Community Emergency Response Team
The Riverside Fire Department- Office of Emergency Management Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training Program trains people to be self-sufficient following a major disaster when first responders are likely to be over tasked and not readily available to respond to every emergency.
Participant's receive 20-hours of training in basic disaster response skills, including fire safety, search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations taught by Fire Department Personnel. CERT members learn how to organize to assist others in their neighborhood, school or workplace following a disaster when professional responders are not immediately available to help.
The CERT Program concepts and practices further foster a sense of “whole community”, a priority for the City of Riverside. Under the direction of local emergency responders, CERT teams help provide critical support by giving immediate assistance to victims, providing damage assessment information, and organizing other volunteers at a disaster site.
Volunteers trained in CERT also offer a potential workforce for performing duties such as shelter support, crowd control and evacuation. The role of a CERT volunteer is to help themselves and to help others until trained emergency personnel arrive.