What is CERT? It sounds like the popular breath mint, but it’s not. In fact, it’s something very important for our community.
The Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) is credited with the development of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) concept in 1985. Following the Whittier Narrows earthquake in 1987, the LAFD created the Disaster Preparedness Division to train citizens to assist first responders in a time of need.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency later recognized the need to train private citizens and developed training programs to increase citizens’ ability to safely help themselves, their family and their neighbors.
Locally, the Pennsauken Office of Emergency Management has a Community Emergency Response Team. That team is part of the Camden County CERT.
Citizen volunteers receive training in family disaster preparedness, disaster fire suppression, medical operations, CERT operations, disaster mental health and basic emergency management.
Training is typically 18 hours spread over several two to four-hour modules. Training courses, student materials and equipment are provided free of charge. Once basic training is completed, monthly training classes are held to keep skills fresh.
Some of the operations conducted by CERT in 2015 were providing a 4×4 taskforce during several winter storms. The taskforce provided transportation for doctors, nurses and other critical personnel who were unable to get to work because of road conditions. CERT has also provided access control and security at the Camden County Public Safety building in Lindenwold on several occasions.
Following the damaging storm in June, the Camden CERT assisted the Gloucester County CERT and the American Red Cross with bulk distribution of water and ice.
Some of you may remember the missing person in Winslow Township last August. A group of CERT members participated in the search.
The biggest operation that CERT has completed recently was the Papal visit. CERT was in operation on the Camden Waterfront from 5:00 a.m. Saturday until 8:00 p.m. Sunday night. The team was assigned the duty of distributing food and water around the clock to all of the public safety personnel deployed.
Food was prepared by the Salvation Army at the Campbell Soup headquarters. CERT personnel used Polaris ATVs to pick up the food and distributed it to the various posts from north of the Ben Franklin Bridge to several blocks south of the Susquehanna Bank Center, from Admiral Wilson Blvd. to the Delaware River. Between meal periods, teams made hydration runs over to the same areas.
The CERT course will benefit any citizen who takes it. This individual will be better prepared to respond to and cope with the aftermath of a disaster.
Are you interested in volunteering to help you community? Do you want to learn how to protect yourself and your family in an emergency? Does this sound like something you would be interested in being a part of? For more information, you can contact Dennis Cowgill, Pennsauken emergency management coordinator, at dcowgill@twp.pennsauken.nj.us or Jay Vilardo, Camden County planner/CERT coordinator, at jason.vilardo@publicsafetycc.com.
