Monroe

Following a major disaster, first responders who provide fire and medical services will not be able to meet the demand for services. Factors such as number of victims, communications failures, and blocked roads will prevent people from accessing emergency services they have come to expect at a moment's notice through 911. People will have to rely on each other for help in order to meet their immediate life saving and life sustaining needs.

One also expects that under these kind of conditions, family members, fellow employees, and neighbors will spontaneously try to help each other.

If we can predict that emergency services will not meet immediate needs following a major disaster, especially if there is no warning as in an earthquake, and people will spontaneously volunteer, what can be done to prepare citizens for this eventuality?

This is what CERT is about: people helping people. The CERT course will benefit any citizen who takes it. This individual will be better prepared to respond to and cope with the aftermath of a disaster. CERT members can provide immediate assistance to victims in their area, organize spontaneous volunteers who have not had the training, and collect disaster intelligence that will assist professional responders with prioritization and allocation of resources following a disaster.

The CERT course is conducted jointly by the Monroe Emergency Management Office, the Monroe Police Department, and the Monroe Fire Department .