The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program is a federal program

designed to train people to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergency

situations in their communities. When emergencies occur, CERT members can provide

immediate assistance to their neighbors until emergency authorities arrive. CERT

members can further use their training to inform, educate, and train their fellow

neighbors on disaster preparedness that will help improve the safety of their community.

WHY YOUR COMMUNITY NEEDS A CERT

The mission of the New York City Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program is to train

neighborhood and community-based volunteer teams that will:

•

 

inform, educate, and train their neighbors on disaster preparedness, especially such vulnerable

populations as seniors, the non-English speakers and individuals with disabilities;

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assist public safety agencies and local community boards with public events;

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respond to and support emergency personnel during locally occurring disasters upon their arrival

and request;

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assist agencies in managing spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site.

While some of the CERT training is designed to prepare individuals and their teams to engage in disaster

response,

 

the primary role of CERT teams in New York City is disaster preparedness - on a

personal level, as well as on a neighborhood level.

Fortunately, large-scale disasters that would involve a consistent CERT response are rare. Therefore, it

is

 

very

important that team members understand that the basic response skills gained during the training

are, in fact, a very small part of what a team will focus on post-training. Much of a team’s time will instead

be spent on preparedness for themselves, their families, and their communities. Examples of these

activities include:

•

 

Distribution of the Ready New York

household preparedness guides to local individuals, families,

and businesses. Arranging for groups to receive the

 

Ready New York

presentations.

•

 

Educating the community on emergency preparedness, in particular the vulnerable populations,

such as the non-English speaking communities, seniors and those with disabilities.

•

 

Building relationships within the community (i.e., local business merchants, local firehouses and

police precincts) to share information, determine ways to offer CERT support and utilize resources.

•

 

Planning for CERT team continuity, sustainability, and future leadership. Creating various sections

of the Team to deal with team communications, training, outreach, education, fund-raising, etc.

CERT TRANIING

CERT classes will be conducted by a combination of representatives from the Fire Department of New

York City (FDNY), New York City Police Department (NYPD), New York City Office of Emergency

Management (OEM) and the American Red Cross in Greater New York (ARC/GNY).

A Lead Instructor from FDNY will be facilitating the class for the duration of the training and specialist

Topic instructors will come each week to teach their respective class.

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CERT Training is a grant funded program through the Department of Homeland Security.

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CERT requires a strong commitment from its participants.

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Each participant must undergo a confidential criminal history check, completed by OEM.

NYC CERT PROGRAM

FACT SHEET

For more information:

www.nyc.gov/cert

Updated: 1/17/05

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Training is held once a week for 11 weeks. Train is only held on weeknights and each class runs

between 2.5 – 3 hours. Teams will designate which day of the week they can train based on the

training facility’s availability. The format for training includes both a lecture style and hands-on

training. All training materials are included in this 11-week program.

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All course materials and equipment are provided and there is no fee for participation.

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Refreshments are not provided. Any costs for refreshments are the responsibility of the participants.

Graduation

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Upon successful completion of the CERT training, participants will receive a Certificate of Completion and

an official New York City CERT kit that includes a hard hat, CERT vest, flashlight, gloves, goggles.

•

 

Training includes topics such as Fire Safety, Light Search & Rescue, Terrorism Awareness, Disaster

Medical Operations, Urban Environment, Terrorism, Traffic Control, as well as Disaster Mental Health.

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Towards the end of the 11 week training, each team elects a Team Chief and Deputy Chief that will

help organize the team and keep communication with OEM post-training.

Class Participation

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CERT participants are expected to attend every training class.

•

 

Participants who are unable to attend a class can “make up” the class by attending the same class

offered in another location (in another borough on another night) or by working with their instructors to

schedule a make up class. A copy of the master training schedule and instructions on how

participants can make arrangements to attend a “make-up” class will be available before training.

•

 

Participants who miss and do not make up a CERT class will not

graduate or receive a Certificate of

Completion and CERT kit.

Post-Training

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Teams are given the tools to help get themselves organized. Citizens for NYC provides post-training

workshops which address key steps in CERT team building and structuring and neighborhood organization.

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Teams are responsible for pre-designating the areas in which they will cover within their Community

Board boundaries.

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Teams are self-deploying when emergencies happen within their Community Boards. All other incidents

involve activation from the NYC OEM to the elected Team Chief.

COMMUNITY BOARD ROLE

The primary responsibilities of the Community Board prior to the start of CERT training are: