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Model Community Emergency Response Team [CERT]

Organization Chart and Training for Effective Operations

Charles J Blankenship

September 2015

 Published by the Applied Government Studies Center September 2015

Introduction

The tenth anniversary of the Hurricane Katrina isaster remins !mericans of the

nee for citi"en volunteer trainin#$ preparation an or#ani"ation for effective

response to natural an man%mae isasters& The people of 'e( )rleans an

surrounin# areas clearly lacke the ability to cope (ith the situation (ithout

#overnment assistance& *any simply (aite for #overnment rescue (ithout takin#

community survival initiatives& +eople ie (aitin#&

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 'o( (ith the al(ays present threat of natural isasters$ couple (ith (ar time

threats of ,slamist or other terrorist #roups- attacks on the homelan$ the nee for

local community emer#ency response or#ani"ations has never been #reater&

The .eeral /mer#ency *ana#ement !#ency$ ./*! (ithin the epartment ofHomelan Security$ recommens the creation of local Community /mer#ency

3esponse Teams C/3T in a nation(ie effort to make communities better

 prepare an more resilient (hen isasters occur&

4nfortunately not all communities participate in this effort& Some local an county

#overnment electe officials an emer#ency response employees are reluctant or

even oppose to citi"en initiatives to create C/3TS ue to an apparent belief that

isaster operations are solely the responsibility of #overnment a#encies&

!ll local an county electe officials shoul enthusiastically support C/3T

creation& /ven over the hesitancy of their emer#ency mana#ement staff&

.ollo(in# are recommenation for C/3T or#ani"ation an trainin#& These moel

recommenations are similar but not ientical ./*! recommenations an are

esi#ne for more effective an efficient operations$ base on the author-s

eperiences&

 

Organization

!ttache is a recommene C/3T )r#ani"ation Chart&

The C/3T leaer shoul be a 6ualifie citi"en volunteers ,ncient Commaner&

The leaer coul be appointe by the local emer#ency mana#ement a#ency /*!

irector to insure a cooperative an supportive relationship$ but shoul not be an

/*! or other #overnment emer#ency response a#ency employee& That (oul be

counterprouctive to the C/3T-s mission of proviin# effective temporary

nei#hborhoo an community emer#ency response (hen no #overnmental

assistance is available&

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)ne or more eputy commaners shoul be inclue in the or#ani"ational structure

to provie relief time for the commaner or to supply leaership if the commaner

is absent from the community or is a victim or the incient&

C/3T ,ncient Commaners an eputies coul serve as liaison officers ifre6ueste to participate in /*! comman center activities urin# operations an

recovery&

! C/3T shoul be ivie into t(o sections7 Support Section an )perations

Section& /ach le by a section chief assiste by a eputy&

The support section is responsible for all plannin#$ lo#istics an aministration

functions& ,nclue in this section are financin#$ le#al$ information mana#ement$

trainin#$ ocumentation$ communications an other support functions& Support

functions are le by unit leaers&

The )perations Section conucts isaster response operations throu#h search an

rescue$ fire suppression an meical treatment activities&

The basic isaster response unit is strike team compose of four C/3T members

le by a strike team leaer& Search an rescue$ fire suppression an meical strike

teams are assemble into task forces le by a task force leaer& ! task force may

also contain any mi of multiple strike teams epenin# on the situation& The

number of volunteers etermines the potential number of strike teams an task

forces&

C/3Ts shoul consier follo(in# the practice of citi"en volunteer emer#ency

#roups in British Common(ealth countries an ientify leaers by rank insi#nia or 

other evice place on arm bans$ vests$ hats or other articles of clothin#& This

allo(s C/3T members$ #overnment responers an the #eneral public to 6uickly

ientify C/3T leaers&

! su##este metho of selectin# commaners an leaers is sho(n in the seconattachment&

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Training

Trainin# is critical to the successful operation of a C/3T& The recommene

minimum trainin# re6uirements for C/3T members an leaers is outline in the

thir attachment& Trainin# can be obtaine on line from the 'ational C/3T

+ro#ram$ .eeral /mer#ency *ana#ement !#ency of the epartment of

Homelan Security& Traine C/3T members coul also furnish local class room

trainin# to other members&

Specialist volunteerin# for the Support Section shoul have back#roun eucation

an eperience in their specialty fiel in aition to basic C/3T trainin#& *eical

strike team volunteers shoul have trainin# an eperience in tria#e an emer#ency

meical treatment in aition to C/3T trainin#&

Comments are welcomed either through the Applied Government Studies Center

[www.agscenter.org] or directly to the author [charles@agscenter.org]

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Attachments

C/3T )r#ani"ation Chart

C/3T 8eaers Selection

C/3T *inimum Trainin# 3e6uirements

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