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Where will you go when
disaster strikes?
Nearest Shelter Site
Map
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CERT - Community Emergency Response Team
When Disaster
Strikes:
- Following a Major Disaster, such as an earthquake, tornado, or flooding; fire and medical services will not be able to meet the demand for the emergency services that people have come to expect at a momment's notice through calling 911.
- Factors such as number of victims, communication failures, and road blockages will prevent these emergency services from operating normally.
- It leaves many individuals and neighborhoods cut off from outside support.
- Thus, for the initial period immediately following a disaster - often up to 72 hours (3 days) or longer - individuals, households, and neighborhoods may need to rely on their own resources for: Food - Water - First aid - Shelter - Sanitation
- People will have to rely on each other for help to meet their immediate life saving and life sustaining needs.
Why CERT?
- Following the Mexico City earthquake where untrained, spontaneous volunteers save 800 people - 100 people lost lives lives while attempting to save them.
- What can we do to prepare citizen if there is no warning, as in an earthquake, and peoople will spontaneously volunteer?
- Train them in needed life saving skills with emphasis on decision making, rescuer safety, and doing the greatest good for the greatest number.
Background:
- The Community Emergency Response Team
concept was developed and implemented by the Los Angeles City Fire
Department (LSFD) in 1985. They created the Disaster
Preparedness Division with the purpose of training citizens and
provate and government employess.
- The Training program furthers the citizens'
understanding of their responsibility in preparing for
disaster. It also increases their abilityh to safely help
themselves, their family and their neighbors.
- Since
1993 when
this training was made available nationally by FEMA
(Federal Emergency Management Agency), communities in 28 States
and Puerto Rico have conducted CERT training.
What Does CERT Do?
- CERT is about readiness, people helping
people, rescuer safety, and doing the greastest good for the
greatest number. CERT is a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where citizens will be initially difference.
- Through CERT training, citizens can manage:
*Utilities (gas and electric services)
*Putting out small fires, using fire extinguishers
Search for and rescue victims safely
using
cribbing techniques,
Triage the victim, by controlling
bleeding, treating
for shock and providing basic
medical aid, and
Organize themselves and
spontaneous volunteers
to be effictive in aiding the
victims.
Neighbors Helping Neighbors
is what CERT
is all about.
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