Contact:
Communications
Specialist
Jennifer Hillmann
720-879-2462
DHSEM.state.co.us | COEmergency.com
| Colorado.gov/MARS
National Preparedness Month: Plan to Help Your Neighbor and Community
Centennial,
Colo. – September 11, 2017 — According to a 2016 National Academies of Science study, trauma is the leading
cause of death for individuals under age 46.
Life-threatening injuries require immediate action to prevent a death.
Those nearest to someone with life threatening injuries are best positioned to
provide first care. If someone is
injured, the first few minutes are critical in helping the chances of surviving
serious or life-threatening injuries.
The Community Emergency Response
Team (CERT) concept was developed and implemented by the Los Angeles City Fire
Department in 1985. The Whittier Narrows earthquake in 1987 underscored the
area-wide threat of a major disaster in California. It confirmed the need for training civilians
to meet their immediate needs.
Want to contribute more to your local
community? The CERT program educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for
the hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster
response skills. These skills include
fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical
operations. CERT offers a consistent,
nationwide approach to volunteer training and organization that professional responders
can rely on during disaster situations, which allows them to focus on more
complex tasks. Through CERT, the capabilities to prepare for, respond to and
recover from disasters is built and enhanced.
Things to Know About CERT:
·
CERT
volunteers are trained to respond safely, responsibly, and effectively to
emergency situations, but they can also support their communities during
non-emergency events as well.
·
There
are over 2,700 local CERT programs nationwide, with more than 600,000
individuals trained since CERT became a national program.
·
FEMA’s
Community Emergency Response Team Program trains volunteers to prepare for the
types of disasters that their community may face. You can find a CERT program near you on the Ready.gov website
We can’t know when or where the next disaster will hit, but we can take steps now to be better prepared. Almost half of Americans expect to rely a great deal on their neighbors and community members after a disaster so why not start the conversation now with these Neighbor Helping Neighbor strategies.
Want more tips and ideas? Head over to our website at www.READYColorado.com and read the full blog post, or follow us all
week on our social media accounts for new posts on the National Preparedness
month campaign.
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Follow READYColorado each week for new preparedness
information:
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Website: http://www.READYColorado.com
On Twitter: @READYColorado
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/READYColorado
Website: http://www.READYColorado.com
