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SERVPROSERVPRO of Annandale-Falls Church
Fire & Water - Cleanup & Restoration™
(703) 237-8800

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program

12/13/2019 (Permalink)

Our team here at SERVPRO has team members who have joined the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program. This program has amazing classes that are free to the community. Please see the information below and see if this would be something you or a family member would be interested in.

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the 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. CERT offers a consistent, nationwide approach to volunteer training and organization that professional responders can rely on during disaster situations, which allows them to focus on more complex tasks. Through CERT, the capabilities to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters is built and enhanced.

Watch and share CERT in Action

Watch and share CERT in Action (30 seconds)

Since 1993, CERT has impacted communities across the country, building essentials skills and capabilities to prepare for and respond to any disaster. There are now CERT programs in all 50 states, including many tribal nations and U.S. territories; each unique to its community but all essential to building a Culture of Preparedness.

The CERT program was designed as a grassroots initiative and specifically structured so that the local and state program managers have the flexibility to form their programs in the way that best suits their communities. CERT volunteers are trained to respond safely, responsibly, and effectively to emergency situations, but they can also support their communities during non-emergency events as well. There are over 2,700 local CERT programs nationwide, with more than 600,000 individuals trained since CERT became a national program.

FEMA’s Community Emergency Response Team Program trains volunteers to prepare for the types of disasters that their community may face. Through hands-on practice and realistic exercises, CERT members:

  • Learn how to safely respond to man made and natural hazards
  • Help organize basic disaster response
  • Promote preparedness by hosting and participating in community events

    • FEMA Citizen Responder

    Registering your CERT program, or joining a local CERT through the FEMA Citizen Responder website will better connect you to opportunities to participate in preparedness activities and initiatives that support disaster resilience. Through the FEMA Citizen Responder site you can register a CERT program, join a local CERT and learn about a upcoming events. 

  • Register, join or login to your CERT
  • Find your local CERT program

    • Background

    The CERT concept was developed and implemented by the Los Angeles City Fire Department in 1985. The Whittier Narrows earthquake in 1987 underscored the area-wide threat of a major disaster in California. Further, it confirmed the need for training civilians to meet their immediate needs.

    Since 1993 when this training was made available nationally by FEMA, communities in 28 states and Puerto Rico have conducted CERT training. FEMA supports CERT by conducting or sponsoring Train-the-Trainer and Program Manager courses for members of the fire, medical and emergency management community.

    Training & Materials

    This section includes all of the curriculum developed for the CERT program, and features instructor guides, participant manuals, and slide decks for conducting the CERT training. In addition to the basic CERT training, materials are also available for the CERT Train-the-Trainer and Program Manager Courses, as well as the CERT supplemental modules, which are intended to provide additional training in specific areas to participants who have already completed the basic course.

    Course Overview

    The CERT Basic Course is delivered in the community by a team of first responders, and other qualified volunteers. The organization and timing of training and meeting varies from program to program. It is often broken up into two to four hour blocks over a series of evenings or weekends. 

  • Disaster Preparedness: Addresses hazards specific to the community. Materials cover actions that participants and their families take before, during and after a disaster as well as an overview of CERT and local laws governing volunteers.
  • Fire Suppression: Covers fire chemistry, hazardous materials, fire hazards and fire suppression strategies. However, the thrust of this session is the safe use of fire extinguishers, controlling utilities and extinguishing a small fire.
  • Medical Operations Part I: Participants practice diagnosing and treating airway obstruction, bleeding and shock by using simple triage and rapid treatment techniques.
  • Medical Operations Part II: Covers evaluating patients by doing a head to toe assessment, establishing a medical treatment area and performing basic first aid.
  • Light Search and Rescue Operations: Participants learn about search and rescue planning, size-up, search techniques, rescue techniques and rescuer safety.
  • Psychology and Team Organization: Covers signs and symptoms that might be experienced by the disaster victim and workers, and addresses CERT organization and management.
  • Course Review and Disaster Simulation: Participants review and practice the skills that they have learned during the previous six sessions in a disaster activity.

    • During each session participants are required to bring safety equipment (gloves, goggles, mask) and disaster supplies (bandages, flashlight, dressings) which will be used during the session. By doing this for each session, participants are building a disaster response kit of items that they will need during a disaster.

    From <https://www.ready.gov/cert>

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