Community Emergency Response Team

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• Community Emergency Response Team
• CERT
• Launching a CERT Program

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Launching a CERT 5 Components

• Define Program Goals
• Identify Resources
• Market the Program
• Deliver the Training
• Plan for Program Maintenance

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1. Define Program Goals

• Effective Disaster Response Teams?
• Better Community Preparedness?
• Support for Other Public Safety Efforts?
• Enhanced Public Relations?

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Effective Disaster Response Teams

• Individual disaster responder skills
• Team organization
• Linkage with professional responders

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Linkage with Professional Responders

• When deployed, CERTs must be able to function on
  their own
• CERT operations also need to be linked with other
  responders
• Means and degree of linkage between CERTs and
  other responders depend on nature of the event

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Better Community Preparedness

• CERT participants maintain high level of home and
  workplace preparedness
• Participants are more informed about risks and
  vulnerabilities
• Participants are already committed to safety and
  well-being of their neighbors

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Support Other Public Safety Efforts

• Installing smoke detectors, providing safety
  standby at community events, etc.
• Benefits the community-at-large
• Benefits the CERTs
• Benefits the program (value-added volunteers)

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2. Identify Resources

• What will we need?
• Where will we get it?

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What Do We Need to Get Started?

• Course material and training props
• Support for the concept
• Program Coordinator
• Trainers
• Program forms and flyer
• Info management tool

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Course Material and Props

• NYS CERT CD with IG, PM, PPT, etc. for printing
  manuals and presentations
• Internet sites (NYSEMO, FEMA, other CERT
  programs)
• Local emergency management offices
• American Red Cross (video, pamphlets, specialty
  training)
• Local utilities (info pamphlets, props)

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Support for the Concept

• Its a real resource! vs. Its a new program!
• Whenever possible, Let your citizens do the
  talking
• Always keep elected officials in the loop

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Program Coordinator

• Program development
• Link between CERTs and professional responders
• Expanding role and responsibilities of CERTs
• Continuing education for program participants
• Funding and budgeting
• Educating the department and jurisdiction
• Publicity and networking

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Program Coordinator

• Also responsible for program administration
• Handle public inquiries about program
• Process registrations
• Maintain records (financial, inventory, database
  of CERT members, etc.)
• Schedule basic training courses, follow-up
  training, special events, etc.
• Coordinate newsletter and other mailings

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Program Coordinator

• Also responsible for course management
• Regular contact with current students
• Recruit, train and schedule instructors
• Maintain consistent and up-to-date content
• Set up classrooms
• Provide orientation at beginning of new course

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Program Forms and Info Material

• Recruitment flyer or brochure (w/ mailer)
• Registration form
• Course confirmation letter
• Liability waiver form
• Class sign-in roster
• Certificate of Completion
• Course evaluation form

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Info Management Tool

• Collect and organize info on each program
  participant as soon as you start the training
• Contact information
• Team
• Classes completed / year of completion
• Continuing ed training completed
• Other, e.g., ham operator, CERT leader?
• Consider building a database to facilitate
  mailings, contact lists, etc.

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First Responders as CERT Trainers

• ADVANTAGES
• 1st response experience
• Training experience
• Quality control
• Reliability
• Set schedules

• CHALLENGES
• Uncertainty about CERTs
• Training experience
• Cost

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Bottom Line on Resources

• Staffing (coordinator and trainers) will drive
  the cost per student

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3. Market the Program

• Reaching the Community
• Maintaining the Political Support
• Pitching to the Media
• Pitching to Your Organization
• Getting Corporate Support

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Reaching the Community

• Defining The Community
• Defining Citizen Roles
• Working with Ready-Made Partners
• Effective Community Outreach

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The Community Sees Itself

• Geographic Communities
• Ethnic Communities
• Businesses
• Schools
• Communities of Faith
• Communities of Interest

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The Community Seen by Govt.

• Taxpayers
• Voters
• Advocates
• Victims
• Customers
• Partners

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Customer Opinion about Emergencies

• Its not going to happen to me.
• Its not going to be that bad.
• Theres nothing I can do.
• Government will do it.

