Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT)

1
Community Emergency Response Teams(CERT)

• Training Citizens To Prepare For, Deal With, And
  Recover From Major Emergencies

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What is a Community Emergency Response Team?

• A CERT is a group of people that is organized
  and receives special training that enhances
  their ability to recognize, respond to, and
  recover from a major emergency or disaster
  situation.
• The CERT is organized under the leadership of the
  local jurisdiction.
• They are trained by emergency responders and
  emergency management personnel in areas that will
  help them take care of themselves and others
  before, during, and after a major emergency.
• As an organized team, they can provide vital
  services in the absence of emergency responders,
  whose arrival may be delayed due to the 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.

3
What Substantiates The Need For A CERT ?

• Various reports of Lessons Learned from
  different disasters including the most recent
  weather disasters Hugo in 1989, Andrew in 1992
  and the Unnamed Storm of 1993.
• One study of particular impact was released in
  June, 1990 by the Urban Institute of the
  University of North Carolina at Charlotte on the
  Lessons Learned from Hurricane Hugo. Hugo struck
  Charlotte after traveling 200 miles inland while
  maintaining hurricane force winds that did damage
  estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of
  dollars.
• Excerpts of the Study are quoted
• Emergency plans must find ways to incorporate
  citizens, a tremendous resource.....find ways to
  increase citizen participation
• More training in emergency response is needed,
  not only for public employees, but for all
  segments of the community.
• Identify ways to create neighborhood contacts or
  teams to help in an emergency....
• Identify priority agencies and businesses to be
  assisted in regaining operation....Grocery stores
  and banks may need greater attention and
  assistance from government than previously
  recognized.
• Special attention needs to be directed to poorer
  neighborhoods....poor citizens have fewer
  personal financial resources to help recover from
  an emergency...
• Find ways to incorporate and to legitimize
  citizen involvement in emergency response...
• Conduct more training for emergencies,
  especially for personnel working in group
  facilities such as schools, jails and senior
  centers.
• Explore ways to get information to employees
  about the safety of their families in an
  emergency. One of the key factors related to
  keeping any employee on the job...is knowledge
  about the safety of the family.
• Establish a business emergency response
  committee to plan coordinated assistance from
  business to the community.
• Devise ways to get services out to needy
  citizens in a more timely manner.
• Contact neighborhood associations prior to an
  emergency to identify neighborhood volunteers.

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What Major Emergencies Could Affect Your
Jurisdiction?

• Weather Emergencies
• Hurricanes would naturally have the most
  extensive impact on the entire community. Even
  if your jurisdiction is not a coastal community,
  it could become a Host Community to evacuees
  from other parts of the State. This major influx
  of people has State and Local Emergency
  Management officials concerned about not only the
  impact of this new population on local service
  demand, but also the fear of people being caught
  on the roads during the severe weather that can
  accompany even a passing storm.
• Tornadoes are the most feared weather phenomenon
  due to their lack of advance warning coupled with
  the severe damage and threat to life they can
  cause in such a short time. Their impact on
  local resources is dependent on how many
  tornadoes occur, where they touch down, and what
  path they take.
• Severe Thunderstorm with High Winds are a regular
  occurrence in many states. Their severity varies
  generally on the time of year they are
  generated, But their damage and drain on
  emergency resources can be Area Wide in scope.
• Transportation Incidents affecting large
  populations
• An Aircraft Crash On or Off an Airport would be
  an immediate drain on emergency resources. The
  prospect of a large jetliner going down in a
  populated neighborhood or a downtown area is a
  dread fear of emergency management and response
  personnel.
• A Train Derailment or Truck Transport Accident
  with Chemical Release and/or Fire is always a
  concern due to the fact that railroads and major
  highways go through the center of the major urban
  areas of many cities. Any major accident could
  create a mass casualty incident or the need to
  move a large number of people out of harms way
  in a very short period of time.
• A Passenger or School Bus Accident with Multiple
  Injuries is one of the most likely transportation
  accidents that can occur. This type of incident
  could commit a major portion of a jurisdictions
  on duty emergency resources immediately.
• Major Fire in a High Rise, or other High Life
  Hazard Occupancy
• Any large area building or high rise such as a
  Hotel, Office Building, Retirement Community or
  Hospital could easily require all on-duty
  resources, the need to recall off-duty personnel,
  and the use of other jurisdictions for response.
• Other Major Emergencies
• Other major emergencies can range from wide area
  flooding to a terrorist attack. Each
  jurisdiction must prepare for each of these
  possibilities through their Emergency Management
  efforts. Public education and citizen
  involvement appear to be the most aggressive
  method of disaster mitigation available.

