders and the people they serve. CERT teams also help the community year-round by
helping with community emergency plans, neighborhood exercises, preparedness outreach, fire
safety education, and workplace safety.
Who should take CERT training? Anyone interested in taking an active role in hometown
preparedness; neighborhood watch groups, community leaders, parents; communities of faith;
scouting and youth organizations; students, teachers, and administrators and members of clubs
and civic organizations.
In 95 percent of all emergencies, the victim or bystander provides the first immediate assistance
on the scene. Would you know what to do? No matter where you live, no matter who you are,
we all have a role in hometown preparedness. What role will YOU play?
