Resolve to become part of Southlake's CERT team this year
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City View by John Terrell, Mayor of Southlake
The New Year always brings the promise ofbrnew beginnings and New Year's resolutions. We've all made the promise to drop abrfew pounds or to take up a new hobby, but I have a different resolution in mindbrthis year. 2012 was another devastating year for disasters across the UnitedbrStates. While the economic losses from these disasters will amount to billionsbrof dollars, you cannot ignore the loss and disruption to life and property thatbrevents like Hurricane Sandy brought to the country. Countless east-coastbrresidents lived without power and supplies for weeks and many lost their homesbrand even their lives. Events like this are a clear reminder that we need tobrresolve to be more prepared for the unexpected in 2013.
In the event of a disaster, it could bebrdays before first responders are able to get to you to provide assistance duebrto impassable roads and an overwhelming number of calls for assistance. InbrSouthlake, we bridge that gap of time between the disaster and the arrival ofbrfirst responders with Community Emergency Response Teams, or CERTs.
The Community Emergency Response Teambrconcept was developed and implemented by the Los Angeles City Fire Departmentbr(LAFD) in 1985. The training program that LAFD initiated made good sense andbrfurthered the process of citizens understanding their responsibility inbrpreparing for disaster. It also increased their ability to safely helpbrthemselves, their family and their neighbors. The Federal Emergency ManagementbrAgency (FEMA) also recognized the importance of preparing citizens. ThebrEmergency Management Institute (EMI) and the National Fire Academy adopted andbrexpanded the CERT materials to apply them to all hazards and all locations. Since 1993 when this training was madebravailable nationally by FEMA, communities in 28 States and Puerto Rico havebrconducted CERT training.
In a disaster setting, over 80% of citizensbrmake successful rescues as they assist their friends, family and neighborsbrfollowing a disaster. Despite this highly celebrated statistic, untrainedbrvolunteer rescuers can sometimes do more harm than good, and potentially injurebrthemselves in the process. CERTs are made up of specially trained members ofbrthe community who deploy in emergency situations to provide immediatebrassistance to their neighborhood in a safe, organized manner.
CERT members participate in an eight-weekbrtraining class where they receive training in areas such as disasterbrpreparedness, fire safety, disaster medical operations, light search andbrrescue, disaster psychology, terrorism, and team organization. Following thebrconclusion of the course, members participate in a live disaster simulationbrexercise that tests their newfound skills.
The City of Southlake has been a proudbrsponsor of the CERT program since the early 2000's and continues to graduatebrnew members each year. While we have a dedicated team of CERT members trainedbrand ready to respond at a moment's notice, our strength lies in our numbers. Ibrencourage you to resolve in this new year to make a commitment to yourbrcommunity and sign up for the CERT program. Class starts on January 9, 2013 andbrmeets each Wednesday through February 27th. If you cannotbrparticipate in this class, please submit your application for the next class.brSpaces go fast and you do not want to miss out.
Even if you cannot devote the time tobrparticipating in a CERT class, we can resolve to work together in 2013 tobrincrease our preparedness for emergencies so that if the unthinkable doesbrhappen, we are better prepared to face and overcome our challenges.
See you in Southlake
For more information about Southlake CERT and how to get involved, please visit City of Southlake - CERT. For more information about the City's other volunteer programs, please visit City of Southlake - Volunteer Southlake.