City of Lawrence Massachusetts
Community Emergency Response Team
Established 2005
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City of Lawrence Massachusetts
Community Emergency Response Team
Established 2005
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ABOUT US What is the Community Emergency Response Team? The City of Lawrence CERT Program is an educational
program for local citizens and business owners/operators that is intended to
prepare you to help yourself, your family, and your neighborhoods in the event
of a catastrophic disaster. The program spans over a several week period and
offers information and training on several aspects of emergency management. This training covers basic
skills that are important to know when emergency services are not immediately
available. You can make a difference by using the training to save lives and
protect property. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program is an emergency preparedness program supported by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA began promoting nationwide use of the CERT concept in 1994 based on a model created and implemented by the Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) in 1985. Following a series of earthquakes in the United States and Mexico that left hundreds dead, injured and without emergency services, the LAFD recognized that well-trained civilian emergency work force teams are vital for disaster situations when the scope of incidents overwhelm conventional emergency A "CERT" is a group of people that is organized under the leadership of a local jurisdiction and receives special training that enhances their ability to recognize, respond to, and recover from a major emergency or disaster situation. Emergency responders train citizens and emergency management personnel in areas that will help them take care of themselves and others before, during and after a major emergency. Friends, neighbors, co-workers, and trained professionals who volunteer their valuable time and resources to make a difference in their workplace and communities. These team members have participated in The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training program and have been trained to be prepared to respond to emergency situations in the workplace and their communities. When emergencies happen, CERT members give critical support to first responders, provide immediate assistance to victims, and organize spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site. CERT members can also help with non-emergency projects that help improve the safety of the workplace and their community. CERT is a nationwide initiative. The ability of a community to recover from the devastating effects of a disaster requires that citizens actively plan and participate in preparedness. By encouraging preparedness efforts, hazard identification and mitigation, CERT members can minimize the effects of a disaster and facilitate recovery. CERT training provides community self-sufficiency through the development of response teams that can assist others by providing vital services in the absence of emergency responders, whose arrival may be delayed due to a large event. CERT provides an excellent opportunity for citizens to play an important role in helping to safeguard, prepare for and respond to major emergencies and disasters in our community. If a disastrous event overwhelms or delays the community's professional response, CERT members can assist others by applying the basic response and organizational skills they learned during training. These skills can help save and sustain lives following a disaster until help arrives. CERT skills apply to daily emergencies as well. The CERT course benefits anyone who takes it. Graduates are better prepared to respond to and cope with the aftermath of natural disasters. Neighborhood groups receiving CERT training become closer-knit and are able to help each other when disaster strikes. CERT training provides people with information and experience that is unavailable anywhere else in most communities. Be part of an organized CERT Program trained to protect yourself, your family and your community. CERT Teams have been utilized for:
Currently we are seeking CERT team members at least 18 years of age who reside in the City of Lawrence. The primary qualification for volunteering with CERT is making a commitment:
The event that occurred on September 11, 2001 will never be forgotten; also not for-gotten is how the spirit of America was awakened that day and citizens came forth to volunteer their services. President George W. Bush harnessed this spirit of volunteerism with the Citizen Corps program. CERT is a part of the Citizen Corps Program. For more information or to request an information packet, please contact Captain Kevin Loughlin by email at k_loughlin@cityoflawrence.com or by phone at (978-794-1234).
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Copyright © 2006 Lawrence Community
Emergency Response Team
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