COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM

INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) concept was developed and
implemented by the City of Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) in 1985. They
recognized that citizens would very likely be on their own during the early stages of a
catastrophic disaster. Accordingly, LAFD decided that some basic training in disaster
survival and rescue skills would improve the ability of citizens to survive and to safely
help others until responders or other assistance could arrive.
The training model that the LAFD initiated was adopted by other fire departments
around the country, including communities where the major threat is hurricanes rather
than earthquakes. Building on this development, in 1994 the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) expanded the CERT materials to make them applicable to
all hazards and made the program available to communities nationwide. Since that
time, thousands of dedicated trainers, organizations, and citizens have embraced the
responsibility to learn new skills and become prepared to execute safe and effective
emergency response. We salute you.
The National CERT Program and the Individual and Community Preparedness Division
in FEMA would like to thank the following people who participated in a focus group to
review and update the CERT Basic Training material:
Lt. Joe Geleta
New Jersey State Police
Pam Harris
Hernando County (FL) Emergency Management
Erin Hausauer
Stearns County (MN) Emergency Management
Capt. Joel Kasprzak
Portland (OR) Fire & Rescue
Cynthia L. Kellams
Arlington County (VA) CERT Program
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Janet E. Lindquist
Millard County (UT) CERT Program
Don Lynch
Shawnee Pottawatomie County (OK) Emergency Management
Mayor Dave Nichols
Mississippi State Citizen Corps Council
Lt. Brad Smith
Dearborn (MI) Emergency Management
Kimberly H. Spill
Pompano Beach (FL) Fire Rescue
Firefighter Jarvis Willis
Los Angeles (CA) Fire Department
We would also like to thank those many individuals from local and State CERT
programs who reviewed the draft of the updated CERT Basic Training material.

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INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS
Following the events of September 11, 2001, Citizen Corps was launched as a
grassroots strategy to strengthen community safety and preparedness through
increased civic participation. Since then, the importance of preparedness education,
training, and involving the whole community has become increasingly recognized as
critical to successful community preparedness and resilience.
Citizen Corps is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, within
the Department of Homeland Security, but is implemented locally. Communities across
the country have created Citizen Corps Councils as effective partnerships between
government and community leaders to focus on the following objectives: engaging the
whole community in collaborative community planning and capacity building; integration
of community resources; outreach and localized preparedness education and training;
emergency communications to all population segments; drills and exercises; and,
volunteer programs.
CERT is a critical program in the effort to engage everyone in America in making their
communities safer, more prepared, and more resilient when incidents occur.
Community-based preparedness planning allows us all to prepare for and respond to
anticipated disruptions and potential hazards following a disaster. As individuals, we
can prepare our homes and families to cope during that critical period. Through preevent planning, neighborhoods and worksites can also work together to help reduce
injuries, loss of lives, and property damage. Neighborhood preparedness will enhance
the ability of individuals and neighborhoods to reduce their emergency needs and to
manage their existing resources until professional assistance becomes available.
Studies of behavior following disasters have shown that groups working together in the
disaster period perform more effectively if there has been prior planning and training for
disaster response. These studies also show that organized grassroots efforts may be
more successful if they are woven into the social and political fabric of the community
neighborhood associations, schools, workplaces, places of worship, and other existing
organizations.
Effective response therefore requires comprehensive planning and coordination of all
who will be involved government, volunteer groups, private businesses, schools, and
community organizations. With training and information, individuals and community
groups can be prepared to serve as a crucial resource capable of performing many of
the emergency functions needed in the immediate post-disaster period. The CERT
Program is designed to train individuals to be assets to help communities prepare for
effective disaster response.

