Disaster Preparedness & Homeland Security

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.
 

Disaster Site Worker Outreach Training Program

The construction trades played a critical role in the response to the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster. For months, ironworkers, operating engineers, laborers, truckers, and other skilled support personnel took part in response efforts. Based on lessons learned at the WTC disaster, it became clear that it was necessary to develop a training program for Disaster Site Workers who provide skilled support services, (e.g. utility, demolition, debris removal, or heavy equipment operation) or site clean-up services in response to natural and man-made disasters. Specifically, it was recognized that all workers at disaster sites need to be aware of the differences between disaster sites and regular construction or demolition worksites and be able to inspect, don, and doff air-purifying respirators.

The Disaster Site Worker Outreach Training Program meets a recognized training need:

• For workers who will provide skilled support or clean-up services at disaster sites.
• To raise awareness of management and labor that pre-incident training is essential for ensuring disaster site worker safety and health.

This program is intended to assist employers, workers, and others as they strive to improve workplace health and safety. It is not possible to include discussion of everything necessary to ensure a healthy and safe working environment in a course of this nature. Thus, this information must be understood as a tool for addressing disaster site workplace hazards, rather than an exhaustive statement of an employer’s legal obligation, which are defined by statute, regulations, and standards.

This course is a minimum of 16 hours and fulfills one of the three (3) requirements to become a credentialed member of the national disaster site worker database.