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The Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA) is re-energizing its Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program which is designed to educate citizens about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic response skills such as fire safety, light search and rescue, disaster medical operations and team organization.
VITEMA will offer training at its Headquarters in Estate Nisky, on Feb. 25-27, for residents interested in becoming certified or re-certified as a CERT member. Classes will be held from 6-9 p.m. on Feb. 25, and 8 a.m.
to 5 p.m. on the Feb. 26 and 27. Training is also being scheduled for St. Croix and St. John and dates and venues will be announced in upcoming days.
To register, visit http://www.VITEMA.gov/cert.
Applications also can be picked up at VITEMA’s Headquarters. For more information about registering, contact Karen Frett or Irvin Mason in the Preparedness Division at 340-774-2244.
The CERT training is a 20-hour (two-and-half-day) course that covers the needed lifesaving skills with emphasis on decision-making and rescuer safety. Topics include disaster preparedness, fire suppression, basic disaster, medical operations, light search and rescue, disaster psychology and team organization. A new module also has been added on terrorism to educate CERT members about biological, nuclear, incendiary, chemical and explosive agents. The training will conclude with a disaster drill in which participants have the opportunity to practice the skills they learned throughout the course.
“The best source of help in an emergency or disaster is our first responders,” said VITEMA Director-designee Elton Lewis. “But, in the event they are not available to address immediate life-saving needs or to protect property, CERT members can help. They are trained to be a part of a team that is an extension of our first responder services, offering immediate help to family, neighbors or coworkers.”
However, CERT members are only intended to supplement first responder efforts not replace it, Lewis stated.
CERT was created through federal homeland security legislation and is currently funded the Federal Emergency Management Agency grants. CERT programs were developed to assist communities in taking care of themselves in the aftermath of a major disaster when first responders are overwhelmed or unable to respond because of communication or transportation difficulties.
More than 35 states have created CERT programs across multiple jurisdictions.
VITEMA is also introducing one other program — Teen CERT.
VITEMA is joining other jurisdictions across the US developing Teen CERTs. Teen CERT is a pilot project that seeks to educate students about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area 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, Teen CERT members can assist others in their schools, neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. Teen CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.
The Teen CERT pilot project also includes a 20-hour training program focused on disaster preparedness. Schools are encouraged to contact Ms. Frett or Mr. Mason at VITEMA’s Preparedness Division at 340-774-2244 for more information and to schedule training.
For more information about the CERT or Teen CERT program, contact VITEMA Deputy Director Noel Smith at 340-228-1321.
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