Well-meaning volunteers jump in to help fight a fire or conduct search and rescue, but without the proper training, they can unknowingly place themselves or others in harm's way.
So Cumberland County is stepping in to provide that training.
It's called CERT. Short for Community Emergency Response Team, the program educates people in basic disaster response to help them safely take on a more active role in emergencies.
"It's really neighbors helping neighbors," CERT Program Manager Justin Shaulis said.
CERT is a national program under the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA. According to FEMA's website, the Los Angeles City Fire Department introduced the concept in 1985, and the Whittier Narrows earthquake two years later confirmed the need for such a program in California . In 1993, CERT became a national program that now exists within all 50 states.
Bringing back CERT
Cumberland County got its first taste of CERT programming shortly after 9/11 amid a statewide push for such training, Shaulis said. At the time, the program was designed to be managed within each of the county's 33 municipalities.
"The capacity to manage a program like this at the local level really just does not exist, even to this day," Shaulis said.
CERT programs faded across the county until about 2019 when he began working with Taylor Griffiths, a liaison for local emergency management, and CERT Team Chief Joe Kushner to reintroduce the team.
Then the pandemic hit.
"During COVID, the county operated a community vaccination clinic, and from there I operated that clinic almost day in and day out, in partnership with the pharmacy that was doing the vaccinations," Shaulis said. "And I realized then that it would have been absolutely wonderful to have a trained CERT team to help run that vaccination clinic."
While volunteers showed up eager to help, he said many didn't understand who to report to or how to work within a system.
"That would have been a perfect opportunity for a CERT team to really shine and show the benefit of having a CERT team," Shaulis said.
As the pandemic waned, he, Griffiths and Kushner started planning to bring the program back, this time at a county level.
With plans, procedures, bylaws and rules of engagement in place, they pitched the notion to county officials.
"Everybody blessed it and thought it was a wonderful idea, so we proceeded," Shaulis said.
Monthly CERT meetings began last January and the first training took place in July, producing eight graduates.
CERT members saw their first (and so far only) dispatch about a month later, handing out water at a distribution site after a water main break impacted several West Shore municipalities.
How it works
Today, Cumberland County's CERT is about 14 members strong and exists as one of the county's special teams, like the Special Hazards Operation Team or the County Animal Response Team.
"This is just a force multiplier to offset some of these basic tasks or easily trainable tasks that we can go and assign somebody too, and fit them into the instant commune structure very easily," Griffiths said. "And then that also allows for those specialized teams to be freed up to do other tasks."
The 24-hour training covers a variety of scenarios, including disaster preparedness, fire safety, medical operations, search and rescue, team organization and disaster psychology.
CERT members also learn how to recognize when a situation goes beyond their skill set and how to report up through the chain of command, Shaulis said.
While several variations of CERTs can exist, including a campus CERTs for colleges, workplace CERTs and teen CERTs, the county is starting with a traditional community team with the possibility of expanding into other chapters over time.
In addition to the training, Shaulis said participants can also learn how to help close service gaps within the county, such as stepping in as shelter volunteers through the Red Cross or helping with monitoring or decontamination protocols in the event of a disaster as Constellation Energy prepares to launch Crane Clean Energy Center at the former Three Mile Island .
CERT membership
The program is open to anyone 18 and older, with no experience required. CERT members can also live in Cumberland County or beyond.
"We see no borders," Griffiths said.
"Because disasters see no borders as well," Shaulis added.
Team members could be dispatched to anything from a gas leak to a fire to supply distribution sites. They can also help out at planned events from staffing a first aid station to serving at a street fair or other municipal event.
An eclectic mix of retired first responders to college students, Griffiths said there is a place on the team for anyone.
"I don't want people to ... Google CERT and be like, 'Oh, I'm not a light search and rescue person, that's too much for me,'" he said. "You know, we'll find a kind of a job or role for you, even if it's just going out and talking about the program or attending our meetings or just being willing to come and be a sign-in person at an event."
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Anna Aaron , a first-year student at Dickinson College , joined the team this month.
A self-proclaimed "emergency management nerd," the New Hampshire native attended a recent Local Emergency Planning Committee to suggest starting a local CERT program and found that it already exists.
"I'm new to the area as well," Aaron said. "I'm very far from home, and CERT is a really great way to get involved with the community as a college student, and you meet people from a lot of different backgrounds as well."
While she plans to take the next available CERT training, her work as an EMT has already familiarized her with some of the skills.
Griffiths said when Aaron returns to New Hampshire or moves elsewhere, she'll be able to take her knowledge with her and reaffiliate with a different CERT within the national program.
Community preparedness
With a state and national need for volunteer firefighters and first responders, Griffiths said the CERT members can help assist with basic tasks while responders with more training can address other issues.
"[When] a disaster happens, people always want to help," Shaulis said. "But it would be so much more helpful if they had some basic training that the CERT program really handles and conveys very well to volunteers, so that they wouldn't be spontaneous. They would actually be considered trained volunteers."
While CERT membership provides the qualifications necessary for a formal county dispatch, Aaron believes the program also teaches important life skills to its members from first aid to basic fire suppression.
Shaulis said members can apply those skills in any situation, though they should only identify themselves as a CERT member when dispatched through the county.
"I think any citizen that would go through this program would be better prepared, even if they don't want to assist in the disaster, they will be better prepared on how to handle themselves during a disaster," he said. "And quite frankly, that would be just as much a help to first responders and emergency management as them getting involved."
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