Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), using the model created by the Los Angeles City Fire Department, began promoting nationwide implementation of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) concept in 1994. Since then, CERT’s have been established in hundreds of communities throughout the United States. Citizens of the City of Crestwood is an active member of the Meramec Valley Citizen Corp Council whose goal is to prepare the communities they serve by providing high quality, emergency response training. 

In addition, this training promotes a joint effort between our emergency services personnel and our citizens. If a disastrous event overwhelms or delays emergency services personnel in a particular area, CERT members can assist others in their community 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.

Goals of Training

CERT Training will teach participants to:

  • Describe the types of hazards most likely to affect their homes and communities
  • Describe the function of CERT and their roles in immediate response
  • Take steps to prepare themselves for a disaster
  • Identify and reduce potential fire hazards in their homes and workplace
  • Work as a team to apply basic fire suppression strategies, resources, and safety measures to extinguish a burning liquid
  • Apply techniques for opening airways, controlling bleeding, and treating shock
  • Conduct triage under simulated conditions
  • Perform head-to-foot assessments
  • Select and set up a treatment area
  • Employ basic first aid treatments for various wounds
  • Identify planning and size-up
  • Describe the most common techniques for searching a structure
  • Use safe techniques for searching a structure
  • Describe ways to protect resources during search and rescue operations

Who Should Attend a Course?

  • Amateur Radio Emergency Services
  • Businesses
  • Clubs/Organizations
  • Communities of Faith
  • Neighborhoods
  • Participants must be at least 17 years or older to attend this training
  • School Staff

MVCCC

The Crestwood Community is a member of the Meramec Valley Citizen Corps Council (MVCCC) and they conduct training sessions on a monthly basis for eight months of the year (no meeting in the summer or December). The location moves between the member organizations. For more information on the MVCCC CERT training, please visit their website at www.mvccc.us.