Community Emergency Response Team
FEMA CERT Brochure (pdf format 434 kb)
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In Volusia County, the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a local effort focusing on "neighbor helping neighbor" in any type of traumatic event that imperils the safety of the citizens and causes the potential for injury or personal loss.
When available, emergency services personnel are best trained and equipped to handle emergencies and you rely on them. However, following a catastrophic disaster, you and the community may be on your own for a period of time because of the size of the area affected, lost communications and impassable roads.
CERT training is designed to prepare you to help yourself, your family, and your neighbors in the event of a catastrophic disaster. Because emergency services personnel will not be able to help everyone immediately, you can make a difference by using the training in the CERT program to save lives and protect property.
CERT training covers basic skills that are important to know in a disaster when emergency services are not immediately available. You will want to help. With training and practice and by working as a team, you will be able to do the greatest good for the greatest number after a disaster, while protecting yourself from becoming a victim.
Prevention through awareness is accomplished through the seven training classes led by certified instructors from Volusia County Fire Service. Each class is approximately three hours in length and includes subjects such as Introduction to Disasters, Disaster Medical Parts I and II, Light Search and Rescue, Fire Suppression, Pre-storm Operations and Post Storm Operations.
To become a CERT member you must attend all seven of these free classes. The classes will be held on site if there is enough participants from the same sub-division, otherwise classes will be held at a centralized location. Class schedules are flexible and usually decided upon by the participants before the start of the first class.
CERT is about readiness, people helping people, rescuer safety, and doing the greatest good for the greatest number. 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. Through training, citizens can manage utilities and put out small fires, treat the three medical killers by opening airways, controlling bleeding, treating for shock, providing basic medical aid, searching for and rescuing victims safely and organizing themselves and spontaneous volunteers to be effective.
CERT is a partner of the Citizen Corps and the effort to have everyone in America prepare, train and volunteer
http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/about.shtm. For further information about Community Emergency Response Training, please provide us with the following information so that a member of our department may contact you:
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Volusia County, Florida.