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INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
WHEN DISASTER STRIKES
The damage caused by natural disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes,
and flooding, or from manmade/technological events such as explosions or hazardous
materials accidents can affect all aspects of a community, from government services to
private enterprise to civic activities. These events:

Severely restrict or overwhelm our response resources, communications,

transportation, and utilities

Leave many individuals and neighborhoods cut off from outside support

Damaged roads and disrupted communications systems may restrict the access of
emergency response agencies into critically affected areas. Thus, for the initial period
immediately following a disaster often up to 3 days or longer individuals,
households, and neighborhoods may need to rely on their own resources for:

Food
Water
First aid
Shelter

Individual preparedness, planning, survival skills, and mutual aid within neighborhoods
and worksites during this initial period are essential measures in coping with the
aftermath of a disaster. What you do today will have a critical impact on the quality of
your survival and your ability to help others safely and effectively. By learning about the
likely hazards in your community and your communitys plans and protocols,
understanding hazard-specific protective actions and response skills, assembling
important emergency supplies, and mitigating potential hazards in your home, you will
be more resilient to any disruptive event. You will be an important asset to your family,
neighbors, and other members of your community.
ABOUT COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM (CERT) BASIC TRAINING
If available, emergency services personnel are the best trained and equipped to handle
emergencies. Following a catastrophic disaster, however, you and the community may
be on your own for a period of time because of the size of the area affected, lost
communications, and unpassable roads.
CERT Basic Training is designed to prepare you to help yourself and to help others in
the event of a catastrophic disaster. Because emergency services personnel will not be
able to help everyone immediately, you can make a difference by using your CERT
training to save lives and protect property.
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This training covers basic skills that are important to know in a disaster when
emergency services are not available. With training and practice, and by working as a
team, you will be able to protect yourself and do the greatest good for the greatest
number after a disaster.
HOW CERTS OPERATE
As each CERT is organized and trained in accordance with standard operating
procedures developed by the sponsoring agency, its members select an Incident
Commander/Team Leader (IC/TL) and an alternate and identify a meeting location, or
staging area, to be used in the event of a disaster.
The staging area is where the fire department and other services will interact with
CERTs. Having a centralized contact point makes it possible to communicate damage
assessments and allocate volunteer resources more effectively. This is true for all
CERTs, whether active in a neighborhood, workplace, school, college/university
campus, or other venue.
Damage from disasters may vary considerably from one location to another. In an
actual disaster, CERTs are deployed progressively and as needs dictate. Members are
taught to assess their own needs and the needs of those in their immediate
environment first.
CERT members who encounter no need in their immediate area then report to their
staging area, where they take on assigned roles based on overall area needs.
Members who find themselves in a heavily affected location send runners to staging
areas to get help from available resources. Ham and other radio links also may be used
to increase communication capabilities and coordination.
The CERT Program can provide an effective first-response capability. Acting as
individuals first, then later as members of teams, trained CERT volunteers can fan out
within their assigned areas, extinguishing small fires, turning off natural gas at damaged
homes, performing light search and rescue, and rendering basic medical treatment.
CERTs also act as effective eyes and ears for uniformed emergency responders.
Trained volunteers also offer an important potential workforce to service organizations in
non-hazardous functions such as shelter support, crowd control, and evacuation.

