Greater Tampa CERT
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CERT?
A: The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates
people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their
area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire
safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical
operations. Using the training learned in the classroom and during
exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or
workplace following an event when professional responders are not
immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to
support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in
emergency preparedness projects in their community.
How Does CERT benefit the
community?
A: People who go through CERT training have a better understanding of
the potential threats to their home, workplace and community and can
take the right steps to lessen the effects of these hazards on
themselves, their homes or workplace. If a disaster happens that
overwhelms local response capability, CERT members can apply the
training learned in the classroom and during exercises to give critical
support to their family, loved ones, neighbors or associates in their
immediate area until help arrives. When help does arrive, CERTs provide
useful information to responders and support their efforts, as directed,
at the disaster site. CERT members can also assist with non-emergency
projects that improve the safety of the community. CERTs have been used
to distribute and/or install smoke alarms, replace smoke alarm batteries
in the home of elderly, distribute disaster education material, provide
services at special events, such as parades, sporting events, concerts
and more.
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How do I take CERT training?
A: To become a CERT member, you will have to take the CERT training
from a sponsoring agency like an emergency management agency, fire
department or police department in the area where you live or work.
Contact the local emergency manager where you live or work and ask about
the education and training opportunities available to you. Let this
person know about your interest in CERT. To take training from Greater
Tampa CERT contact us at
volunteers@greatertampacert.com
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How is the CERT funded?
A: Congress has provided funds through the Citizen Corps program to
the States and Territories. Grants from these funds may be available to
local communities to start CERT programs. Contact your State Citizen
Corps point of contact to learn more about grant possibilities.
Also, there are a variety of local approaches to
funding. Some
communities build costs into their local budget while others charge
participants to attend training to cover costs for instructors and
course materials. In a few communities, CERT organizations have formed
501 (C) 3 for non-profit status to allow them to do fundraising and seek
corporate donations.
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Who can take the training?
A: Naturals for the training are neighborhood watch, community
organizations, communities of faith, school staff, workplace employees,
scouting organization and other groups that come together regularly for
a common purpose. CERT skills are useful in disaster and everyday life
events
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Can someone under age 18 participate?
A: This is a local decision. Someone under 18 should be with a parent
or have permission to attend. Some communities have reached out
specifically to young people.
CERT is a great way to address the community service requirements for
high school students and provides students with useful skills. CERT also
fits nicely with training given to Boy and Girl Scouts and the Civil Air
patrol.
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What if I have concerns about my age or
physical ability?
A: There are many jobs within a CERT for someone who wants to be
involved and help. Following a disaster, CERT members are needed for
documentation, comforting others, logistics, etc. Non-disaster related
team activities may include keeping databases, developing a website,
writing a newsletter, planning activities, helping with special events
and organizing exercises and activities.
During CERT classroom training, if one has a concern about doing a skill
like lifting, just let the instructor know. You can learn from watching.
We would like everyone who wants to go through the training to have an
opportunity to participate and learn the skills. CERT educates
participants about local hazards and trains them in skills that are
useful during disaster and life’s everyday emergencies.
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Why take the CERT training?
A: Local government prepares for everyday emergencies. However, there
can be an emergency or disaster that can overwhelm the community's
immediate response capability. While adjacent jurisdictions, State and
Federal resources can activate to help, there may be a delay for them
getting to those who need them. The primary reason for CERT training is
to give people the decision-making, organizational, and practical skills
to offer immediate assistance to family members, neighbors, and
associates while waiting for help. While people will respond to others
in need without the training, the goal of the CERT program is to help
people do so effectively and efficiently without placing themselves in
unnecessary danger.
A success story about CERTs comes from events during the wildfires in
Florida. The Edgewater CERT helped emergency management and the fire
department personnel by assisting with evacuation; handling donations;
preparing food for firefighters; and answering the phone while the
professionals were fighting the fire. This is a great example of CERT
members and response personnel working together for the benefit of the
community. In addition CERTs across the country assisted the state of
Florida in a variety of ways during an unprecedented hurricane season.
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How do CERT members maintain their skills?
A: CERT members and the local sponsoring agency work together to
maintain team skills and the working partnership. GTCERT conducts
refresher classes and exercises biannually where all CERT members are
invited to participate. Some response agencies have conducted joint
exercises with CERT teams and operate as they would during an actual
disaster. GTCERT offers continuing education classes the second Thursday
of each month.
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What if I want to do more than just the basic
training?
A: CERT members can increase their knowledge and capability by
attending classes provided by other community agencies on animal care,
special needs concerns, donation management, community relations,
shelter management, debris removal, utilities control, advanced first
aid, Automatic External Defibrillator use, CPR skills, and others. The
sponsoring agency should maintain records of this training and call upon
CERT members when these additional skills are needed in the community.
CERT members also can use their skills to help the program flourish by
volunteering to schedule events, produce a newsletter, perform
administrative work, and take leadership positions.
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What about liability?
A: You can review the
Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 . Also there is information
about State Liability Laws located on the Citizen Corps website at
http://www.citizencorps.gov/citizencorps/tools.shtm.
During training, each sponsoring agency should brief its CERT members
about their responsibilities as a CERT member and volunteer.
The CERT material was developed by the Los Angeles City Fire Department
and adopted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 1993. The CERT
manual contains basic and straightforward material that has been
accepted by those using it as the standard for training.
It is important to remember that the best sources of help in emergencies
are professional responders. However, in situations when they are not
immediately available, people will want to act and help. We have seen
this time and again in our history. CERT training teaches skills that
people can use to safely help while waiting for responders. The
alternative is to do nothing and that is not in our nature.
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