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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.

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Where Do We Find Team Members?

• Neighborhoods/Homeowners Associations
• Graduates of the Citizens Fire and Police
  Academies
• Employees of the jurisdiction
• High Rise Apartments and Offices
• The Hotel/Motel Industry
• Businesses/Civic Groups
• Schools/Churches/Hospitals/Homes For The Elderly
• Anywhere People Live, Work or Interact

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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 represents a resource that is
  overwhelmed and basically becomes a Disaster
  on a personal level.
• Not knowing how to help on the scene of an auto
  accident, or pedestrian hit by a vehicle
• Inability to recognize and initially treat severe
  bleeding, broken bones or bad burns
• Unaware of the steps (or the precautions) to take
  when faced with a victim that has an airway
  problem.
• Citizens trained in the manner proposed should be
  able to Deal More Effectively With Daily
  Emergencies so they wont create that Personal
  Disaster situation and they can advise
  responders of the pre-emptive steps that have
  been taken by those on the scene.

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How Are Members of The Team Trained?

• Students attend seven (7) weekly classes given by
  local emergency response and emergency management
  instructors, (a detailed description of each
  module follows this summary). The American Red
  Cross course Introduction to Disaster Services
  should also be scheduled as an optional part of
  the CERT curriculum.
• Students are grouped into teams (preferably 5 or
  6 in each team) in the first class and complete
  the course as a unit.
• Each class lasts for two and one half (2 1/2)
  hours each week and reading assignments are given
  at the end of each class.
• Lecture is supported by video, slides, and
  overhead projected materials. Lecture time gives
  way to practical, tabletop, and team building
  exercises wherever possible.
• A disaster simulation is staged to allow students
  to apply their newly acquired skills in a
  realistic environment with multiple casualties.
• Private study can be accomplished by using the
  FEMA Home Study courses provided by most state
  emergency management offices.
• Advanced Study is available to those graduates
  interested in getting better trained in a
  specific area. These areas of study would be
  taught by personnel from the various departments
  and associated agencies that normally respond to
  disastrous events.

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How Do Graduates Keep Their Interest?

• It is important to each jurisdiction that
  graduates realize they are an integral part of
  the Local Emergency Management System. The CERT
  Program Coordinator should schedule graduates for
  a variety of activities that are intended to show
  the jurisdictions commitment to the Program.
• Graduates might be allowed to ride with
  in-service emergency units in order to see some
  of the techniques they have learned used in the
  field.
• Monthly meetings might be scheduled for graduates
  and interested individuals to attend. Attendees
  can be brought up to date on any news or changes
  that may affect them, or the emergency management
  system and they can be given up to an hour class
  on a topic that enhances training they have
  received.
• Graduates should be asked to periodically attend
  neighborhood activities or other public
  gatherings to man exhibits, hand out literature,
  and help others learn about the CERT Program.
• Graduates available during daytime hours may be
  asked to volunteer to help administer the
  program and answer telephone inquiries.
• Some jurisdictions around the country use CERT
  graduates as a volunteer resource for community
  service projects.

10
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 others
  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.

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How Are Teams Formed?