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The Partner

• n. A person associated with another or others
  in some activity of common interest. Synonyms
  partner, colleague, ally, confederate,
  accomplice. These all denote one who cooperates
  in a venture, occupation, or challenge.

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Examples of Ready-Made Partners

• Homeowner Associations
• Neighborhood Associations
• Church Groups
• Business District Associations
• Grange Associations
• Schools/PTAs
• Scouting Organizations
• RACES/Amateur Radio

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Basic Outreach to Citizens

• Regular meetings of established groups
• Mailers to membership lists
• Articles in community newsletters
• Community events
• Print media and TV

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Tips for Effective Outreach

• Explain the problem, then offer the solution
• Clarify processes and expectations up front
• Whenever possible, Let your citizens do the
  talking
• Identify special audiences that need to know CERT
  training is available

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Maintaining Political Support

• Whenever possible, Let your citizens do the
  talking
• Demonstrate numbers of citizens visibly
• Invite direct involvement of elected officials,
  agency head, their executive staff

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Pitching to the Media

• Give the media action involving citizens
  disasters
• Publicize photo opportunities and hands-on
  aspect of training
• Whenever possible, Let your citizens do the
  talking
• Be prepared for the results of media coverage

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Pitching to Your Organization

• Convince them of the problem, then offer the
  solution
• Clarify program goals and expectations up front
• Describe CERT training and protocols in agency
  terms

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Getting Corporate Support

• Talk business to business
• Emphasize potential employee involvement
• Feature enhanced community preparedness

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Getting Corporate Support

• Spell out exactly what you want
• Present a complete plan
• Goals and objectives
• Respective roles of all partners
• Measurable timeline
• Evaluation process
• End result must be tangible

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4. Deliver the Training

• Allow plenty of lead time Planning!!
• Pilot course is most important

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The Program Pilot

• Test the CERT curriculum
• Test delivery of training
• Collect feedback
• Assess results
• Make revisions if needed

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The Program Pilot

• Select and target test communities
• Conduct real-life version of the training
• Conduct a fearless debriefing
• Seek an outsider to assess the results

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The Program Pilot

• Debriefing and assessing the results
• What prompted the participants to enroll?
• How did they find out about the training?
• Their satisfaction with program length?
• Their satisfaction with program intensity?

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The Program Pilot

• Debriefing and assessing the results (cont.)
• Topics to be expanded, compressed, added?
• Effectiveness of instructional techniques?
• Effectiveness of instructional materials?
• Convenience of schedule and location(s)?
• Ways to sustain their interest?

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5. Plan for Program Maintenance

• Comprehensive program maintenance
• Examples of maintenance successes

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Volunteer Retention

• Commitment to the community
• Commitment to ongoing training
• Commitment to building the team
• A partnership in the program

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Rescuer Skills

• Maintain a range of basic response skills
• Enhance current skills
• Learn new skills

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Program Administration

• Manage information and data
• Maintain and expand budget
• Maintain and expand corps of trainers
• Evaluate program

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External Program Support

• Professional responders
• Community-based organizations
• City Hall
• Business community
• Corporate donors

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Maintenance Successes

• Real-Life Activation of Teams
• Refresher/Advanced Classes
• Technical Assistance to Teams
• Program Newsletter

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More Maintenance Successes

• Citywide Exercises
• Neighborhood Exercise Swaps
• Acknowledgment Events
• Expanded CERT Activities

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Sample Expanded Activities

• CERT Smoke Detector Squad
• Coordination and staffing at safety fairs
• Fundraising partnerships
• Management of CERT program
• First aid stations at neighborhood events
• Disaster Preparedness Speakers Bureau
• Simulators in Fire Department exercises

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Expanded CERT Activities

• Maintain individuals skills
• Support individuals commitment
• Maintain team cohesion
• Build partnership with professionals
• Build political support
• Capitalize on initial investment

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Unit Summary

• Five critical steps to launch a CERT program
• 1. Define CERT Program Goals
• 2. Identify Resources
• 3. Market the Program
• 4. Deliver the Training
• 5. Develop a Maintenance Plan
• Allow enough lead time
• Be prepared for growth