November 24, 2017
T he C olumbia P ress
5
CERT: Building teams of citizen emergency responders benefits communities
Continued from Page 1
struction and hands-on exer-
cises created in 1988 by the
Federal Emergency Manage-
ment Agency (FEMA).
CERT is comprised of un-
paid volunteers willing to as-
sist their own – and neighbor-
ing – communities when there
aren’t enough professional re-
sponders to go around.
It’s a game-changer in a
major disaster, especially in
small towns where police,
fire and medical teams face
staffing shortages. Instead of
pleading with voters for ev-
er-larger disaster response
budgets, a community can de-
velop volunteer CERT teams
from trained citizens.
The CERT philosophy fits in
nicely with Warrenton’s plans.
When the City Commission
set goals for the 2017-18 fiscal
year, disaster preparedness
was high on the list.
“The CERT team is very im-
portant for Warrenton and
any community,” Police Chief
Matt Workman said. “The
bottom line is that everybody
knows what we have for re-
sources for the police and fire.
If we have a disaster, they’re
going to be way overtaxed.”
Many team members buy
their own specialized equip-
ment “kits” and handheld
two-way radios. And the fed-
eral government offers fund-
ing grants for CERT teams
connected with local city or
county governments.
Kimber Townsend, pro-
gram director for Polk County
CERT, and her team of four
instructors sprinkled in prac-
tical tips while sharing their
own experiences as early re-
sponders to local crises. Some
of these disasters were so
extensive that area agencies
– overwhelmed by demands
from everywhere at once --
could not arrive until hours
later.
Often first on the scene,
CERT members are ready to
assess and alleviate the most
life-threatening
conditions
known as the “three killers:”
breathing, bleeding and shock.
A victim’s tongue might be
blocking her airway. A child
could be spurting blood. An-
other might be in shock from
internal injury.
While addressing injuries,
team members attach colored
bracelets to victims indicating
medical severity: green for the
“walking wounded,” yellow
for those likely to survive with
later treatment, red for those
in urgent need of a medical
professional.
While radio calls are made to
report the red “immediates,”
team members respectfully
tag and cover the dead.
Victims who are able and
willing are recruited to help
while CERT continues its
sweep through the neighbor-
hood. All who can walk would
go street by street, house
by house, documenting and
mapping disaster conditions
for when professional crews
can roll in over the damaged,
blocked and busy roads.
Clatsop County’s CERT in-
cludes small teams in Astoria,
Warrenton, Gearhart, Seaside
and Cannon Beach.
Some are connected to local
police, others with fire depart-
ments comprised of volun-
teers prepared for times more
normal than The Big One.
Nationwide, 70 percent of
the teams work with local po-
lice, who generally welcome
disaster
response
volun-
teers – especially when they
come trained and partially
self-funded.
Warrenton’s CERT is a half
dozen strong and preparing
for Cascadia subduction zone
earthquakes, which have a 50
percent chance of striking in
the next 20 years with enough
force to devastate whole areas
and overwhelm local services
for weeks.
Warrenton’s CERT, unoffi-
cially sponsored by Workman,
meets at City Hall bimonthly.
Members have helped po-
lice during nonemergencies,
handling crowds at the Fourth
of July and Autism Color
Run and assisting with traf-
fic during the Buoy 10 fishing
season.
“Just getting the baseline
training and having that
knowledge will provide divi-
dends in the end for our com-
munity,” Workman said.
FEMA refers to CERT as its
Citizen Corps.
CERT teams are “not just for
the worst disasters, but in all
disasters,” said Vince Aarts,
Clatsop County Emergency
Management
coordinator.
“Your neighbors are your best
option and might even be the
first responders.”
In our next major disaster,
you might require a skilled
pro to treat your wounds after
the event.
But it might very well be
a CERT team member who
saves your life.
For more information about
CERT, go to cert-info@theco-
lumbiapress.net.