Learn how to be a volunteer

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Staten Island Advance

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Becoming a member of a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) will turn you into a volunteer at the ready, someone who can pitch in when a disaster occurs or when crowd or traffic control is needed at an event. They assist local community groups and New York's first responders

Training and certification are a must, though, and the opportunity to take the training course on Staten Island is coming up in March. The city Office of Emergency Management will offer the 11-week CERT training course on Wednesdays beginning March 11 at 6:30 p.m. in New Dorp High School.

A minimum of 25 people are needed for the course to be conducted here; otherwise, trainees have to travel to another borough. A maximum of 40 people can be accepted.

CERT training focuses on the following skill-sets: Light urban search and rescue, fire suppression, triage, traffic control, radio communications and urban emergency preparedness. Members of the team conduct periodic emergency-response drills and community outreach. Graduates will automatically become part of the Port Richmond CERT team.

After training, a volunteer is expected to attend at least two CERT meetings per month and participate in exercises and/or community outreach events each year.

For more information, contact John Tidona at info@sicert.org.

To down load a application, fill it out and bring it to one of our meetings. CLICK HERE

Become part of C.E.R.T.

Let's all be prepared for any eventuality!

CERT is a program that trains citizens to prepare for and respond to emergencies in their local communities. CERT is an acronym for Community Emergency Response Team.

CERT teams are groups of neighborhood and community-based volunteers that undergo an intensive 33-hour training program in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, and medical operations.

As a rule, emergency services personnel are the best trained and equipped to respond to emergencies. However, following a catastrophic disaster, some neighborhoods may be on their own for a period of time because of the size of the area affected, lost communications, and impassable roads. CERT teams are response groups that can begin initial response actions to save lives and protect property.

During non-emergency situations, CERT teams engage in the important work of disaster preparedness. Activities include educating neighbors and community business owners about the many hazards they may face and appropriate disaster preparedness steps to take.

CERT is one of four programs in the Department of Homeland Security's Citizen Corps initiative.

ATTEND A MEETING, SEE WHAT THE C.E.R.T. IS ALL ABOUT AND MAKE THE DECISION TO HELP YOUR COMMUNITY IN THE EVENT OF A DISASTER.

Contact us by e-mail for more details on joining Port Richmond CERT.

Email: info@sicert.org

Or call 718-448-7160

Watch John speak about Search and Rescue

To save the video right click and the click save target as.

Missing Person Found

On September 13^th, the Port Richmond Community emergency Response Team was conducting a public emergency preparedness and awareness tabling affair at Clove Lakes Park. Several members arrived early in order to set up our display area.

Team member Ed Arali made a pit stop on the way to the event, at a local convenience store. Ed was approached by a family who was missing one of their children, 15 year old Kevin Mac Donald. The family remembered that Port Richmond CERT had been involved in two prior searches for missing islanders and asked if the team could assist. Ed escorted the family members to Clove Lakes and introduced them to Mike Trivolis (Operations) and Steve Clohessy (Search and Rescue). Mike and Steve immediately assessed the needs of the family and began an information gathering process. They were able to collect critical information: description, last known position, and potential whereabouts. The family provided flyers, which were distributed to team members, to hand out and post in the local stores.

The team quickly realized that the scope and purpose of Saturday’s original mission had drastically changed. Mike and Steve set up new objectives based on the information and available manpower that was present. A lite search of the Clove Lake grounds commenced. Steve united the search criteria into the public awareness event in the hopes of notifying as many people as possible and keep their eyes open. The Parks Department at Clove Lakes assisted within their area of operation and granted Port Richmond CERT time to remain on the park grounds, even after the permit time had expired. This helped keep our command post intact while new information and leads were forthcoming.

At 4pm, the Port Richmond CERT team departed the Clove Lakes park site, maintaining a communications grid with available team members, ready to assist. Just before 10pm, a tip was called into Steve Clohessy that the missing individual had been spotted at the Staten Island Mall. Steve relayed the message to Deputy Chief James Barone, who immediately called the family and passed on the information. The family reacted to the information and within one hour the team was notified that the individual has been found and was safe at home.

The family was deeply grateful and felt that the actions and professionalism of the Port Richmond CERT team were instrumental in locating their family member.


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