• 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.
• As these friends learn of the availability of
  information that could enhance their familys
  safety, interest in certain areas of personal
  experience, personal preference or potential
  expertise emerge.
• 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.
• The American public enjoys a challenge,
  especially a challenge that makes them feel
  philanthropic, or gives them a feeling of a
  sense of belonging to the community where they
  live.
• 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. 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.

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How Does This Fit Into A City Organization?
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A City as an Example

• In many cities that have CERT programs, they are
  often administered by the fire department. This
  may be for a couple of reasons .
• First, the fire department normally employs the
  emergency response and medical personnel that can
  teach the response portions of the course.
• Secondly, most fire departments have active
  public education programs, and CERT can be fairly
  easily incorporated into those processes.
• In many cases the fire department is also
  responsible for emergency management, so the
  program can fit very appropriately into the
  public education goals of the jurisdiction.
• Other City, or County as it may be, departments
  such as public works, public utilities, police,
  etc., should also be included as part of the
  teaching cadre. Each department has a specific
  role during a disaster, and those roles can be
  taught to the public through CERT. Having an
  understanding of governments limitations after a
  disaster is a major benefit to the citizen and
  the local jurisdiction.
• When the fire department operates the course, it
  is usually also established as the primary
  contact after a disaster.

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How Does the Neighborhood Structure Look?
15
How Comprehensive Can the Team Get?
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Overhead Team Structure/Operation

• Mayor and/or City/County Manager
• Gather Information from EOC and CERT Liaison
  personnel, report on community status.
• Consider policy requests from EOC.
• Authorize Emergency Policy implementation through
  Executive/Policy Group decisions.
• CERT Liaison Personnel
• CERT instructors and/or HAM radio personnel
  located in the EOC of the jurisdiction.
• Act as information conduit between On-Site/Area
  Team Leaders and EOC for needs and status.
• Emergency Operations Personnel at the EOC
• Coordinate emergency operations.
• Recommend policy decisions based on situation.
• Implement policy decisions approved by Executive
  Committee.
• Gather information, allocate resources, and act
  on reports from emergency response units and
  Neighborhood Team Leaders.
• Reports actions/status to Executive/Policy Group.

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On-Site Team Structure
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On-Site Team Functions

• On-Site/Area Team Leader gathers information and
  requests for need and reports to the CERT Liaison
  personnel or appropriate agency contact.
• Communications Coordinator plans for, maintains,
  and operates the available means of
  communications needed.
• Information Planning Coordinator documents Team
  activities and reports from Damage/Needs
  Assessment Teams.
• Damage/Needs Assessment Sector identifies,
  documents and reports damage to private property,
  and needs of citizens in that locale.
• Public Works Sector performs the same function
  with respect to public property and
  infrastructure. Reports status of streets
  regarding blockage or flooding, utilities, and
  infrastructure damage affecting the neighborhood.
• Resource Coordinator directs volunteers and
  other resources to areas of need.
• Voluntary Goods Services Sector reports to
  Resource on the availability of manpower and
  supplies.
• Food Water Sector monitors and reports to
  Resource on the status of available food and
  water.
• Fire/Rescue/HazMat Coordinator evaluates and
  directs emergency actions within the capabilities
  of volunteers. Reports conditions that warrant
  professional response.
• Law Enforcement and Security Coordinator
  evaluates and reports conditions that require
  Police action. Directs volunteers to help secure
  private property when appropriate.
• Mass Care Coordinator documents and reports on
  the condition and needs of people on site.
  Evaluates and arranges for shelter for those in
  need.
• Transportation Sector identifies available
  transportation or need for same.
• Health Medical Sector establishes location for
  injured persons to be treated and staged for
  possible transport. Directs medical volunteers.
  Reports on need for emergency medical assistance.
• People With Special Needs Sector identifies and
  evaluates status of those that are handicapped,
  non-ambulatory, needing prescription drugs or
  have medical conditions that could warrant
  medical attention within a short time.

