CERT : Community Emergency Response Team

ALACertTeam.jpgCERT is a community based organization of residents who learn how to take emergency response actions in safe ways until the professional emergency responders can respond. These citizens learn how to work in a coordinated manner caring for those citizens within their community affected by a disaster. 

The Division of Emergency Management has trained over 3200 CERTs throughout Palm Beach County in disaster preparedness, disaster medical services, light urban search and rescue for trapped citizens, disaster communications, disaster psychology and terrorism. 

Most people are not prepared to deal with even the most minor medical emergencies. Whether due to disaster or encountered in everyday life, they may experience problems. After a major emergency, citizens will come forth in groups to help. Unfortunately, without properly training these people can expose themselves to potential injury and even death.

In the aftermath of a major disaster such as a hurricane, emergency crews are quickly overwhelmed, causing delays of hours or even days. For these reasons, Palm Beach County Emergency Management offers the Community Emergency Response Team course. The basic course consists of 24 hours of training.

ALA CERT Training Classes

If you would like to sign up for CERT classes, please send an email to CERT@acreagelandowners.com.

CERT classes are a series held over a month, every Tuesday and Thursday night. The next class will begin on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014 and will run through Thursday, May 15th, 2014, from 6 PM - 9 PM. The classes will be held at the ITID building located at 13476 61st Street North.

The only exception to this location is the second to the last class on Tuesday, May 13th, 2014, which is held at the Palm Beach State College located at 4200 S Congress Ave, Lake Worth, FL. Please arrive at 5:30 PM. This class is a fire suppression strategies class.

The Course Involves:

CertLogoSM.jpgDisaster Preparedness: Discussion of various types of major emergencies that may affect South Florida. Familiarization with the Emergency Management System and the process of disaster recovery. Other concepts include “post storm” team operations, facing problems in organizing teams under emergency conditions and operating a neighborhood “command post.” Learn about disaster psychology, damage assessment and documentation.

Disaster Fire Suppression: Learn about basic fire suppression strategies, team and personal safety considerations, fire chemistry, hazardous materials, and fire hazards. The class focus is sizing up the situation, the safe use of fire extinguishers, extinguishing a small fire, and controlling utilities.

Disaster Medical Operations: Participants practice diagnosing and treating airway obstruction, bleeding, and shock by using simple triage and rapid treatment techniques. Also students learn the concepts of 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.

Light Search and Rescue Operations: Participants learn about search and rescue planning, size-up, search techniques, rescue techniques, and most important, rescuer safety.

Disaster Psychology and Team Organization: Students learn the signs and symptoms that might be experienced by the disaster victim and worker, CERT organization and management principles and the need for documentation.

Terrorism: Participants are introduced to the concept of terrorism as it applies to CERT.

Course Review: Participants review their answers from a take home examination.

Disaster Simulation: Practical (hands on) experience which requires the student to utilize the skills learned over the past four weeks of class, including fire suppression, first aid, triage, and search and rescue.