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INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
COURSE OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVES
The purpose of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Basic Training is to
provide the individuals who complete this course with the basic skills that they will need
to respond to their communitys immediate needs in the aftermath of a disaster, when
emergency services are not immediately available. By working together, CERT
members can assist in saving lives and protecting property using the basic techniques
in this course. The target audience for this course is individuals who desire the skills
and knowledge required to prepare for and respond to a disaster.
Overall Course Objectives
Upon completing this course, the participants should be able to:
1. Describe the types of hazards that are most likely to affect their homes, workplaces,
and neighborhoods.
2. Take steps to prepare themselves and their families for a disaster.
3. Describe the functions of CERTs and their role in immediate response.
4. Identify and reduce potential fire hazards in their homes, workplaces, and
neighborhoods.
5. Work as a team to apply basic fire suppression strategies, resources, and safety
measures to extinguish a pan fire.
6. Apply techniques for opening airways, controlling excessive bleeding, and treating
for shock.
7. Conduct triage under simulated disaster conditions.
8. Perform head-to-toe patient assessments.
9. Select and set up a treatment area.
10. Employ basic treatments for various injuries and apply splints to suspected fractures
and sprains.
11. Identify planning and sizeup requirements for potential search and rescue situations.
12. Describe the most common techniques for searching a structure.
13. Work as a team to apply safe techniques for debris removal and victim extrication.
14. Describe ways to protect rescuers during search and rescue operations.
15. Describe the post-disaster emotional environment and the steps that rescuers can
take to relieve their own stressors and those of disaster survivors.
16. Describe CERT organization and documentation requirements.
In addition to the overall course objectives listed above, each unit has specific
objectives.
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INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
COURSE AGENDA
The agenda for this course is shown below and continued on the following pages.
Please note that some adjustments to the agenda may be required to allow discussion
of hazards specific to a community and depending on class size to allow all
participants to take part in the exercise portions of this course.

Unit
1

Topics
Disaster Preparedness

Introductions and Overview

Community Preparedness: Roles and Responsibilities

Hazards and Their Potential Impact

Impact on the Infrastructure

Home and Workplace Preparedness

Reducing the Impact of Hazards Through Mitigation

CERT Disaster Response

Protection for Disaster Workers

Additional Training for CERTs

Unit Summary

Fire Safety and Utility Controls

Introduction and Unit Overview

Fire Chemistry

Fire and Utility Hazards

CERT Sizeup

Fire Sizeup Considerations

Firefighting Resources

Fire Suppression Safety

Hazardous Materials

Exercise: Suppressing Small Fires

Unit Summary

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Unit

6
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Topics

Disaster Medical Operations Part 1

Introduction and Unit Overview

Treating Life-Threatening Conditions

Triage

Unit Summary

Disaster Medical Operations Part 2

Introduction and Unit Overview

Public Health Considerations

Functions of Disaster Medical Operations

Establishing Medical Treatment Areas

Conducting Head-to-Toe Assessments

Treating Burns

Wound Care

Treating Fractures, Dislocations, Sprains, and Strains

Nasal Injuries

Treating Cold-Related Injuries

Treating Heat-Related Injuries

Bites and Stings

Unit Summary

Light Search and Rescue Operations

Introduction and Unit Overview

Safety During Search and Rescue Operations

Conducting Interior and Exterior Search Operations

Conducting Rescue Operations

Unit Summary

CERT Organization
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Unit

Topics

Introduction and Unit Overview

CERT Organization

CERT Mobilization

Documentation

Activity: ICS Functions

Activity: Tabletop Exercise

Unit Summary

Disaster Psychology

Introduction and Unit Overview

Disaster Trauma

Team Well-Being

Working with Survivors Trauma

Unit Summary

Terrorism and CERT

Introduction and Unit Overview

What Is Terrorism?

Terrorist Targets

Terrorist Weapons

CBRNE Indicators

Preparing at Home, Work, and in Your Neighborhood

CERTs and Terrorist Incidents

Activity: Applying CERT Principles to a Suspected Terrorist Incident

Unit Summary

Course Review, Final Exam, and Disaster Simulation

Introduction and Unit Overview

Course Review

Final Exam

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INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
Unit

Topics

Disaster Simulation

Exercise Critique and Summary

AFTER CERT BASIC TRAINING

Upon completion of the CERT Basic Training course, participants will receive a
certificate. Your community may also provide additional documents that will identify
each participant as an emergency response team member during disaster response.
CERT members should maintain their own CERT safety equipment, such as goggles,
gloves, and basic first aid supplies, and have them available for use during a disaster.
Training in disaster response should not be a one-time event. Awareness, commitment,
and skills must be reinforced through followup training and repeated practice to maintain
the edge necessary for effective response in the face of a disaster.
To maintain their skill level and continually improve performance, CERT members
should participate in continuing supplemental training when offered in your area.
Working through practice disaster scenarios with other teams will provide opportunities
not only for extended practice but also for valuable networking with teams in the local
area.