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Other CERT Applications

• If you consider your jurisdictions demographics,
  you will be able to identify several specific
  audiences that deserve attention. While the
  basic program would require some modification to
  fit these different audiences, development would
  be relatively easy to accomplish once you have
  trained instructors. Programs that might need
  consideration are
• Where the Staff would be trained in CERT and
  assisted in the development of a Disaster Plan
  where needed.
• Elder Care Facilities
• Business Owners
• Hotel/Motel Industry
• High-Rise Retirement Communities where the Staff
  and Residents could be trained.
• Scout Troops could be trained, through a modified
  CERT program, to respond and assist the elderly
  in the event of an approaching Hurricane. Their
  primary goal would be to obtain food, supplies or
  medicines for the elderly that would otherwise
  have difficulty getting these items.
• Schools, where teachers and staff are CERT
  trained and students are offered an Urban
  Survival form of training, similar to the Phoenix
  Plan.
• Employees and their Families could be CERT
  trained and educated on the part they may play in
  the jurisdictions Disaster Plan. Critical
  employees would understand the options open to
  them for the safety of their families when they
  must report to work due to a disaster.

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Get The Community Involvedto Help Support the
Cost of the Program!

• This is the type of program where every level of
  your local community can be a player.
• Civic groups look for opportunities to
  participate in community projects.
• Businesses want to be seen as involved corporate
  citizens of the area they do business.
• Open a Tax Deductible Account for businesses to
  contribute to and give them the documentation
  they need to have the IRS recognize it as a tax
  free donation, while they are helping their
  community.
• Consider charging 50.00 per student to pay for
  printing, postage, materials and instructors.
  This cost can be paid by tax dollars, but if the
  student gets it for free, they may not take their
  personal commitment as seriously as you will have
  to take your financial commitment.
• A Team member appreciates having the proper
  equipment to work with in an emergency situation.
  Make an equipment bag, reflective vest, and hard
  hat available at an additional cost, or let local
  businesses sponsor the purchase of that
  equipment. The student should fill the bag with
  equipment and keep it in their personal vehicle
  for emergencies.
• Since you are promoting this program on a
  community involvement basis, print Tee-shirts,
  patches, window stickers and other identifying
  items. Allow the student to purchase these items
  to show both his/her involvement, as well as
  their commitment to support the program cost.

21
Will CERT Training Make a Difference in Your
Jurisdiction?

• While your jurisdiction may be fortunate enough
  to have been spared from the hardships and
  challenges that other communities around the
  nation have faced it is probably just a matter
  of time before you are tested by a major event.
• A Potential Scenario
• Hopefully you will never have to issue a report
  on how your citizens faired after a disaster but
  if you did, you should expect that having CERT
  trained people would reflect some of the
  following responses.
• Upon being notified by authorities of the
  impending danger of the approaching hurricane
  CERT members began taking inventory of their
  neighborhoods who is home, who isnt, what
  residents have special needs or have to make
  special preparations, who has equipment that will
  be useful after the fact.
• After the storm CERT team leaders were able to
  organize volunteers to help assess the status of
  neighbors in a very short period of time and
  authorities were able to determine the need for
  emergency resources much quicker than normal.
• Those neighbors with Special Needs were quickly
  assessed after the storm.
• Trained citizens were able to locate injured
  residents, render first aid and where necessary
  move them to a safe area for further treatment.
• Tornadic winds caused heavy damage in some areas
  where CERT members were required to extricate
  neighbors entrapped in collapsed structures.
• CERT members identified and isolated areas of
  potential danger around downed power lines,
  broken water mains, and flooded storm drains.
  All damaged homes using natural or LP gas were
  located and valves were turned off to prevent
  fire hazards.
• Team leaders were able to advise emergency
  operations personnel of the level of damage in
  their areas which allowed the Mayor to justify
  the need for a rapid response of State and
  Federal assistance.