Mission

The mission of the New York Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program is to train neighborhood and community-based volunterr teams that will: Inform, educate and train their neighbors on disaster preparedness; assist public safety agencies and local community boards with public events; respond to lacally occuring disasters by strictly following CERT protocol and supporting emergency personnel upon their arrival and request; and assist agencies in managing spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site.

Community-based preparedness planning allows us to prepare for and respond to the anticipated disruptions and potential hazards following a disaster. As individuals we can prepare our homes and families to cope during that critical period. Through pre-event planning, neighborhoods and worksites can also work together to help reduce injuries, loss of lives, and property damage. Neighborhood preparedness will enhance the ability of individuals and neighborhoods to reduce their emergency needs and to manage their existing resources until organized assistance becomes available.
Studies of behavior following disaster have shown that groups working together in the disaster period perform more effectively if there has been prior planning for disaster response. These studies show that organized grassroots efforts may be more successful if they are woven into the social and political fabric of the community - neighborhood associations, schools, workplaces, places of worship, and other existing organizations.
Effective response therefore requires comprehensive planning and coordination of all who will be involved - government, volunteer, groups, private businesses, schools, and community organizations. With training and information, individuals and community groups can be prepared to serve as a crucial resource capable of performing many of the emergency functions needed in the immediate post-disaster period. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program is designed to help communities prepare for effective disaster response through training and preplanning.

Information and Statistics

• The NYC CERT Program focuses on training NYC residents on disaster preparedness, as well as providing them with basic response skills during emergencies in their communities. It has been tailored from the federal curriculum to focus on the urban environment.
• To-date there are 55 teams around NYC that have completed the intensive 11-week training.
• There are more than 1000 volunteers that have completed training to-date; and more than 450 hours spent on delivering training to volunteers.
• Recruitment of participants is handled by Community Boards who are tasked with identifying strong civic groups and/or community-based organizations on the neighborhood who can help to educate neighbors on disaster preparedness and respond, if necessary to emergencies in the area.
• This program would not be possible if it were not for the collaborative efforts of the FDNY, NYPD, NYC OEM, Citizens for NYC and American Red Cross on Greater New York.