Become a Member of CERT
By: Teddy
Published On: 7/15/2007 6:08:11 PM
Ever felt emergency preparedness in America is more honored in the breach than in real life? Fact is, it's really our responsibility to help to take care of our own communities. I just met a lieutenant from the Fire Department of the City of Fairfax, and signed up for CERT Training. CERT means Community Emergency Response Team. These teams are formed by members of a neighborhood or workplace who want to be better prepared to deal with the many hazards that can threaten themselves and their communities.
CERT responsibilities are being expanded by local police and fire departments beyond major disasters--- major disasters are those which might overwhelm the first responders, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, big wildfires, or terrorist attacks. CERTS are now an active but supplemental part of the responders, and will, for example, be used to: 1) distribute and install smoke detectors and batteries to the community; 2) assist with evacuations and traffic control; 3) promote community awareness of potential hazards and of preparedness measurers; 4) supplement staffing at special events (Fourth of July, Oktoberfest); and 5) act as victims in training exercises (Actors' Guild membership not required!). CERTS will NOT, however, be asked to suppress large fires, perform hazardous material cleanup, enter dangerous heavily damaged structures. They are considered "Good Samaritans," and are covered under the Volunteers Protection Act.
CERT Training for members includes learning to identify and mitigate hazards, prepare themselves and their families for potential disaster, learn skills such as CPR to help themselves and neighbors until the professionals arrive, learn how to locate and turn off utilities, extinguish small fires, apply safety procedures and principles, identify hazardous materials situations, triage and treat victims, and undertake additional training to be used if they are deployed. CERTS will learn how to set up a medical treatment center, how to conduct search and rescue operations in lightly to moderately damaged structures, understand the psychological impact of disaster on themselves and others, and organize CERT members and spontaneous volunteers for an effective and safe response, and how to apply these skills in a disaster simulation. The CERT members will eventually be part of Local Citizen Corps Councils, a grassroots organization.
Remember the civilian block captains in London, England during the Blitz in World War II? That?s the idea. Just with duct tape nowadays, of course. One wonders if CERT might have made a difference in New Orleans when Katrina struck.
If you are interested in learning how to help yourselves and your community, contact your local Fire Department. In the City of Fairfax, contact Lieutenant Shawn Dunstan at 703-273-8109, or e-mail him at sdunstan@fairfaxva.gov.
Comments
Well (jiacinto - 7/15/2007 6:12:05 PM)
I am involved in the DC CERT Program. It is a great way to learn about emergency management and to help the professionals.
An opportunity (Teddy - 7/15/2007 6:39:44 PM)
to take control of your own safety and destiny, that's what CERT is. The old frontier spirit, help yourself and your neighbor, and don't wait around for "the government" to take care of you. Isn't that the grassroots, American way? We have seen how much help this Administration gave New Orleans; isn't that example enough to wake us up?
The US Jaycees are a partner in the CERT program (FxbAmy - 7/15/2007 7:42:49 PM)
If you are under the age of 40, you can contact your local Jaycees chapter and see if they're providing training in your community. (They do voter registration, too!)
Sounds like a good idea (Catzmaw - 7/15/2007 7:45:06 PM)
I was heavily involved with the Boy Scouts for years with my sons and used to attend emergency training for disasters and the like. Some Venture crews focus on emergency response such as the one in Alexandria in which everyone is certified in shortwave radio communications.
Back in the 1970s I was in the Civil Air Patrol. This little known Air Force Auxiliary trains in search and rescue operations, especially for downed planes. Can't tell you how much time I spent as a 14 year old girl learning basic and advanced first aid, learning search and rescue techniques, and practicing recovery of lost people. We used to go into the countryside and run training exercises called SARCAPS. A real search was called a REDCAP. I remember there were a couple of occasions where we stumbled on to car accidents and ended up securing the scene, administering first aid, and contacting the authorities. In the Western states such as Colorado and Alaska the CAP is an integral part of air safety and recovery operations for downed planes. In the National Capital area CAP volunteer pilots fly over the metro area every week as part of training exercises for the fighter planes out of Andrews and the early alert systems around town.
Been thinking for the last couple of years of joining CERT.
Congratulations (Teddy - 7/15/2007 8:10:19 PM)
and my compliments. As I recall, the Civil Air Patrol also manned/womaned watch towers along the coast during World War II, kept a lookout, and learned to recognize the warplanes of all different countries. When I wrote this article I had no idea so many people (like you) had had disaster training or an interest in it. Makes me proud of us all.