HOW DID CERT START?
1985:
The idea to train volunteers from the
community to assist emergency service personnel during large natural
disasters began. In February of 1985, a group of Los Angeles City
officials went to Japan to study its extensive earthquake
preparedness plans. The group encountered an extremely homogenous
society that had taken extensive steps to train entire neighborhoods
in one aspect of alleviating the potential devastation that would
follow a major earthquake. These single-function neighborhood teams
were trained in either fire suppression, light search and rescue
operations, first aid, or evacuation.
In September
of 1985, a Los Angeles City investigation team was sent to Mexico
City following an earthquake there that registered a magnitude 8.1
on the Richter scale and killed more than 10,000 people and injured
more than 30,000. Mexico City had no training program for citizens
prior to the disaster. However, large groups of volunteers organized
themselves and performed light search and rescue operations.
Volunteers are credited with more than 800 successful rescues;
unfortunately, more than 100 of these untrained volunteers died
during the 15-day rescue operation.
The lessons
learned in Mexico City strongly indicated that a plan to train
volunteers to help themselves and others, and become an adjunct to
government response, was needed as an essential part of overall
preparedness, survival, and recovery.
1986:
The City of Los Angeles Fire Department
developed a pilot program to train a group of leaders in a
neighborhood watch organization. A concept developed involving
multi-functional volunteer response teams with the ability to
perform basic fire suppression, light search and rescue, and first
aid. This first team of 30 people completed training in early 1986
and proved that the concept was viable through various drills,
demonstrations, and exercises. Expansion of the program, however,
was not feasible due to limited City resources, until an event
occurred in 1987 that impacted the entire area.
1987:
On October 1, 1987, the Whittier Narrows
earthquake vividly underscored the threat of an area-wide major
disaster, and demonstrated the need to expedite the training of
civilians to prepare for earthquakes and other emergencies.
Following the
Whittier Narrows earthquake, the City of Los Angeles took an
aggressive role in protecting the citizens of Los Angeles by
creating the Disaster Preparedness Division (now the Disaster
Preparedness Section) within the Los Angeles Fire Department. Their
objectives included:
Educate and train the public and
government sectors in disaster preparedness
Research, evaluate, and disseminate disaster information
Develop, train, and maintain a network of Community Emergency
Response Teams (CERTs).
1993:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
decided to make the concept and program available to communities
nationwide. The Emergency Management Institute (EMI), in cooperation
with the LAFD, expanded the CERT materials to make them applicable
to all hazards.
2002:
In January 2002, CERT became part of the
Citizen Corps, a unifying structure to link a variety of related
volunteer activities to expand a community's resources for crime
prevention and emergency response.
2004:
As of
January 2004, 50 states, three territories and six foreign countries
are using the CERT training.
Local
government prepares for everyday emergencies. However, during a
disaster, the number and scope of incidents can overwhelm
conventional emergency services. The Community Emergency Response
Team (CERT) program is an all-risk, all-hazard training. This
valuable course is designed to help you protect yourself, your
family, your neighbors and your neighborhood in an emergency
situation.
CERT is a
positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations
where citizens may initially be on their own and their actions can
make a difference. While people will respond to others in need
without the training, one goal of the CERT program is to help them
do so effectively and efficiently without placing themselves in
unnecessary danger. In the CERT training, citizens learn to:
manage utilities and put out
small fires,
treat the three medical killers by opening airways,
controlling bleeding, and treating for shock,
provide basic medical aid,
search for and rescue victims safely,
organize themselves and spontaneous volunteers to be effective,
and collect disaster intelligence to support first responder
efforts.
WHY DO THE CERT TRAINING?
Well, it's like paying for car insurance. You
might never need either; you'd hope not to. But if the occasion
arises, having the CERT training, just like having car insurance,
means you're as ready as you can be to help yourself, your family
and your neighborhood.
HOW DO I JOIN?
CERT members receive 24.5 hours of
instruction.
CERT is
provided free of charge. Classes are taught mornings, afternoons and
evenings continually throughout the year in various locations
throughout the county.
The current schedule is always available on the internet at
www.esca1.com.
You can search to find a class in your area. To register for a
class, call the contact person to verify the date, time and location
of the class. If you miss a class, you can go to any other
location to make it up. When you arrive at the make-up session,
inform the instructor that you are making up a class.
If you don't
see a class near you, call Denise Mack at 425-388-5064 and give your
name, phone number, zip code and community name. When a class is
scheduled in your area, they will contact you.
You can also
organize a class for your neighborhood, business or community group.
You need a minimum of 12 people to be trained and a location to hold
the training. Call Denise Mack to schedule your class at
425-388-5064.