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INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
INSTRUCTOR RESPONSIBILITIES
INSTRUCTOR QUALIFICATIONS

Instructors will be recruited and selected to conduct this course based on their working
knowledge of the content and skills required for each session. It is recommended that
at least two instructors jointly conduct each session. Because Sessions 3 and 4
address disaster medical operations, it is recommended that these sessions be
conducted by licensed or certified:

Paramedics or Emergency Medical Technicians

Nurses

It is recommended that all other sessions be conducted by skilled fire and rescue
instructors who have completed the CERT Train-the-Trainer course.
Instructors should also be knowledgeable about:

The CERT model

The types of hazards (natural, technological, and manmade) that present the
greatest risk to the community

Local building structures that present the greatest hazard in the event of a disaster

The communitys emergency operation plan

PREPARING TO TRAIN

The preparation and conduct of the Instructor has a definite impact on the effectiveness
of the training. This introductory section provides guidelines for preparing for this
course. Use the following steps when you prepare for training:

Thoroughly read both the Instructor Guide and the Participant Manual.

Conduct a walk-through of all exercises and be prepared to answer any questions

that the participants ask while completing the exercises themselves.

Tailor each session to your local community. Wherever possible, use local
photographs of common fire hazards, local buildings, etc. Using local information
will add a personal meaning for the participants and will help them to buy into the
CERT concept.

Draft your own notes in the white space around the margins of this book. Include
information that is specific to the community. Indicate points where you want to
include additional local photographs.

Identify sessions that require you to prepare information or materials that relate
specifically to your community (see Preparation at the beginning of each unit).
Prepare these items in advance of the session.

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INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
PREPARING TO TRAIN (CONTINUED)

Be certain you are aware of any cultural sensitivities for the community in which you
will be training. It is important to understand how to best deliver the content so as to
engage the participants. Because of the differences in individual cultures, it is
essential that you get to know the culture. You will need to work with members of
that culture to understand any topics in the training that may be culturally sensitive
and to resolve any potential issues.

In advance of the training, meet with a community representative involved in

emergency preparedness to discuss the different topics covered in the training.
Together, try to identify any culturally sensitive issues, such as physical contact,
medical response, or disaster psychology. Discuss ways to present these topics
in the most appropriate way for the participants.

During the training, dont pretend to be an expert on cultural issues, and invite
participants to discuss such topics. If possible, a member of the community in
which you are training should co-teach the class.

Bear in mind several points regarding communities and cultures. First, when
coming into a new community, members of that community may not accept you
immediately. This is one reason to request information and seek the guidance
and advice of community representatives regarding cultural issues. Additionally,
remember that not all members of a community may have the same cultural
background. Avoid making assumptions about the beliefs or attitudes of the
participants.

Draft or copy any supplemental materials from which you feel the participants will
benefit. Many supplemental materials may be available from local emergency
management personnel or from such Federal agencies as the National Fire
Academy, Emergency Management Institute, or National Severe Weather Center. If
you use copyrighted materials, be sure to obtain copyright releases.

Instructors are encouraged to add pertinent information to the course, but topics
should not be deleted.

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INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
PREPARING THE CLASSROOM

As an Instructor, you are responsible for:

The equipment that you need for the course

For each session, you will need:

A computer with PowerPoint software (PowerPoint 97 or more recent)

A computer projector and screen

Chart paper, easel, and markers

Masking tape

Pens and pencils

Session-specific equipment and materials are listed at the beginning of the Instructor
Notes for each unit.

The room arrangement

This is your choice and, depending on the number of participants, you may opt for
different arrangements. Regardless of the room arrangement you select, the
training room must be large enough to accommodate the exercises for each session.

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