DESRIPTION:

Hurricanes. Tornadoes. Flooding. Manmade Disasters.

If a major disaster affects Delaware, citizens may need to rely on each other for help until first responders arrive in order to meet their immediate lifesaving and life-sustaining needs. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program prepares citizen volunteers to take an active role in providing critical support to their communities and professional first responders during emergencies.

CERT is a community-based group of volunteers that have completed a comprehensive, federally recognized, multi-day training that details ways to assist family, friends, neighbors, and your community in small- or large-scale disasters.

CERT TRAINING:

The training is free, and open to anyone over the age of 18. Teens aged 14 – 17 may be able to participate in specific TEEN CERT programs.

The CERT training includes:

• Disaster Preparedness,
• Fire Safety,
• Light Search and Rescue,
• CERT Team Organization,
• Disaster Medical Operations
• Disaster Psychology
• Terrorism Awareness.

An official CERT certificate of completion is contingent upon completion of the full training course and passing a criminal history background screening. 

Upon completion, CERT volunteers may do any or all of the following:

1. CERT TEAM- participate on a CERT team to assist first responders in emergency situations as called upon.
2. PERSONAL PREPAREDNESS – completion to prepare themselves and those close to them for an emergency or disaster.
3. NON_EMERGENCY – Assist in non-emergency activities, including assisting at large community events, providing Emergency Preparedness Training or at public Emergency and Disaster Outreach events.

SUPERVISION

Works under the general guidance and direction of the Incident Command System.

IMPORTANT NOTE: In the absence of first responders, CERT Members are able to identify the scope of the problem, determine an overall strategy and deploy resources to help themselves and their neighbors, until first responders can arrive on the scene. Otherwise, CERT members will ONLY respond when called upon to deploy by their SPONSOR AGENCY.

RESPONSIBILITIES, ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS

• Individual emergency preparedness
• Familiarization with the Incident Command System (ICS)
• Emergency and Disaster response:
  • Planning and organizational skills
  • Performs basic first aid.
  • Ability to perform basic triage, recognizing and controlling life-threatening conditions and assisting to establish medical treatment areas.
  • Light search and rescue
  • Identification of hazardous materials
• Evaluate fires, assess firefighting resources and determine the course of action. They will extinguish small fires and shut off natural gas supplies.
• Assist rescuers and the victims with psychological impact of a disaster.
• Identify possible terrorism targets within the community and identify actions to take following a suspected terrorism event.
• Assist the community in being prepared for such a disaster by participating in Disaster Preparedness training and outreach activities.
• Ability to work as part of a team.
• Other duties as assigned.