Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training at NYU to Begin Next Month

October 11, 2005 11:50 AM

This fall CCPR, along with NYU's Department of Public Safety, will begin offering classes to train a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) of university staff and students.

What is CERT?
• CERT is a program that trains citizens to prepare for and respond to emergencies in their local communities.
• CERT teams are groups of community-based volunteers who undergo an intensive, 10-module (25-hour) training program in disaster preparedness education and basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, and medical operations.
• CERT teams are not intended to replace a community or our campus’ professional response capability, but rather, to serve as an important supplement to it.
• The Federal Emergency Management Agency, using a model created by the Los Angeles City Fire Department, began promoting nationwide use of the CERT concept in 1994.
• The New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has established 15 CERTs through a pilot program that ended December 2004. OEM has established a goal of having a CERT in every Community Board district, and is encouraging community-based organizations to establish CERTs.

CERT Training at NYU
• NYU’s Center for Catastrophe Preparedness and Response (CCPR), along with NYU’s Department of Public Safety, is organizing a pilot CERT training program at NYU. CCPR and Public Safety have worked with OEM to customize the training program to suit the unique needs of our large, urban campus. A targeted group of staff and students will be invited to take part, and the class size will be kept small so that all can fully participate.
• Participation in NYU’s pilot training program is reserved for NYU staff and students only.
• Classes will be held in the evening on the NYU campus starting the week of October 31, 2005, and continuing roughly every other week through the end of April 2006. This staggered schedule is intended to help staff and students find the time to participate along with other commitments.

Expected class dates: Tuesday, November 1; Tuesday, November 15; Tuesday, November 29; Tuesday, December 13; Wednesday, January 11 (intersession); Wednesday, January 25; Wednesday, February 8; Wednesday, February 22; Wednesday, March 8; Wednesday, March 29; Wednesday April 12; Wednesday, April 26

• If you’re interested in learning more, or want to participate, please contact CCPR’s Clare Coleman at 212-998-2265 or at colemc01@med.nyu.edu

For more information about CERT in New York City, please visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/oem/html/programs/cert.html