The Community Emergency Response ( Cert )

Local protective measure planning equips first responders with the knowledge needed to organize efficient response results in the event of an emergency. Structured open dialogue between local emergency jurisdictions enables responders to delegate the appropriate individuals and equipment resources to the impacted local areas requiring the most aid following a terror event. By establishing a streamlined communication framework, local emergency responders can collaborate their efforts and resources to promote collective well-being. When a local emergency plan specifies what responders and resources belong where and at what time, response overlap and shortages can be avoided. Unionized response action established prior to a terrorist incident, serves to mitigate the risks, hazards and threat of injury or harm the people and property of the US face when a terrorism event occurs. Furthermore, a structured local emergency operations plan for a hazardous materials incident involving a terrorist is imperative to public health and safety, as the blueprint outlines protective measures the public can follow to minimize their exposure to dangerous substances. The people of a community affected by a terror event can be warned and notified of the event’s associated dangerous materials, which threaten their well-being, through a variety of methods such as warning sirens or horns, emergency alert systems, automated

The NRF describes the roles and responsibilities not only of public-sector agencies but also of the private sector, NGOs, and individuals and households. The extent to which a community can endure and survive a major disaster or terrorist attack reflects how its emergency plan was constructed; using the four classical phases as a guide. The National Response Framework describes not only how the Federal government organizes itself to respond to natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and other catastrophic events but also the importance of the whole community in assisting with response efforts. The intended audience for this document is individuals, families, communities, the private and nonprofit sectors,

In the years after the 9/11 tragedy, the United States continues to face risks from all forms of major disasters, from potentially dangerous terrorist attacks to catastrophic acts of nature. Professionals in the fields of emergency management and homeland security have responsibilities for ensuring that all levels of government, urban areas and communities, nongovernmental organizations, businesses, and individual citizens are prepared to deal with such hazards though actions that reduce risks to lives and property. Regrettably, the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the nation's ability to deal with disasters is unnecessarily challenged by the absence of a common understanding on how these fields are related in the workforce and educational

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) coordinates the federal government's position in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, which now including acts of terror. FEMA leads and supports the nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery and mitigation. A key component of community preparedness and participation is the citizen. The CERT program strives to familiarize citizens with the facts about what to expect following a major disaster in their community and to deliver the message about their responsibility for mitigation and preparedness. CERT educates individuals

The disaster which hit the Maricopa County in the State of Arizona in September 2014 was a major disaster that necessitated the community preparedness for leading successful response and a prompt recovery. Besides emergency managers, many officials and the private are involved in the processes. Some of these stakeholders are public health, public safety, and municipal officials. Collaboration is needed for getting all those involved in the processes to interact accordingly. This paper addresses the major collaboration strengths between emergency responders, public health, public safety, and municipal officials to deliver accurate response and recovery during the event, the main weaknesses of the collaboration among all those that were involved in the efforts, and recommendations for improving the collaboration between the stakeholders.

Hurricane Katrina revealed the difference in preparedness programs that citizens had based on the jurisdictions the lived in. The White House Report Recommendations concluded how inadequate these programs were and recommended to “combine the various disparate citizen preparedness programs into a single national campaign to promote and strengthen citizen and community preparedness” (Menzel, 2006).

The Citizen Corp provides these resources through programs like Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). The VIPS is managed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and allows individuals in the community to work with law enforcement officials in sharing information and assist in certain search and rescue responses. This program allows for communities to prepare for emergencies when there is no immediate response from first responders. CERT is another program under the CCC that focuses on the training for emergency situations. CERT’s initiative is providing the skills and education necessary for individuals who are first on the scene when an event happens. For example, a severe storm or tornado that causes destruction of a certain area of the city, these members will be trained on how to

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) describes the National Planning Frameworks, which contains preparedness missions for the whole community (individuals, families, businesses, all types of community organizations, non-profit groups, media outlets, academies, and all levels of government including state, local, tribal, territorial, and federal partners, (FEMA 2015), as a way to foster a shared understanding of the roles and responsibilities from the first responders to the Federal government and the White House; all of which results in a more secure and resilient nation. It is everyone’s job in a community to ensure preparedness to keep the Nation safe from harm, and resilient when struck by hazards, such as pandemics, natural

Emergency preparedness starts with addressing a community’s specifics needs and identifying its demographics and characteristics. After enough data has been collected and analyzed, developing partnerships, creating and implementing strategies, and evaluating outcomes comprise the process of the Community Hazard Assessment. The region Paso del Norte is situated in the southwest in North America and includes parts of New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico. There are special considerations that this region entails, such as social, cultural, and economical concerns as well as geographical and topographical elements. Paso del Norte includes the United States – Mexico border, three metropolitan areas: El Paso, Ciudad Juarez, and Las Cruces, as well as large military installations Fort Bliss and White Sands Missile Range that would be required to communicate, cooperate, and collaborate in the event of a major disaster.

