The Monongalia County
Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) program helps train people to be
better prepared to respond to emergency situations in their communities. When
emergencies happen, CERT members can give critical support to first
responders, provide immediate assistance to victims, and organize spontaneous
volunteers at a disaster site. CERT members can also help with non-emergency
projects that help improve the safety of the community. The CERT course is
taught in the community by a trained team of emergency management
professionals who have completed a CERT Train-the-Trainer course conducted by
their state training office for Emergency Management, or FEMA's Emergency
Management Institute (EMI), located in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
The CERT training for community groups is
usually delivered in 2 1/2 hour sessions, one evening a week over a 7 week
period. The training consists of the following:
Session I, DISASTER
PREPAREDNESS: Addresses hazards to
which people are vulnerable in their community. Materials cover actions that
participants and their families take before, during, and after a disaster. As
the session progresses, the instructor begins to explore an expanded response
role for civilians in that they should begin to consider themselves disaster
workers. Since they will want to help their family members and neighbors, this
training can help them operate in a safe and appropriate manner. The CERT
concept and organization are discussed as well as applicable laws governing
volunteers in that jurisdiction.
Session II, DISASTER FIRE
SUPPRESSION: Briefly covers fire
chemistry, hazardous materials, fire hazards, and fire suppression strategies.
However, the thrust of this session is the safe use of fire extinguishers,
sizing up the situation, controlling utilities, and extinguishing a small
fire.
Session III, DISASTER
MEDICAL OPERATIONS PART I:
Participants practice diagnosing and treating airway obstruction, bleeding,
and shock by using simple triage and rapid treatment techniques.
Session IV, DISASTER
MEDICAL OPERATIONS, PART II: Covers
evaluating patients by doing a head to toe assessment, establishing a medical
treatment area, performing basic first aid, and practicing in a safe and
sanitary manner.
Session V, LIGHT SEARCH
AND RESCUE OPERATIONS: Participants
learn about search and rescue planning, size-up, search techniques, rescue
techniques, and most important, rescuer safety.
Session VI, DISASTER
PSYCHOLOGY AND TEAM ORGANIZATION:
Covers signs and symptoms that might be experienced by the disaster victim and
worker. It addresses CERT organization and management principles and the need
for documentation.
Session VII, COURSE REVIEW
AND DISASTER SIMULATION: Participants
review their answers from a take home examination. Finally, they practice the
skills that they have learned during the previous six sessions in disaster
activity.
Over the next two years,
the CERT program aims to double the number of participants, with over 400,000
individuals completing the 20 plus hours of training. Train-the-Trainer
sessions will be held in all 56 states and territories over the next year to
expand the program throughout the United States.
