For Community Boards

FACT SHEET

for Community Boards

Winter 2006 Recruitment

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program is 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.

CERT in NYC

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 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 guide to local individuals, families, and businesses.

· Arranging for groups to receive the Ready New York presentation.

· Building relationships within the community (i.e., local business merchants, local firehouses and police precincts) to share information and utilize resources.

· Creating committees/teams for team planning, communication, training, outreach, etc.

· Preparing and distributing a Local Emergency Resource Directory and meeting with representatives of emergency response agencies to discuss preparedness and response coordination.

· Creation of a confidential Special Skills Registry (listing contact information for neighbors with helpful skills such as social work, carpentry, medical training, etc.).

· Creation of a confidential Special Needs Registry (listing contact information for neighbors such as the homebound, seniors, people with disabilities, etc.)

· Creation of an Interpreter Registry to help with language and cultural needs.

· Arranging for additional training opportunities for your team.

· Planning for CERT team continuity, sustainability, and future leadership.

Overview

· CERT training requires a strong commitment from its participants.

· Teams will designate one day of the week in which they will receive a three-hour training session for 11 consecutive weeks (once a week for 11 weeks). The format for training includes both a lecture style and hands-on training. All training materials are included in this 11-week program.

· Upon 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, etc.

· Training includes topics such as Building a Strong Team, Fire Safety, Light Search & Rescue, Terrorism Awareness, Disaster Medical Operations, Preparing for the Urban Environment, as well as Disaster Mental Health.

· Teams are also provided with the tools to help get themselves organized. Citizens for NYC provides training sessions entitled Building a Strong Team which address key steps in CERT team and neighborhood organization.

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

· Teams are self-deploying when emergencies happen within their Community Boards. All other incidents involve activation from the NYC OEM to the Team Chief of the team.

Training Location

As mentioned, training sessions are held once a week in each respective borough. Each Community Board is responsible for identifying, securing, and serving as liaison to an appropriate location for these training sessions.

Guidelines for the ideal CERT training space:

· A facility with:

o A well-lit room with enough movable chairs and table space for 40 students. (Although the CERT Team maximum is 40 participants, we require a few extra spaces for “transferees” from other CERT Teams, guests, etc. More on the transferee issue below.)

o Space to set up a screen (for projecting PowerPoint slide images) and electrical outlets for plugging in a laptop and projector.

o Access to an outdoor space (such as a parking lot) suitable for conducting the demonstration of use of fire extinguishers. This demonstration involves lighting a fire in special fire pan and then allowing each CERT participant the chance to put out the fire with an extinguisher.

o A secure place to store training equipment in between classes. The place must be locked or secured when the items are not in use and must be accessible in the evenings for classes. For an idea of the volume of storage space needed, imagine a mid-size SUV with all but the front seats folded down. The equipment will include: various types of fire extinguishers (about eight total), CPR mannequin, first aid materials, a body board, a blanket, wood for cribbing, an easel and paper

· The training location must remain constant throughout the training course. This is to avoid confusion amongst participants, instructors and guests, as well as to avoid moving equipment from place to place.

· Sessions will likely be scheduled from 6:30 pm until 9:30 pm (sometimes 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm). Most instructors will want access to the room at least 15 minutes prior to the start time.

· The CERT Program Manager will conduct a walk-through of the proposed training location well in advance of the start of training.

Training Equipment

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

· Equipment will be delivered either the week before or the week of the first classes. The CERT Program Manager will coordinate with a designated CERT Liaison a time for this delivery including signing off on receipt of the equipment indicating acceptance of responsibility for returning the equipment at the conclusion of the training.

· As indicated above, it is imperative that a secure location be identified for storage of the CERT training equipment for the duration of the classes.

· With the exception of participant manuals which are kept by the participants, all equipment and materials are the property of OEM and will be collected at the conclusion of the training.

· Should you wish to provide refreshments for the training sessions, any costs are the responsibility of the Community Board and/or participating community groups.

Instructors

CERT classes will be conducted by a combination of representatives from the Fire Department of New York City, New York City Police Department, New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM), the American Red Cross, and Citizens for NYC.

A Lead Instructor from FDNY will be with you for the duration of the training and specialist instructors will come to each class.

Class Participation

· 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 to another location (in another borough on another night) or 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 can participate in the program and in team preparedness activities, but will not receive a Certificate of Completion, and CERT kit.

Responsibilities of Community Board

In advance of the training

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

· To recruit participants from no fewer than 3 neighborhood organizations in their community district (with support from Citizens for NYC).

· To secure an appropriate space for training.

· To identify a CERT Liaison.

· To maintain contact with your team’s Lead Instructor.

· To maintain ongoing contact with the OEM CERT Program Manager.

Recruiting

· It is the Community Board’s responsibility to recruit participants from groups in all neighborhoods within the Community District for the CERT training. Ideally, each community group will provide 8 to 10 participants to serve on the CERT Team.

· Community Boards should cast a wide net in recruiting groups from their neighborhood/community. Consider including organizations whose members have a variety of backgrounds as well as personal and professional areas of expertise.

· OEM will provide an application and fact sheet to be used to recruit community groups. This will help you set appropriate expectations with potential participants regarding both the training and commitment to being an active member of the CERT team following the training. Citizens for NYC will assist Community Boards in identifying active organizations.

· The Community Board is expected to recruit a minimum of 30 and maximum of 40 participants total.

· Participants must be at least 18 years of age, but otherwise the program is open to any member of your community who can commit to the training.

· The Community Board (working with OEM) is also expected to help identify volunteer support (volunteer ambulance associations are a good place to start) to assist with medical operations modules.

· A list of participants must be submitted to OEM approximately two weeks before training is to begin.

Contact with Lead Instructor

The nature and duration of the training will require ongoing coordination between the Community Board CERT Liaison and the Lead Instructor.

www.nyc.gov/oem 1/17/05