(CERT) Community Emergency Response Team

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness for 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.

Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members do the following:

• Assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help.
• Support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.
• Support emergency communications by use of HAM radio operations.

CERT is about readiness, people helping people, rescuer safety, and doing the greatest good for the greatest number. 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 by opening airways, controlling bleeding, and treating for shock; provide basic medical aid; search for and rescue victims safely; and organize themselves and spontaneous volunteers to be effective.

Check out Citizen Corps for additional information.