My family is involved in our local CERT, or Community Emergency Response Team. We all enjoy what we've done with the team so far, which admittedly isn't much, and we look forward to what we will do with it in the future. Which brings me to the topic I've chosen for myself to write about this evening. What is CERT?
CERTs, or Community Emergency Response Teams, have been around for about 20 years. They are basically a group of people who get together within neighborhoods or communities, and plan for what to do in the case of, you guessed it, an emergency.
Think back to Hurricane Katrina last year. The nation watched on as a city was crippled in the aftermath of that natural disaster. That type of scenario is what CERTs are all about. We meet together as a neighborhood/community and plan for what to do in the case we are struck by some sort of catastrophe. 911 services will be overwhelmed, and people will basically be on their own for many days before help is likely to get to them. CERTs are organized with several teams, which the members set for themselves, and if something should happen, they are able to take care of themselves and their neighbors until help can get there.
There are basically 7 teams:
Coordinator/Block Coordinator – Coordinate all meetings and training, and in the case of emergency coordinate all the teams to work together.
First Aid – Set up a first aid station, and provide basic first aid and medical attention to victims immediately following a catastrophic event until 911 services arrive.
Light Search & Rescue – Conduct a door to door search following a catastrophic event to assess the status of neighbors, rescue victims as found/needed.
Safety & Security – Following a catastrophic event, shut off natural gas, electricity and water as necessary, and rope off hazardous areas if needed.
Sheltering & Special Needs – Set up care center for children and adults, and coordinate ways for all neighbors to participate in recovery of neighborhoods.
Communications – Monitor EAS radio station & share critical information with your CERT group. Get injury & damage reports from Coordinator & communicate that to emergency services.
Damage Assessment – Conduct quick survey of damage, and conduct detailed assessment of damage.
While #3 is too young to participate, the rest of us belong to different teams. #1 is a member of the Coordination team, #2 is a member of Light Search & Rescue, Hubby is on Communications, and I’m on the First Aid team.
In addition to our planning and training for our teams, we also plan for long term self sufficiency following an emergency. This involves keeping a supply of drinking water for X amount of days, as well as non-perishable food items and other supplies a person or family would need to sustain themselves for several days until your community started getting back into a more normal condition. It also involves preparing your home for an emergency. Things like fixing pictures, bookshelves and other large furniture items and such to result in the least amount of damage should your home have the opportunity to ride out an earthquake, hurricane, terrorist attack, or any other catastrophic event you could imagine.
Doesn’t that sound like fun? Actually it is a pretty good way to get to know your neighbors better and get yourself into a good place should something happen to your community.
I now return you to your regularly scheduled Web Surfing.