Approaching and following major catastrophic events, it is crucial to have communication plans set in place for the community. Communication during disasters helps to spread information regarding evacuation, weather, and recovery (Guion et al, 25). It is important for rescue teams to be able to locate those in the community who cannot be found during a catastrophic event, however, with communication networks not working, this could be hard. During Hurricane Katrina, communication networks had stopped working due to high winds and power outages. This made it hard for individuals who were lost to be located, and hard for the government to coordinate the response needed (Comfort and Haase, 2). As stated by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration study, “over 1.7 million” individuals living on the Gulf had lost power during Hurricane Katrina (Waple, 6). Different systems of communication let the community know of ways to become prepared when it comes to taking shelter and evacuation. Due to the poor preparation for Hurricane Katrina, the government learned lessons on communication strategies that would better inform the community on weather and evacuation plans for Hurricane Sandy.

This can be described as a plan for a community and individuals, within that community using local resources and expertise to support themselves, and the vulnerable in that community in an emergency. In a manner that will complement the response teams alongside the emergency services.

Having a basic understanding of community or national emergency plans can assist families in disaster. This is especially true during the response phase. The National Response Framework (NRF) is a great example of a national community reference. According to FEMA’s publication, “The National Response Framework,” from 2013, the NRF is a guide which describes the basis of national response to any form of disaster. The NRF was developed from a long line of response guidance plans. The first was the Federal Response plan which was replaced by the National Response Plan. Then in 2008, the NRF was developed to make national response guidance more efficient as well as to include practices created after Hurricane Katrina. The NRF is comprised

By these members going through training, that gives me some type of relief. Something that was spoken daily in our police academy that I find to be fitting for this is, when you least expect it, expect it. Natural disasters are something know really expects to happen until happens. By having these contingency plans in place, and being able to have a group of people ready to go at a phone call should make their communities feel better. Something that I did not think about was the size of the communities. Bigger cities will have more first responders, but also more area cover. What about smaller communities? The amount of first responders will be lower, and with that comes training for some unlikely candidates. Teenagers. High Schools now are beginning to show high schoolers what to do during certain situations, while waiting for first responders. Once again, I find this to be a great thing. The great thing about involving the youth is that it teaches something that can use for the rest of their lives and continue to improve on using. For those that decide to go to the military, become a first responder, or even a cadet in a police department, will give them a little bit of an idea what is expected to happen in that line of work. Being prepared always is the plus side. Which is was CERT is for. Always ready to go, and they do so swiftly and smoothly. The response out here for the train derailment was quick, not to mention they worked along side the first responders, police officers, and the military. So they are always continuing to improve and gain more and more experience. I know that for a fact that the military has a lot to offer when it comes to training for disasters, and hazardous

Emergency management faces many challenges in today’s modern society. In the years prior to 9/11 emergency management was primarily focused on natural disasters. That has since changed; we now face a diverse variety of risks and hazards on a constant basis. As we continue to grow in population current and newer have compounded into more problems that emergency planner must face and find solutions for.

Every emergency management plan must have a diagram that leaves room for recovery. Recovery takes efforts that must combine every leader of the community, from every level. This idea is crucial when dealing with the aftermath of a disaster. Knowing how to respond is one thing, but knowing how to recover properly and promptly is critical for any community after a disaster. This brings up the assistance programs that the government has to offer. This are plans designed to help people and communities, as individuals and as a whole. These programs must be utilized when dealing with recovery. Not to mentioned that these plans are designed to bring the public back to a normal aspect of their lives after a disaster. The times of recovery are difficult or threatening in many ways, therefore every program designed to support the recovery stage of a disaster must be considered by leaders of the community. This paper focuses on Public Assistance Programs designed to do just that, to help the public. A disaster can really damage a community and make the environment un-safe for the public, these programs help to make a bad situation or condition functional. The government’s intention and involvement after a disaster is to attempt to relive some of the stress brought by disasters, these programs support such believe. That’s what this project will analyze, it will focus on finding how FEMA’s Public Assistance Grant Programs functions, the idea behind them, and