CERT Unit 2: The CERT Organization

Guided Notes

I. On-Scene Management
a. Principals of On-Scene Management
i. Maintain the __________________ of disaster workers
ii. Provide clear _______________ and _______________ structure
iii. Improve the effectiveness of _______________________________
b. CERT On-Scene Management provides the following
i. Well defined management structure
ii. Manageable span of control
iii. Common terminology
iv. Effective communication
v. Consolidated action plans
vi. Comprehensive resource management
vii. Accountability
c. Objectives for On-Scene Management
i. .
ii. .
iii. .
iv. .
II. Incident Command Positions and Responsibilities
a. Team Leader/Incident Command
b. Command Staff
i. Public Information Officer
ii. Safety Officer
iii. Liaison Officer
c. General Staff
i. Operations Section Chief
ii. Intelligence/Investigations Chief
iii. Planning Section Chief
iv. Logistics Section Chief
v. Finance/Administration Section Chief
d. Each CERT must establish a command structure
i. The _______________ ________________ is the first person on the scene
who assumes the responsibility
ii. The Team Leader is responsible for establishing the command post
e. Dealing with the Media
i. The __________ __________ should handle media inquiries and must be
careful about the information that is release keeping in mind that the
information must be accurate and maintain appropriate confidentiality
III. NIMS
a. Stands for:
b. Provides a consistent, comprehensive approach to incident management and is
used at all levels
c. Helps first responders and CERT volunteers from different area work together
 d. Compliance requires completion of ICS-100c and IS-700b courses on the FEMA
website
IV. CERT Mobilization
a. CERT volunteers 1st ensure the safety of ______________ and their
_______________
b. Proceed to the predesignated staging area if the standard operating procedure calls
for activation
c. Make damage assessments as you proceed to the staging area
d. The ______________ CERT member on the scene is named Team Leader (TL)
e. TL’s first decision is to ___________________
f. TL must work with section chiefs to make decisions as information is collected
and assessed
g. Organization is flexible and evolves based on new information
V. CERT Size-UP
a. Gather ___________
b. __________ damage
c. Consider probabilities
d. Assess your ____________
e. Establish ____________
f. Make decisions
g. Develop plan of action
h. Take _______________
i. _______________ progress
VI. Rescuer Safety
a. Rescuer safety is first priority
b. Heavy damage =
c. CERT members can’t legally stop someone from entering a damaged area, but
should warn them about the danger and let the TL know immediately that
someone is in the area
d. Moderate damage=
e. Light damage=
f. CERT tasks are based on degree of damage to structure
VII. Documentation
a. Purpose
i. CERT TL will know what is happening throughout incident
ii. CERT TL will have written information to provide to emergency
responders when they arrive
iii. Can account for number of volunteer hours provided
iv. Liability exposure is documented
v. Improves communication
b. Section Chiefs
i. Provide information to ____________ _____________
ii. Should have information on damage assessments, group status, and
ongoing needs
c. Command Post
 i. Document situation status, incident locations, access routes, identified
hazards, and support locations
1. Support locations include staging area, triage, morgue, etc
2. Number of fatalities and injuries
ii. Provide documents to emergency personnel
d. Documentation is the most important thing to do.
i. If it isn’t written down, it did not happen
ii. Must have a scribe who records everything that happens
e. Documentation Forms
i. Damage Assessment form:
ii. Personnel Resources Check-In:
iii. Incident/Assignment Tracking Log:
iv. Briefing Assignment:
v. Treatment Area Record:
vi. Communications Log:
vii. Equipment Inventory:
viii. General Message: