CERT

About Community Emergency Response Volunteer Teams

An emergency could strike at any moment. Being part of a community that's proactive and prepared increases everyone's chances of survival in a disaster situation. Many communities have existing CERT teams you can join. This blog will provide information about the purpose of CERT, how you can join a team and how SOS Survival Products serves CERTs across the country.

What is CERT?

CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Team. The CERT program helps to educate ordinary citizens about disaster preparation for a wide range of natural and man-made emergencies.

CERT members are volunteers that serve to support professional responders in times of extreme disasters when resources are in short supply. During an emergency, trained CERT members will assist professional firefighters, EMT responders and more, taking on non-technical tasks such as assessing and communicating the needs of the community, putting out small, manageable fires, turning off gas supplies and organizing light search and rescue efforts.
CERT volunteers are highly valued members of the community as they free up trained professional responders to focus on the bigger tasks at hand. The teams will self-deploy when the region in which they are located is affected by a disaster, assessing any immediate losses and implementing the skills they've learned to help first responders minimize further loss of property and life. One of the main tasks of the team is to locate mass-casualties that will require professional response and rescue teams to be deployed. CERTs will also assist in evacuations and more long-term functions such as helping to create temporary shelters.

CERT teams coordinate with all levels of emergency authorities within an overarching system that governs emergency response. This system is referred to as the Incident Command System (ICS), and it allows members to easily fit into the emergency assistance architecture. CERT enhances the capabilities of the ICS by allowing professional responders to focus on complex tasks without facing distractions that could be delegated to citizens with minimal training.

When members of a Community Emergency Response Team aren't actively engaged in response, the team organizes fundraisers, engages with the community by holding teaching and recruitment events, and practices emergency response exercises.


How Do I Get Involved?

LA Community Response Team

Currently, there are hundreds of thousands of trained volunteers all across the nation actively engaged in their local CERT chapter program, but in order to keep these efforts going new volunteers are always needed. Most major cities have an existing CERT chapter, which may contain hundreds of members or just a few.






CERT can refer to one of two entities:

1. FEMA's National program, which uses a set of standardized training procedures to train large groups of community members
2. Local chapters that train emergency volunteers with the help of basic disaster response skills that can vary from location to location.

If your city has a CERT program that's been established through FEMA, you can find it here.
If your search via the FEMA link does not return any results for your city, that does not mean your city does not have a CERT program. You can expand your search by browsing your city's official government website, or by performing a quick Google search.

CERT training is designed to help you serve your community, but also to protect your family, friends, neighbors or coworkers if a disaster suddenly strikes. When properly trained, members of the Community Response Program are able to provide critical support to victims and first responders by mobilizing teams to disaster sites quickly and effectively.

During your CERT training, you'll learn a variety of skills designed to mitigate the effects of a disaster as quickly and easily as possible. While FEMA's CERT training abides by a nationally established curriculum that delivers the same core content across all states, your local CERT training may vary. In both instances, CERT training will be free and you are under no obligation to become a part of the program after completing your hours.
The official FEMA CERT training program consists of nine separate units:

1. Disaster Preparedness (2.5 hrs)
2. Fire Safety (2.5 hrs)
3. Disaster Medical Operations part 1 (2.5 hrs)
4. Disaster Medical Operations part 2 (2.5 hrs)
5. Light Search and Rescue Operations (2.5 hrs)
6. CERT Organization (1.5 hrs)
7. Disaster Psychology (1 hr)
8. Terrorism and CERT (2.5 hrs).
9. Course Review and Disaster Simulation (2.5 hrs)

Products for CERT Teams

We carry a wide range of products designed to fulfill the needs of specific duty assignments in evacuations, light search and rescue, first responder assistance and more. This includes command guides and other literature, safety equipment such as hard hats with accompanying identification stickers, identifying safety vests, identification patches, notebooks, backpacks, duffel bags and kits.
Our CERT kits are designed to help volunteer associates make the most of their training. Basic kits include an identifying vest, hardhat, essential protection from dust and debris, a whistle and flashlight. The intermediate kit provides a more utilitarian vest with pockets and reflective stripes as well as a duffle bag and more supplies. The deluxe kit contains materials for marking and containing utility problems as well as handling

Red Cross Month

Emergency Preparedness with the Red Cross

March is Red Cross month. It’s a time to remember heroes and disaster survivors, and to generate awareness for just how easy it is to make a difference in your community.
The Red Cross functions globally with a mission to provide free emergency assistance without discrimination, whether during natural or man-made disasters, in times of war or in areas affected by chronic poverty.
The organization was founded more than 130 years ago and has offered training and certifications to the average citizen since the early 1900s.

You might associate Red Cross with nurses, and that’s because nurses have been at the root of the Red Cross since before the turn of the century, and continue to make up a large portion of the volunteer force. On average, about 15,000 nurses are involved with the American Red Cross to provide disaster relief services and develop teaching courses for volunteers and citizens. But you don't need to be a nurse to find your volunteer position with the Red Cross. The Red Cross offers a broad range of services and accepts volunteers with many different skill sets.




Volunteering at the Red Cross

Spending your time volunteering for any organization, local or worldwide, is a commendable and
worthwhile endeavor. With the Red Cross, your time commitment will help families and individuals of all ages find care and comfort during difficult times and emergency situations.

Donating time goes a long way, so don't let the amount you're capable of giving deter you. Consider if just a small percentage of the population gave one hour of their time each month: Millions of man hours could be used toward setting better volunteer efforts into motion.


Donating

We don't all have the extra time to make volunteering a part of our lives. If time is short, offering a donation to your favorite charitable organization goes a long way. Contributions to the American Red Cross are tax-deductible, as are any donations made to registered 501(c) non-profit organizations.

How and how much you donate is up to you. The Red Cross encourages donating online, by mail, by phone or via text.  Recurring monthly donations are how organizations like the Red Cross survive. The Red Cross is not a government agency. It depends entirely on volunteers and donations. Unlike some other charitable organizations, the Red Cross can pride themselves on using $.91 of every donated dollar toward humanitarian services, not toward things like administrative fees and salaries.


They Want Your Blood

The Red Cross offers a wide range of services but is probably best known for its blood donations. And that's with good reason: Its blood drive program has been an integral part of the Red Cross since the Second World War, and today the Red Cross still distributes more than a third of lifesaving blood products in the United States.

Giving blood is quick and easy, and there are only a few restrictions to doing so. Because blood transfusions can pass on certain kinds of illnesses, it's important that the donor doesn't have any acute infections or blood-transmissible diseases. This includes a bloodborne illness that likely did not affect you, but may live in you undetected: mad cow disease. If you lived in certain parts of Europe in the 1980s or 90s, check out this eligibility criteria document for more information on whether or not you can donate.


Take a Class

One of the best ways to empower yourself and others is through knowledge. Having life-saving skills in an emergency situation makes you a valuable asset both to your friends and family as well as your community.

SOS Survival Products and the Red Cross offer a range of comprehensive training courses with and without certification. Prepare yourself for a minor event as well as major natural or man-made catastrophes including earthquakes, fires, floods and active shooters with our local classes year-round. Learn CPR and First Aid, outdoor and wilderness survival skills, pet safety and more. Our classes are affordable and many are free. Check out our calendar now.

Emergency preparedness works best when everyone’s on board. Organizations like the Red Cross can mobilize a wide range of rescue efforts during a disaster, and by contributing to the cause you’re part of a solution. Taking just a few hours this month to volunteer in your community adds up. Your time and money will benefit your local and global community.

CERT Kits Protect Communities in Emergency Circumstances

CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Teams. Individuals serving on CERT teams are authorized to respond immediately in the case of a natural disaster or other community emergencies. Though they are not necessarily certified or trained firefighters or paramedics, they do have training in emergency response.

CERT kits are designed to assist those responders so that they have instant access to needed supplies. There are small kits that provide the basics and larger kits that contain everything a well-trained emergency respondent may need during a flood, hurricane, explosion, wild fire or many other emergency situations.

What Are the Basics?

The Basic CERT Kit provides the basic items for CERT professionals. This is also a good kit for families to keep in the home. A green CERT hard hat holds the basic supplies needed to respond to an emergency, including:

• Leather gloves
• Goggles
• Safety vest
• Dust mask
• Whistle
• Flashlight with batteries

CERT Kits that Have It All

For serious CERT professionals who want to ensure that they have more tools on hand when an emergency occurs, there are Intermediate and Advanced CERT kits. The Intermediate CERT Kit contains a more extensive collection of responder tools into a duffle bag, and the Deluxe and Ultra Deluxe CERT Kits offer even larger collections of tools packed into easy-to-carry backpacks.

For situations that require responders to stay mobile, the larger kits are more convenient. They are carried on the back, so responders can quickly move from one person or one disaster area to another without holding their kit.

Selecting a CERT Kit

While the Deluxe CERT Kit and Ultra Deluxe CERT Kit certainly offer the most protection for communities experiencing emergency situations, the Basic and Intermediate kits have their benefits as well. For instance, the Basic CERT kit is compact, so it fits easily into some storage areas that are too small for the larger kits.

Responders should think about where they will store their kit, what type of emergency is most likely to require the use of their kit, and whether they need to remain mobile while using their kit. These guidelines will help every responder select one or more kits that fit his or her needs in a variety of emergency circumstances.

