CERT: Preparing Community Members to Respond When Disaster Strikes

When a major disaster strikes, first responders can become overwhelmed or have trouble reaching effected areas. It is therefore essential that community members be prepared to step in and provide basic emergency services. The Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, is a federally-funded program designed to provide citizens with basic training in such things as fire safety, light search and rescue, emergency organization and first aid. Trained CERT volunteers act as a community's first line responders until professional fire and rescue workers arrive. CERT volunteers also assist in emergency preparedness by working with local agencies to improve their community's readiness to respond in a crisis.

The concept for the CERT program arose in 1985 when a group of Los Angeles fire officials visited Japan and saw how communities there had prepared themselves to respond to earthquakes and other emergencies. That same year, many of those same officials visited Mexico City in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake there and learned how ordinary people had stepped in to save lives and provide assistance to those hurt by the quake. A year later, a pilot program was begun. In 1987, the program proved its worth as trained volunteers provided invaluable assistance in response to Southern California's Whittier Narrows Earthquake. CERT was placed under the stewardship of FEMA in 1993, which extended its reach nationwide. CERT is currently one of five programs operated under the Citizens Corps.

Today, there are more than 1100 active CERT programs in the United States. Individual programs are sponsored by a local fire department or other government agency that manages funding, facilitates training and organizes volunteers into CERT groups. The Citizens Corps has established national standards for CERT training. Its basic course consists of nine units covering such topics as disaster preparedness, fire safety, medical operations and disaster psychology. The aim of the training program is to help volunteers "do the most good for the most people as quickly as possible."

More Prepared offers a number of products for CERT programs, including training manuals volunteer emergency response kits, vests, hard hats and patches.

More information about joining a CERT program is available at the Citizen Corp website.