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Burnet County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program
Local government prepares for everyday emergencies. However, during a disaster, the number and scope of incidents can overwhelm conventional emergency services. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program trains ordinary citizens in how to help themselves and their neighbors in the event of disasters. This valuable course is designed to help you protect yourself, your family, neighbors, and your neighborhood in an emergency situation.
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in the community. CERT Volunteers may be called upon to assist in organized disaster response.
The CERT training program is designed to fit into community members’ ordinary schedules. The training is divided up into eight three-hour modules.During that time, trainees will have classes on the National CERT program, the organizational structure used by government agencies in disasters, basic first aid techniques, basic search and rescue techniques, and ways to ensure that the individual trainee and his or her family members are prepared for a local disaster. The final training session includes a disaster simulation to give volunteers the ability to apply their newly acquired skills in a simulated environment. Through training, citizens can manage utilities and put out small fires; treat the three killers by opening airways, controlling bleeding, and treating for shock; provide basic medical aid; search for and rescue victims safely and organize themselves and spontaneous volunteers to be effective.
Our program is a part of the Burnet County Office of Emergency Management. In addition to this initial basic training, CERT volunteers are offered continuing education classes in order to refresh and enhance their skills. We anticipate continued success in training our citizens to take personal responsibility for themselves and their families, and to support their community during an emergency or disaster.
CERT is about readiness, people helping people, rescuer safety and doing the greatest good for the greatest number. CERT is a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where most of our citizens will initially be on their own and their actions can make a difference.
If emergency res-ponders are not available people will have to rely on each other for help in order to meet their immediate life saving and life sustaining needs.