Treasure Island Fire Department - CERT
Charlie Fant, Fire Chief
180 108th Avenue
727-547-4590 Fax 727-547-4598

In 1997, Treasure Island formed its Citizens Emergency Response Team. CERT consists of volunteer residents and business owners, organized and trained to assist all city departments in response and recovery from a natural or man-made disaster. Training includes basic first aid, CPR, disaster preparedness, search and rescue, disaster response and documentation, 911 communications, and other pertinent subjects.

CERT members become extra personnel and provide extra resources to existing city operations. They assist in non-emergency roles, such as clerical, documentation, traffic direction, damage assessment, light search and rescue, and other roles to augment city personnel. Trained volunteers become an integral part of effective response and recovery, should a disaster beyond the capabilities of current resources and personnel affect Treasure Island. If you are interested in learning more about or participating in CERT, contact the Fire Chief at 547-4590.

What is a CERT?

A "CERT" is a group of people that is organized under the leadership of a local jurisdiction and receives special training that enhances their ability to recognize, respond to, and recover from a major emergency or disaster situation. Emergency responders train citizens and emergency management personnel in areas that will help them take care of themselves and others before, during and after a major emergency.

Why do we need CERT?

The ability of a community to recover from the devastating effects of a disaster requires that citizens actively plan and participate in preparedness. By encouraging preparedness efforts, hazard identification and mitigation, CERT members can minimize the effects of a disaster and facilitate recovery.

CERT training provides community self-sufficiency through the development of response teams that can assist others by providing vital services in the absence of emergency responders, whose arrival may be delayed due to a large event.

Why do we need YOU?

CERT provides an excellent opportunity for citizens to play an important role in helping to safeguard, prepare for and respond to major emergencies and disasters in our community.

If a disastrous event overwhelms or delays the community's professional response, CERT members can assist others by applying the basic response and organizational skills they learned during training. These skills can help save and sustain lives following a disaster until help arrives. CERT skills apply to daily emergencies as well.

The CERT course benefits anyone who takes it. Graduates are better prepared to respond to and cope with the aftermath of natural disasters. Neighborhood groups receiving CERT training become closer-knit and are able to help each other when disaster strikes. CERT training provides people with information and experience that is unavailable anywhere else in most communities.

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