What is CERT?
CERT
is a training program that prepares you to help yourself, your family, and your
neighbors in the event of a disaster. During an incident, emergency service
personal may not be able to reach everyone right away. By getting trained in
CERT, you will have the skills to help emergency responders save lives and
protect property.
As
a member of a CERT team, you can respond to disasters, participate in drills
and exercises, and take additional training. CERT teams are known and trusted
resources to emergency responders and their communities.
What Do CERT teams do in an emergency?
Under
the direction of local emergency responders, CERT teams 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.
How does CERT help the community?
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.
The benefits of CERT training.
CERT
training takes about 20 hours to complete and provides critical skills in
emergency preparedness and response.
Participants
learn how to:
·
Identify
and anticipate hazards
·
Reduce
fire hazards in the home and workplace
·
Extinguish
small fires
·
Assist
emergency responders
·
Conduct
light search and rescue
·
Set
up medical treatment areas
·
Apply
basic medical techniques
·
Help
reduce survivor stress
Who
should take CERT training?
·
People
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
·
Members
of clubs and civic organizations
It starts with you.
CERT
is an integral part of Citizens Corps, the grass-roots movements that actively
involves everyone in making our communities and our nation safer, stronger, and
better prepared. All over America, communities have organized Citizen Corps
Councils to inspire people to take action and get involved.
No
matter where you live, no matter who you are, we all have a role in hometown
preparedness. What role will you play?
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