A Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) has been formed in Hill County to enhance community preparedness for disasters.
The first CERT was created by the City of Los Angeles, California Fire Department in 1985 as a means to provide citizen volunteers with the knowledge and training necessary to help themselves and the community in the event of disaster.
Since then, the project has grown to encompass over 3,200 programs across the nation and is under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) community preparedness umbrella.
Under the direction of CERT Program Manager Chris Clark, the newly-formed Hill County CERT is raising awareness in preparation for its first basic training session, set for mid-January.
Clark is an employee of Hill County Emergency Management, though his work as CERT program manager is wholly volunteered.
Clark has worked extensively with CERTs in the past. “The first CERT I did was in the Northeast; New Jersey, New York,” he said. “One thing about CERT is regardless of where you are, anywhere in the country, the initial training is the same. It’s dictated by Homeland Security and FEMA.
“Once you go through that initial training – whether you’re an instructor for that training or a student – depending on the region and what the needs of those individual agencies are, things can be different.
“For example, in the Northeast we had the Appalachian Trail that ran right through, so there was a lot of search and rescue… That part of the country, a lot of people don’t realize how remote it really is.”
CERTs coordinate with local authorities to organize and train residents of all backgrounds and abilities in a wide range of areas. In Hill County specifically, our region’s aggressive storm season will receive special attention; members of the Hill County CERT program will become certified through the National Weather Service’s SKYWARN Storm Spotter program. Other locally focused training will cover wildfires and lake safety.
CERT involves a 20-24 hour certification course that provides community members the basic skills to respond to emergencies in their neighborhoods, such as basic emergency medicine, disaster preparedness, search-and-rescue operations, small fire suppression and terrorism awareness.
After the successful completion of CERT certification, many community members may choose to formally affiliate with the Hill County CERT, attend regularly scheduled meetings and receive additional, more comprehensive training, so that they can deploy as a team when necessary to support first responders and the county’s wider emergency management plan.
“One thing that I think is important to remember is that this appeals to every type of person. One of the questions I get a lot is ‘Well, do I have to be a bodybuilder?’ Or, ‘Do I have to have a degree?’… We’ll find a home for anybody who is willing to participate, and there’s plenty to do,” Clark said.
For enrollment information and the full upcoming CERT class schedule, contact Chris Clark at 254-659-8215 or visit the organization’s website at hillcountycert.org. The group may also be reached by email at cert@co.hill.tx.us.
The Lakelander 