CERT - Certified Emergency Response Teams

C.E.R.T (Certified Emergency Response Teams) Training Program is aimed at providing community volunteers with educational materials, lectures and hands on training in fundamental disaster response skills that will be helpful during calamities and other emergency situations. In cases where the magnitude of the problem is enormous, you should know that police or fire officers and paramedics may not always be immediately available when you need instant attention. But if there are C.E.R.T-trained volunteers in your area, you can be assured that these individuals will be able to assist you and your family until help arrives in situations that require urgent attention, such as fires, earthquakes, and even medical emergencies. In fact, government agencies are encouraging C.E.R.T members to play a more active role in helping their communities in emergency situations like evacuation procedures, disaster safety campaigns, and preparation for hurricanes and other calamities.

C.E.R.T (Certified Emergency Response Teams) Training is actually available to anyone who is at least eighteen years old. Individuals who are less than 18 years old need approval from their parents before they can participate in this program. The basic skills that you will learn from C.E.R.T include search and rescue, fire safety, organization of teams, first aid, threat assessment and disaster preparedness in your home, community and even in your office. More often than not, C.E.R.T volunteers are first to respond to disasters, especially in areas that are not very accessible to other rescue units.

Aside from emergency related activities, volunteers of C.E.R.T (Certified Emergency Response Teams) are also encouraged to help disseminate information about disaster safety and preparedness, to assist elderly with their preparation for emergency situations (such as changing the battery of smoke alarms), and even participate in special local or national events that deal with rescue and safety.

As a C.E.R.T (Certified Emergency Response Teams) volunteer, you also need to make sure that you have C.E.R.T kits that contain tools and equipment to make you prepared for hazards and calamities. Every action response group should have C.E.R.T kits that contain first aid supplies, light sticks, vented chemical goggles, work gloves, hard hat, water pouches, and other things that can assist them in protecting themselves and helping other people survive during emergencies. Flashlights, bullhorns and whistles are also important gadgets that are needed by volunteers during rescue operations or organizing teams. Lastly, in order to help distinguish certified volunteers from other people, C.E.R.T vests, caps, and patches may also be necessary.