Promoting CERT to
First Responders
Samantha Royster
NC CERT Program Manager
A Brief History of CERT
• Started in 1985 by LAFD, who realized how
quickly they could be overwhelmed in a
large-scale disaster (esp. earthquakes)
• Curriculum adopted by FEMA in 1993
• Became part of President Bush’s Volunteer
Corps in 2002
• Currently >2600 teams in every U.S. state,
five U.S. territories and six foreign countries
CERT in NC
75 teams in 46 counties
CERT Basic Training
• Nine units
• 21 hours of classroom
and hands-on training
• Culminating in a
full-scale exercise
Unit One – Disaster Preparedness
• Identify roles and responsibilities for
individuals, community leaders, government
officials
• Describe types of hazards that affect
community, people, health, and
infrastructure
• Undertake personal and organizational
preparedness actions
• Learn function of CERT in disasters
Unit Two – Fire Safety & Utility Controls
• The role of CERTs in fire safety
• Identify and reduce potential fire and utility
risks
• Describe CERT sizeup
process
• Explain basic safety
precautions
• Identify hazardous
materials
• Extinguish small fires
Unit Three – Disaster Preparedness, Part I
• Identify the “three killers”
• Apply techniques for opening airways,
controlling bleeding, and treating for shock
• Conduct triage under simulated disaster
conditions
Unit Four – Disaster Preparedness, Part II
• Take appropriate sanitation
measures to help protect
public health
• Perform head-to-toe patient
assessments
• Establish a treatment area
• Apply splints to suspected
fractures and sprains and
employ basic treatments for
other injuries
Unit Five – Light Search and Rescue
• Identify sizeup requirements for
potential search-and-rescue
situations
• Describe the most common
techniques for searching, both
interior and exterior
• Use of safe techniques for debris
removal and victim extrication
• Describe ways to protect
rescuers during search and
rescue
Unit Six – CERT Organization
• Describe the CERT structure
• Identify how CERTs interrelate with the
Incident Command System (ICS)
• Explain documentation requirements
Unit Seven – Disaster Psychology
• Describe the disaster
and post-disaster
emotional environment
for victims and rescuers
• Describe the steps that
rescuers can take to
relieve their own stress
and that of other
disaster survivors
Unit Eight – Terrorism and CERT
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Define terrorism
Identify potential targets in the community
Identify the eight signs of terrorism
Identify CERT operating procedures for a
terrorist incident
• Describe the actions to take following a
suspected terrorist incident
Unit Nine – Review and Final Exercise
• Apply the skills and
knowledge learned
throughout the
course to a simulated
disaster situation
(full-scale exercise)
Why is CERT Needed?
What Does CERT Do?
• Before, During and After a Disaster:
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Educate the public on preparedness
Assist with evacuations
Shut off utilities
Volunteer in EOC
Staff shelters
Stand up PODs
Sandbags
Damage assessments
Emergency communications
Treatment areas
Firefighter rehab
Non-Disaster Roles
• Identify and aid neighbors/
coworkers who might need
assistance
• Distribute preparedness
materials; do demos
• Staff first aid booths at special
events
• Assist with installation of smoke
alarms
• Parade route management
• Paint fire hydrants
• Roll fire hoses
• USE YOUR IMAGINATION
How Does CERT Benefit the
Community?
• Participants have a better understanding of
local hazards
• In case of a disaster, CERT members can
apply training to provide critical support
until help arrives
• When help does arrive, CERT members can
brief responders on the situation
Community Relations
• As CERT members and First Responders train together, they
learn more about each other, which fosters good
relationships.
• CERT members learn more about what is involved with
keeping a community safe through police, fire, EMS and
emergency management.
• First Responders get to
know residents of their
community – what
talents individuals have,
and who they can count
on in a crisis.
