ESTABLISHING A COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM (CERT)

STEP 1: RESEARCH
Find if your town already has created a Community Emergency Response Team. You can do this by calling your Municipal Clerk and asking them, you can also file an Open Public Records (OPRA) request. To file a OPRA request, obtain a copy of the OPRA form from your municipal clerk. Think about what documents you would need to answer any questions relating to your presentation. Note that a request must be made for documents that exist, a clerk is not required to provide information or to create a new document. The clerk has seven days to respond to your request

Here is a sample of the documents you would ask for in an OPRA request: Any ordinance, resolution, executive order, policy, or other document or order establishing a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

STEP 2: GET INSIDER TIPS TO INCREASE CHANCES OF ADOPTION.

Free online class & coaching will prepare you to make your proposal. Take the free Citizen Legislator class which teaches you how to successfully gain adoption of a law at thecitizenscampaign.org/citizen_legislator. Contact Renee at The Citizens Campaign for any assistance or to request a coach: renee@thecitizenscampaign.org or (732) 548-9798 x9.

STEP 3: ORGANIZE AND EMPOWER!

Recruit others & build support Invite your friends, family, and colleagues to join you in the effort to improve your community. Organize a meet-up, coffee klatch, or conference call and The Citizens Campaign team will teach you and your friends how to make a successful presentation to your local governing body.

STEP 4: MAKE A PROPOSAL

Suggested Presentation Statement
Once youve finished your research and organized your neighbors and friends, you are ready to make a presentation. Download the model resolution from The Citizens Campaigns best practices menu. Pick a date and notify the media you are making a presentation and proposal to the council. Send an email to your local officials and the municipal clerk with a copy of the model resolution, any supplementary materials, as well as the date you will be making the presentation. Make sure to copy The Citizens Campaign on this email.

Sample CERT Presentation at a Public Meeting.

Hello, my name is _____________. I am a citizen of__________ and I live at ___________. I am a graduate of The Citizens Campaign, a non-partisan organization that educates citizens to exercise a no-blame approach and offer constructive solutions to help their towns and school districts work better and cost less. I am here tonight to present a model resolution developed by The Citizens Campaigns Law and Policy Task Force establishing a Community Emergency Response Team, better known as a CERT. I have sent all the members of the Governing Body a copy of the model resolution, as well as a memorandum prepared by The Citizens Campaign, which describes how the resolution works. I will provide copies for members of the press and public as well. Establishing a CERT is a great way for us to enhance public safety in our community. CERTs were established in the wake of 9/11 to prepare members of the community to respond during emergencies. It is a federal program, implemented by state and local officials, that allows citizens to become an organized force of manpower in times of crisis. Volunteers are trained in a lot of different areas, including emergency preparedness, disaster medical operations, fire suppression, and terrorism awareness. Through this program our citizens can learn valuable survival skills and serve as a great resource for our first responders including police officers and firefighters. CERTs can be very useful in all kinds of emergencies. They have been utilized to search for lost or kidnapped children, to assist medical staff, for crowd control, and a number of other actions. Given the number of problems that stemmed from Hurricane Sandy, it is necessary to have members of the community that are trained to respond in times of crisis. Establishing a CERT is one of the best ways to do that. I urge you to please support this model resolution, and help our community take the necessary next step towards enhancing our public safety and emergency response.

MODEL RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING A COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM (CERT)

WHEREAS, the Governing Body of (Municipality) recognizes the need for enhanced emergency response resources in the wake of recent, unprecedented, natural disasters in the state of New Jersey and the likelihood that such events will increasingly occur; and WHEREAS, first responders to such natural disasters, and other emergencies, have to address often overwhelming circumstances in emergency situations; and WHEREAS, the Federal government has established the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program under its Citizen Corps, a subsidiary of the USA Freedom Corps created by Executive Order 13254 in 2002; and WHEREAS, the Governing Body of (Municipality) has the authority to establish a CERT that can be trained to help first responders and address various needs in the event of an emergency; and WHEREAS, the Federal government offers resources to assist in the establishment and maintenance of a CERT team, including Federal grants through the Department of Homeland Security which fund CERT councils in each County which provide materials for training and certification of CERT team members; and WHEREAS, (Municipality) has an Office of Emergency Management (OEM) coordinator or a Mayoral appointee designated, to establish and oversee a CERT team; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Governing Body of (Municipality) of the (County) of the State of New Jersey tasks the Municipal Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Coordinator (or another designee) to establish and oversee a CERT.

450 MAIN STREET METUCHEN, NJ 08840 WWW.THECITIZENSCAMPAIGN.ORG

Memo Re: Establishing a Community Emergency Response Team

Establishing a local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is an effective way to enhance emergency response in a municipality with virtually no cost and it is a great way to get citizens involved in the public safety of their community. The CERT program was created in response to the overwhelming amount of issues that first responders would have to deal with in times of crisis. Volunteers get trained in a wide range of skills, allowing them to be utilized for many different types of emergencies. The CERT program is a federal program, operated at the state and local level, designed to train citizens to aid in emergency response. The program was started by the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) after it recognized that local emergency responders would be overwhelmed in cases of large emergencies. The LAFD saw that basic survival and disaster training would help communities respond better to such emergencies, and possibly save more lives in the process. The program was adopted nationally by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the wake of the 9-11 tragedy, as a component of the Citizen Corps program, and adapted to address all types of hazards on a local level. Today, there are a large number of CERTs established in municipalities across New Jersey. Statewide, the CERT program is operated under the Citizen Corps umbrella, followed by North and South regional coordinators, county coordinators, and local officials. These officials oversee the operation of the program, including, among other things, training and funding. New Jersey receives federal grant money for the program, which local chapters can apply for. These funds are distributed based on population and activity levels, although some chapters have found other sources of funding1. These funds are used to cover the costs for training volunteers and materials. Members of the local community who are over 18 years old can be tapped to participate in the CERT program, and receive all free training. Training consists of 20 hours of instruction over an eight week period, and is taught by local emergency responders, including firefighters, emergency medical personnel and law enforcement personnel. Volunteers will gain a wide variety of skills, including, but not limited to: emergency preparedness, disaster medical operations, fire suppression, and terrorism awareness. It is clear that establishing a CERT is a great way to enhance public safety in the local community. We know first-hand that emergencies happen anytime or anywhere, whether natural or otherwise, and it is necessary to have trained people who can help immediately.

Some chapters have successfully established their CERT as non-profit organizations, which allows them to seek outside funding
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