Volcano's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program educates people 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, CERT members can assist others in their community following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help.

Volcano CERT team members Leigh Critchlow, at left, Katrina Bath and Stephanie Bath carry the banner in the 2013 Volcano 4th of July Parade. The Volcano group assists each year with the community's Independence Day festivities.

Volcano CERT's mission is:

The overall goal of Volcano CERT is to help our community prepare for effective disaster response through continued training and planning.
Volcano CERT aims to assist State, County, and Local Emergency Services in any emergencies for which we are called, the people in our community in the ways in which we have been trained; and to train, educate, and inform the public regarding Emergency Preparedness.
Some of the strengths of the CERT are found in our team members′ training, local knowledge, pre-planning for various incidents and having pre-positioned supplies.

Training

CERT classes are offered periodically by the Hawaii County Resource Center. You can complete the training at any Hawaii location and be eligible to join the Volcano CERT. The training is a mix of classroom presentation and hands-on exercises and includes:

Disaster preparedness: types of disasters, infrastructure impact, structural vs. non structural hazards, hazard mitigation, preparedness activities
Fire safety: fire chemistry, size up, fire suppression
Disaster medical operation: life-threatening conditions, triage, CERT's role,
assessment, burn care, wound care, splinting, etc.
Search & Rescue: structure evaluation, search operations, rescue operations
CERT organization: general overview, documentation (based on ICS standards)
Disaster psychology: team well-being, survivor's trauma
Wrap up with a disaster simulation and written exam
See Training tab for more information.

Current Activity

The Volcano Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is continuing to develop procedures, supplies and equipment so that we can be ready to act in the case of a major emergency in our community. In addition to regular training (and upcoming annual recertification training) CERT members are doing the advance planning so that if a major disaster occurs, and outside help will not arrive promptly, we will be able to locally provide critical services and supplies.

We are extremely grateful for grants from the Volcano Rotary Club and the Volcano Community Association which are helping to purchase supplies and equipment. We are also thankful that our volunteer fire department is making sure that there will be emergency electrical power at the fire station if needed. There is a lot to do, and if you are interested in becoming part of the Volcano CERT please let us know by e-mailing us on our contact page.

Meetings

We meet at Cooper Center (19-4030 Wright Road, Volcano, Hawaii 96785) on the 1st Saturday of the month at 9am till about 10:30am.

This is from our field exercise 4/20/13 in the Cooper Center parking lot near container. Patricia H, Michael Froebel, and Terry E.

This is part of the 2013 4th of July crew.

CERT students practice using a fire extinguisher