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1. What is a CERT?

A "CERT" is a group of people that is organized and receives special training for the purpose of enhancing their ability to recognize, respond to, and recover from a major emergency or disaster situation.

CERT is organized under the leadership of the fire protection or law enforcement authority having jurisdiction on the area where the CERT will operate.

CERT members are trained by Fire Department and/or Police Department certified officers in areas that will help the citizens take care of themselves and others should the need arise, during a major emergency or disaster.

As an organized team, CERT provides a valuable support function to the professional emergency responder whose arrival might be delayed due to the nature and/or scope of the event.

When a major emergency overwhelms normally available resources, response delays of hours or even days may occur; someone with "basic skills training" should be able to immediately assist those in distress.

2. What substantiates the need for CERT?

Various reports of "Lessons Learned" from different disasters including the more recent weather emergencies throughout the States of Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana.

3. What part do the team members play?

• Properly trained, they would:
• Be better prepared to deal with events that might otherwise seem overwhelming.
• Recognize the potential hazards associated with a particular type of event and take appropriate action.
• Take steps to get to safety and/or help others to do so in a more organized fashion.
• Assume a leadership role with those who are not trained to deal with the event.
• Administer first aid and/or triage techniques.
• Identify, Organize, and Utilize Available Resources.
• Perform needs assessment, document and communicate to local authorities.
• Assist others with the emotional distress, associated with major emergencies and disaster conditions.
• Allow better allocation of emergency resources by being more capable of "sizing-up" a situation and properly advising emergency responders.

4. Where do we find team members?

Neighborhoods/Homeowners' Associations:

• Graduates of the Citizens Fire and Police Academies
• City and County Employees
• High Rise Apartments and Office Buildings
• The Hotel/Motel Industry
• Businesses/Civic Groups
• Schools/Churches/Hospitals/Retirement Communities and Homes for the Elderly
• Anywhere People Live, Work or Interact

5. How will members of the team be trained?

The members of the CERT may be trained in the following areas depending on the current needs of the department:

• Traffic Direction Techniques.
• Disaster Preparedness and hazard vulnerability analysis
• Basic fire suppression
• Medical Treatment strategies for life-threatening conditions
• Principles of triage, patient assessment and stabilization
• Search and rescue priorities, resources, techniques, and limitations
• CERT strategies, tactics, and documentation
• Post-Disaster emotional environment
• Incident Command/Management and team organization
• CPR/First Aid.

Training will be conducted in phases over a period of time on an as needed basis.

6. Is it practical to train people just for disasters?

Disaster is typically considered an event that causes injury, loss of life, and widespread damage. It almost always causes local resources to be overwhelmed by the magnitude of the crisis.

In our daily lives, citizens unable to help others make up one of the principal elements that will overwhelm the emergency responders and their resources and will ultimately enhance the intensity of the disaster at a personal and professional level.

• Not knowing what to do if a home is damaged.
• Inability to implement and perform basic shock treatment techniques.
• Inability to effectively prepare before a disaster and inability to recognize and identify basic danger signs in an area or in a situation after a major disaster

Citizens trained in the manner proposed should be able to deal more effectively with daily emergencies so they won't create that personal disaster or the professional disaster that could otherwise be the situation; and they can advise responders of the pre-emptive steps that have been taken.

7. Do they really work as a team?

The "Team," in its most general sense, would refer to the group of citizens that seek training and share a common interest in becoming more aware of the problems and solutions that may affect them, their families, and their neighborhood.

Students attend the class in "teams" in order to experience the camaraderie that is associated with a group of people that organize to accomplish goals together.

The graduate of this course is encouraged to go back to their neighborhood and garner the interest necessary to form "neighborhood teams" that can prepare for and respond to each other's needs in the event of an impending or actual emergency situation.

Neighborhood Watch is a Team based concept that has neighbors watching out for neighbors.

The CERT Program adds a new dimension to this concept and gives participants the skills and learning bank that allows them to deal with many of the problems that can affect a community.

"Teams" are people working toward a common goal or cause.

8. How are teams formed?

1. The graduate of the CERT Program is made aware of the problems that they could face during a major emergency. They share this information with friends in their neighborhood.
2. As these friends learn of the availability of information that could enhance their family's safety, interest in certain areas of personal preference or potential expertise emerges.
3. People will seek new knowledge in areas that they find of interest or that they are capable of performing. Some people are good at "hands-on" tasks; others feel comfortable with leadership, support or documentation duties.
4. The American public enjoys a challenge, especially a challenge that makes them feel philanthropic, or gives them a feeling of the "right to belong" to the community where they live.
5. As the interest in this "new challenge" grows, so do the number of people that want to belong to this "New Team" that is emerging in their neighborhood.
6. Leaders are appointed, tasks are assigned, and training is scheduled so that everybody feels better about their ability to be prepared; and be a part of the "Team."

9. Is anybody else doing this?

Many cities around the country have implemented this program to help their citizens’ deal more effectively with disaster.

if you are interested in becoming a member of our CERT or have any questions about our program, please call us at 305-948-2955 or complete and submit the form below. One of our officers will contact you in the near future to discuss our program.

A formal application must be completed to become a member of our CERT. Successfully completing a background investigation is also required.

You must fill in either a phone number or email address for us to contact you.