Getting Involved with CERT
Earlier this year, I completed the Community Emergency Response Team training offered through our county's emergency management office. I had been meaning to do it for a while. A neighbor mentioned it to me a couple of years ago at a block party, and it stayed in the back of my mind until I finally saw the enrollment notice in one of the community newsletters I subscribe to. The training was free, held over several weekends at a local fire station, and open to anyone in the area who wanted to participate. I signed up without much deliberation, figuring it would be useful regardless of whether I ever needed to apply it in a real emergency.
The program followed the standard FEMA CERT curriculum, which covers a range of topics related to disaster preparedness and basic emergency response. The first session was an overview of the kinds of hazards that are relevant to our area. I will not go into specifics about the location, but like most places, we have a mix of weather-related risks and the general infrastructure vulnerabilities that come with any populated area. The instructors, most of whom were current or retired firefighters and emergency medical technicians, were practical and straightforward. They were not trying to scare anyone. They were trying to make sure we understood the basics of what can go wrong and what ordinary people can do to help when it does.
The first aid component was more comprehensive than I expected. We covered bleeding control, shock management, basic triage concepts, and how to assess a scene for hazards before rushing in to help. The triage section in particular was eye-opening. There is a system called START, which stands for Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment, that allows you to quickly categorize victims by the severity of their injuries. The categories are color-coded: green for walking wounded, yellow for delayed treatment, red for immediate treatment, and black for deceased or expectant. Practicing this system in a simulated scenario, even with mannequins and volunteers playing victims, was sobering. It forces you to make rapid decisions and to accept that in a mass casualty event, you cannot help everyone at once. You have to prioritize.
Fire suppression was another significant module. We learned how to use fire extinguishers properly, which sounds simple but involves more technique than most people realize. The acronym PASS is drilled into you: Pull the pin, Aim at the base, Squeeze the handle, Sweep side to side. We also learned about the different classes of fires and which extinguisher types are appropriate for each. The instructors set small controlled fires in a parking lot and had us practice putting them out. I had used a fire extinguisher exactly once before, years ago, and I was surprised by how quickly the agent is expended. Most residential extinguishers last only ten to fifteen seconds of continuous use. That is not a lot of time, and it reinforced the message that CERT members are not substitutes for professional firefighters. We are there to do what we can safely do until professional responders arrive.
The search and rescue module covered how to systematically search a damaged structure, mark it to indicate that it has been searched, and perform basic victim extrication. We practiced using a marking system where you draw a large X on the exterior of a building with specific information in each quadrant: the team identifier, the date and time of entry, hazards found, and the number of victims, if any. This kind of systematic approach is something I appreciate. It is not heroic or dramatic. It is methodical, which is exactly what you want in a chaotic situation.
One of the most practical things I took away from the training was the importance of personal and household preparedness. The instructors emphasized repeatedly that you cannot help your community if you have not first taken care of your own household. This means having a go-bag packed and accessible, maintaining a supply of water and non-perishable food sufficient for at least seventy-two hours, keeping important documents in a portable waterproof container, and having a family communication plan that does not depend entirely on cell phones. I have since put together a go-bag, which I keep in a closet near the front door. It contains water purification tablets, a basic first aid kit, a hand-crank radio, copies of important documents, a change of clothes, some cash in small bills, a flashlight with extra batteries, and a few other items. It is not elaborate, but it is ready if I need it.
The communication plan aspect is something I think most people overlook. In a widespread emergency, cell networks are often overwhelmed or damaged. The CERT training encourages establishing an out-of-area contact, someone who lives far enough away that they are unlikely to be affected by the same event, who can serve as a relay point for family members trying to reach each other. I have set this up with a relative, and we have agreed on a protocol for check-ins. It is simple, but having the plan in place and having discussed it explicitly is far better than trying to figure it out in the middle of a crisis.
Since completing the training, I have been participating in some of the ongoing CERT activities in the area. These are mostly community events rather than actual emergencies, which is fine by me. I helped at a neighborhood preparedness fair a few weeks ago, where we set up informational tables and distributed checklists and brochures. I have also attended a couple of the quarterly refresher sessions, where we review skills and practice scenarios. The group is a mix of ages and backgrounds, and everyone is friendly and low-key about it. There is no sense of self-importance or survivalist posturing. It is just a group of people who want to be useful to their neighbors if something goes wrong.
I find the whole experience grounding in a way that is hard to articulate. There is something reassuring about having a plan, having practiced basic skills, and knowing that there is a network of similarly trained volunteers in the area. It does not make emergencies less frightening in the abstract, but it does make them feel less overwhelming. You know what to do first. You know how to assess a situation before acting. You know the limits of your training and when to step back and wait for professionals. That knowledge, even if I never have to use most of it, feels like a worthwhile thing to carry around.
If your area offers CERT training, I would encourage you to look into it. The time commitment is modest, the instructors are knowledgeable and patient, and the skills are genuinely useful. Even if you never respond to a disaster, the preparedness mindset carries over into daily life in small but meaningful ways. I check my smoke detectors more regularly now. I keep a flashlight in my bedside drawer. I notice exit signs in unfamiliar buildings. These are tiny habits, but they add up to a general attentiveness that I think serves a person well regardless of circumstances.
— Kevin V.