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Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
Course Registration Form at bottom of
page.
The mission of the UTD CERT program is to work in
partnership with the university's Office of Emergency Management, Safety Office, and the university
community to produce a pool of faculty, staff and
students trained in disaster preparedness and response to provide
leadership and coordination during an emergency, as critical support to
professional responders and for immediate assistance to victims.
The CERT program is promoted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,
Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Citizen Corp. More info is
available at http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert
The UT Dallas Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates
people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area
(both at home and at the university) and trains them in basic disaster
response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team
organization, and disaster medical operations. Using the training learned
in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in
their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional
responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are
encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active
role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.
The CERT training for community groups is usually delivered in 2 hour
sessions, one day a week, over a 7 week period. The training consists of
the following:
Session I, DISASTER 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.
Session II, DISASTER FIRE SUPPRESSION:
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.
Session III, DISASTER MEDICAL OPERATIONS PART I:
Participants practice diagnosing and treating airway obstruction,
bleeding, and shock by using simple triage and rapid treatment techniques.
Session IV, DISASTER MEDICAL OPERATIONS, PART II:
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.
Session V, LIGHT SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS:
Participants learn about search and rescue planning, size-up, search
techniques, rescue techniques,
and most important, rescuer safety.
Session VI, DISASTER PSYCHOLOGY AND TEAM
ORGANIZATION:
Covers signs and symptoms that might be experienced by the disaster
victim and worker. It addresses CERT organization and management
principles and the need for documentation.
Session VII, COURSE REVIEW AND DISASTER SIMULATION:
Participants review their answers from a take home examination. Finally,
they practice the skills that they have learned during the previous six
sessions in disaster activity.
At the end of the training, CERT participants are given an opportunity to
test their knowledge in a disaster simulation exercise. After completing
the training and disaster simulation, the trainees become members of the
UT Dallas CERT Program.
The UT Dallas CERT Program is about readiness, people helping people,
rescuer safety, and doing the greatest good for the greatest number. CERT
is a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations
where citizens will be initially on their own and their actions can make a
difference. Through training, faculty, staff, and students can manage
utilities and put out small fires; treat the three killers by opening
airways, controlling bleeding, and treating for shock; provide basic
medical aid; search for and rescue victims safely; and organize themselves
and spontaneous volunteers to be effective in a disaster situation. The
CERT course will benefit any faculty, staff, or student who takes it.
UT Dallas is the second institution of higher education to organize and
undertake such a training program in the State of Texas joining North
Harris College in Houston, TX. The UT Dallas CERT Program joins other
established programs in Flower Mound, Coppell, Denton, Frisco, and
McKinney in providing this important training to its community. Since
1993 when this training was made available nationally by FEMA, communities
in 28 States and Puerto Rico have conducted CERT training.
Why Cert?
CERT is about community (Being an active member, not a spectator).
CERT is about being prepared (Being ready to face a disaster,
rather than reacting to one). Make you and your family ready.
CERT is about YOU.
Join us, be part of making UTD a safe place to work and study. Classes
will begin soon. Please visit our website in yahoo groups at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/utdpdcert/ for more information.
This program is open to anyone who is part of UTD, whether you are
Faculty, Staff, or Student. We welcome you all, even if it is simply to
ask questions and find out more about us.
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
