WHAT IS CERT?  The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program trains people to be prepared for emergency situations in their community and neighborhood. CERT members give critical support to first responders in emergencies, provide immediate assistance to victims, collect disaster information to support first responder efforts and provide that first neighborhood help in the immediate hours following a major emergency.   The CERT program creates a partnership between first responders and the community in training citizens to help themselves, their family and their neighbors in an emergency.  It's families helping themselves and neighbors helping neighbors to prepare, respond and recover in their own neighborhood.

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.

WHAT TRAINING IS INVOLVED?  CERT members are trained to respond, along with EMS, to large-scale emergencies. First, they care for their family and neighbors and then report to a strategic location to offer their assistance to the community.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF CERT TRAINING?  Local government prepares for everyday emergencies, but a large-scale disaster will overwhelm the community's immediate response capability causing significant delays getting to those who need help. During a major crisis, such as an earthquake, large-scale fire, or man-made disaster, assistance from trained volunteers is crucial. Those who complete the program are also registered as state disaster workers and are covered by state workers' compensation in event of an accident.
 

HOW DO I JOIN?  CERT members receive 20 hours of initial training, free of charge.  For a current schedule contact the Emergency Management Department (509) 422-7206.  You can also organize a class for your neighborhood, business or community group. You need a minimum of 20 people to be trained and a location to hold the training. Again, contact EMD.

HOW DID CERT START?  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.

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:

     1.  Educate and train the public and government sectors in disaster preparedness
     2.  Research, evaluate, and disseminate disaster information
     3.  Develop, train, and maintain a network of Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs).

In 1993 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.

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.

As of January 2004, 50 states, three territories and six foreign countries are using the CERT training.


Frequently Asked Questions