Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

The Central Point Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) functions as a group of trained and equipped volunteer citizens, prepared primarily to respond to city or community wide disasters, and preserve the life and safety of community members.

The CERT program trains and educates citizens within a community about disaster response and emergency preparedness for hazards that may impact their area. Volunteers learn to apply such skills as disaster medical operations, fire safety, light search and rescue, structural damage assessment, team organization and communication, systematic response through the Incident Command System (ICS), recognizing and reporting potential hazards to public safety, flood and fire prevention to homes and neighborhoods, and disaster psychology. Using the national CERT training platform, CERT members learn to first ensure the safety of themselves and their families, then assist in the rescue and recovery of others in their neighborhood as a team when professional responders (Police/Fire/EMS) are not immediately available to help.

Deployed in teams, CERTs may also assist traffic and crowd control, staff emergency operations centers and shelters, collect and distribute supplies, establish, instruct, and supervise a sandbagging station, conduct triage, and provide basic physical and psychological first aid to survivors of a disaster.

History

CP CERT Team was initially assembled by Rick Bartlett in 2011. Rick served the City of Central Point for 39 years. He retired his position as "Field Operations Manager" with Public Works in 2009 only to be rehired in 2010 as part-time Safety and Training Coordinator. Even after retirement, he continued to serve the City by joining VIPS (Volunteers in Police Service) and establishing a CERT program for Central Point. With the city's population continuing to grow, the threat of a major earthquake in the NW looming high over all emergency responders' heads, and the shifting weather patterns bringing the possibility of sudden floods and overwhelming forest fire seasons, Rick saw the need for a trained team of citizens to assist in disaster efforts and prepare the community for emergency events.

The CERT concept was created out of the aftermath of earthquakes in Los Angeles' and Mexico City where average citizens were self-mobilizing to try and help their fellow neighbors. The problem with this good-samaritan approach was those same brave citizens were adding to the incident list. It became evident that if citizens are naturally going to help one another in the event of a disaster, training a team of them to serve as leaders and facilitate efforts could reduce the number of aftermath casualties.

Los Angeles Fire Department first implemented the program, and FEMA later picked it up in 1993, making it nationally available for independent cities. Every city that decides to start their own program receives support from FEMA, but functions as their own entity. Trainings are held by existing team members, professional first responders and experts in their given fields, and an appointed coordinator or leader.

Our Team

Central Point CERT is an integral part of the local response and recovery plan for community-wide emergencies and disasters.

The CP CERT team currently holds approximately 20 members and continues to add interested volunteers.

If you are interested in joining CP CERT's Team, visit our Join Page for more information, or visit our Training Page.

If you would like to request CERT's help for an event or training, contact the Central Point Team Leader, Kirby Wheeler via email kirby.wheeler@centralpointoregon.gov.

_______

In Memory of Rick Bartlett
April 5th, 1951 - May 26, 2015.

_______