Join the Suffolk County Community Emergency Response Team 

The Community Emergency Response Team  (CERT) training for community groups is usually delivered in 2 1/2 hour sessions, one evening a week over a 13 week period. The training consists of the following: 

• EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS: Addresses hazards to which people are vulnerable in their community. Materials cover actions that participants and their families take before, during, and after a disaster. As the session progresses, the instructor begins to explore an expanded response role for civilians in that they should begin to consider themselves disaster workers. Since they will want to help their family members and neighbors, this training can help them operate in a safe and appropriate manner. The CERT concept and organization are discussed as well as applicable laws governing volunteers in that jurisdiction.
• FIRE SAFETY: Briefly covers fire chemistry, hazardous materials, fire hazards, and fire suppression strategies. However, the thrust of this session is the safe use of fire extinguishers, sizing up the situation, controlling utilities, and extinguishing a small fire.
• EMERGENCY MEDICAL OPERATIONS: Covers evaluating patients by doing a head to toe assessment, establishing a medical treatment area, performing basic first aid, and practicing in a safe and sanitary manner. Participants practice diagnosing and treating airway obstruction, bleeding, and shock by using simple triage and rapid treatment techniques.
• CPR: Students will be taught the techniques to perform CPR and how to use an AED.
• LIGHT SEARCH AND RESCUE: Participants learn about search and rescue planning, size-up, search techniques, rescue techniques, and most important, rescuer safety.
• DISASTER PSYCHOLOGY: Covers signs and symptoms that might be experienced by the disaster victim and worker.
• CERT ORGANIZATION: Addresses CERT organization and management principles used to maintain safety of disaster workers, provide for a clear leadership and organizational structure and improve the effectiveness of rescue efforts.
• TERRORISM AND CERT: Defines terrorism and describes the goals of terrorists. Participants will learn the CERT protocols for terrorist incidents and protective action following an event.
• IS 100: This course describes the history, features and principles, and organizational structure of the Incident Command System. It also explains the relationship between ICS and the National Incident Management System (NIMS).
• IS 700-NATIONAL INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (NIMS): Participants will learn how NIMS will help to coordinate and integrate the response to domestic incidents.
• AMERICAN RED CROSS SHELTER OPERATIONS AND SIMULATION: Participants will learn how to effectively and sensitively manage shelter operations as a team, to meet the needs of people displaced as a result of a disaster.
       

                 Suffolk CERT During Fire Extinguisher Training

Learn More About the Suffolk CERT