Incident Command System Vests & How They Can Help Your Team

If you are an incident safety officer, you understand how important it is to be prepared at any time for whatever disaster may occur. You’ve completed numerous drills with your team as well as continually monitor the workplace and other areas for potential hazardous conditions. An integral part of this preparation is having the right safety vests to ensure you and your team can easily be seen in an emergency situation. A perfect solution for any officer is the Incident Command System (ICS) vests from SOS Products.

The ICS vests have a number of unique features that make them a great option for disaster situations. First, the vest comes in a variety of colors allowing you to organize your team by color based on their required job. For instance, red vests could be for those who are assigned to give medical attention and blue vests for those responsible for employee check-in at safe areas.

Additionally, the vests are one-size fits all and come with high intensity 1” reflexite yellow stripes, which allow staff to clearly be seen by those in need. Lastly, the vest has clear plastic pockets on the front and back of the vest where you can place identifiable job title inserts or company logos.

The ICS plays an important role during emergency response situations as ICS officials are often first to the scene of a disaster. You don’t want to have to worry about any equipment including your safety vests during this time. These ICS vests are durable and specially designed with your team in mind. They’ll help you get your job done no matter what the emergency is.

EMT Equipment

At SOS Survival Products, we sell a wide range of equipment, such as tactical cases, large holsters, complete first aid kits and belts that are designed to keep specific devices in place.

Belts And Holsters

Our business provides several belts that have a length of 26 inches to 54 inches. We also sell numerous holsters with extra pockets that can hold shears, a mobile phone, a knife and a flashlight, and one of the devices is large enough to contain a stethoscope. Each of the holsters is resistant to water and oil.

Treating Lacerations By Using Ointments And Antibiotics

Within one minute of the creation of an abrasion, more than one million bacteria can enter the open wound. After using cold water to wash a large laceration, the pad that contains rubbing alcohol should be placed on the wound, and subsequently, a person should fairly aggressively rub the abrasion with the small cloth that contains antibiotics.

Applying pressure will ensure that the medications penetrate deeply into the wound.

Cleansing Formulas For The Eyes And Skin

When using the device to remove chemicals from the eyes, the individual should tilt the head sideways and allow the liquid to pass from one side of the eye to the other, and as a result, the fluid won't remain stagnant in the patient's eye and will be able to get rid of a large amount of harmful contaminants.

Pads That Have Iodine

Some of our first aid kits contain patches that have been soaked in iodine. Unlike antibacterial patches, iodine can remove viruses, numerous types of fungus, yeast and protozoa. Most handbooks that teach first aid recommend that iodine should be applied to an injury after rubbing alcohol and antibiotics have been used.

Burn Sheets

These patches are completely sterile, and by placing the sheet on a large burn, the patient can substantially reduce the chance of infection.

The Airway Kits


This equipment should be used if a person is having difficulty breathing or experiencing an allergic reaction that is causing the natural airway to close. The device must be inserted into a person's mouth until it comes into contact with the back of the throat. Next, the equipment can be rotated, and as a result, the artificial airway will also keep the individual's tongue in place.

Most medical handbooks stipulate that the device should be taken out when the patient can swallow because this ability indicates a natural opening of the body's airway.

Splints For Fingers

Our deluxe kit has a splint that can be used to treat any finger on a patient's hand. If a bone in the finger has become broken, the digit should remain straight until it heals in order to minimize the pain and to ensure that the bones heal while they are in the correct positions.

Eye Shields And Face Masks

In addition to preventing harmful dust or particulates from entering the nose and the mouth, these devices will protect the eyes from contaminated water or blood. The masks also wrap around the user's face to protect the sides of the head.

Gels That Treat Burns

Some kits that we sell contain packets with burn gel. The substance cools the burned area and has lidocaine, which blocks pain signals that travel from the burn to the brain.

Petroleum Dressing

Numerous studies have indicated that the application of petroleum to an open wound can prevent an infection and allow the laceration to heal much more swiftly than an untreated abrasion. By keeping the cut constantly moisturized, the blood's platelets will be able to coagulate more swiftly, and the petroleum can reduce the risk of developing a large scab.

Hemostats

When a patient sustains a sizable abrasion or laceration, the most common cause of death within the first hour is a serious loss of blood. These steel devices are able to control bleeding by clamping onto blood vessels that are situated near a large wound and closing them.

Cold Compresses

Some of our first aid kits and trauma kits contain cold compresses, and once they have been activated, these devices will remain cold for approximately three hours. Several studies have shown that applying a cold cloth or a frigid object to a wound can decrease the level of inflammation by 25 percent.