CERT – Community Emergency Response Teams

(formerly DART)

Neighbors helping Neighbors

 

What is CERT?

● Trained volunteers become first responders in a disaster supporting professionals.

● Teams are trained by the San Rafael Fire Department.

● Training consists of 8 sessions:  communication, simple firefighting techniques, utility control, First Aid, search and rescue protocols, terrorism response and disaster management, assessing your home, workplace, and community for hazards/damages, community needs and available resources.

● This program trains volunteers to work together with their neighbors to be safe and self-sufficient in the event of a disaster such as fire, mudslide, earthquake or civil unrest.

● The Citizen Corps ask you to embrace the responsibilities to be prepared; to get trained in first-aid and volunteer to support local emergency responders.

● Our CERT program is FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) compliant with the minimum of 21 hours training with an additional disaster simulation and wrap-up of 3 hours.

● Started in Los Angeles after Mexico City quake where 200 untrained volunteer citizens became fatalities in the aftershocks while rescuing others.

● Doing the most good for the most people!