Community Relations
“Involvement with a community
that understands the services
and complexities of emergency
preparedness and emergency
assistance can’t be undervalued. Having a group of
citizens willing to donate their
time and efforts strengthens
the fire department and is a
tremendous benefit.”
Keith McGee
Fire Chief, Apex
Do the Number$
• Having a “resilient community” can lower
Insurance Service Office (ISO) ratings, which
results in lower insurance premium rates.
• When communities track their volunteer
hours, it is easy to put a monetary value on
that time.
– Volunteers are valued at $18.50/hour, so a town
whose volunteers put in 1,200 hours in a year
(Apex, NC) gains a value of $22,200
Community Resilience
“Every home, street and neighborhood with
someone who is prepared helps us do our job
better.”
Ed Moore
Assistant Chief,,
Training & Safety,
Cary Fire Dept.
(far right)
What About Liability?
• CERT members
generally protected by:
– “Good Samaritan” laws
– Volunteer Protection
Act of 1997
– N.C.G.S. 130A-2
– N.C.G.S. §90-21.14
NC Good Samaritan Laws
(a)
Any person, including a volunteer medical or health care provider
at a facility of a local health department as defined in G.S. 130A-2 or at a
nonprofit community health center or a volunteer member of a rescue
squad, who receives no compensation for his services as an emergency
medical care provider, who renders first aid or emergency health care
treatment to a person who is unconscious, ill or injured,
(1)
When the reasonably apparent circumstances require prompt decisions
and actions in medical or other health care, and
(2)
When the necessity of immediate health care treatment is so
reasonably apparent that any delay in the rendering of the treatment would
seriously worsen the physical condition or endanger the life of the person,
shall not be liable for damages for injuries alleged to have been sustained by
the person or for damages for the death of the person alleged to have
occurred by reason of an act or omission in the rendering of the treatment
unless it is established that the injuries were or the death was caused by gross
negligence, wanton conduct or intentional wrongdoing on the part of the
person rendering the treatment. The immunity conferred in this section also
applies to any person who uses an automated external defibrillator (AED) and
otherwise meets the requirements of this section.
And Worker’s Comp?
According to the NC Emergency
Management Act of 1977,
anyone working (paid or
volunteer) at the request of the
State Government or “any
political subdivision thereof”
shall have the same “powers,
duties, immunities and
privileges” the person would
normally possess in performing
those duties.
Confidence in the Program
CERT programs must be affiliated with or sponsored by
a local government agency, and engage in operational
activities only under the command and control of that
agency. Thus, CERT programs do not operate without
the confidence of professional emergency response
agencies, and those agencies are more likely to have
confidence in a CERT program that takes steps to
manage risk.
Positive Public Image
CERT programs that successfully manage risk have a
more positive public image, which enhances their
ability to build relationships with other organizations,
and obtain resources and
funding. A reputation for safety
in a CERT program’s own
operations also enhances the
credibility of its emergency
preparedness outreach efforts.
Increased Participation
Individuals who see the value of being prepared themselves as
well as the added benefit of giving back to the community will
be even more willing to be part of a strong CERT when safety
is paramount in everything the group does.
Managing Risk
1.
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Get leadership support
Identify and assess risk
Adopt strategies to manage risk
Maintain the momentum
Also known as…
Recommended
Volunteer Requirements
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Proof of health insurance
Current tetanus vaccine status
Basic Training Class
ICS 100, 200, 700
Sign a waiver releasing the sponsoring
agency from liability
In Summary
• CERT can be a tremendous asset to any
community
• Helps to build positive relationships
between first responders and residents
• CERTs are covered by Good Samaritan Laws
• If unable to cover Worker’s Comp, practice
risk management – can also require
volunteers to have health insurance and to
sign liability waivers
Contact Info
919-825-2288
samantha.royster@ncdps.gov
http://nccert.wix.com/nccert
https://www.facebook.com/pages/NC-CommunityEmergency-Response-Team-CERT
https://twitter.com/ncemcert