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MEETINGS. Please see our All Volunteer and Field Operations Team meetings page for additional meeting information.
If you are excited about learning CERT skills and participating as a NEMCo volunteer, check out our Membership page!
NEMCo FIELD OPERATIONS TEAM
As a field Operations team member the basic idea is to use CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) skills to perform the large number of tasks needed in emergencies or disasters. This frees highly trained professional responders for more technical tasks. Much of the field operations training concerns the Incident Command System and organization, so members fit easily into larger command structures.
Residents may use their CERT skills in their own neighborhood if affected by disaster. Please note this is not a NEMCo or agency activation. An effort should be made to report status to NEMCo, size-up the loss in your neighborhood and begin performing the skills learned to minimize further loss of life, property, and environment. Teams may choose to safely respond in their neighborhood until redirected or relieved by professional responders on-scene. Teams in neighborhoods may be activated and deployed by NEMCo.
Volunteer Activation
NEMCo may activate and dispatch teams in order to gather or respond to intelligence about an incident or support a community event. Teams may be dispatched to affected neighborhoods, or organized to support operations. Members may augment support staff at an Incident Command Post (ICP) or Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Additional teams may also be created to guard a morgue, locate supplies and food, convey messages to and from other field operations teams and local authorities, and other duties on an as-needed basis as identified by the team leader or the Emergency Manager.
In the short term, field operations may perform data gathering, especially to locate mass-casualties requiring professional response, or situations requiring professional rescues, simple fire-fighting tasks (for example, small fires, turning off gas), light search and rescue, damage evaluation of structures, triage and first aid. In the longer term, they may assist in the evacuation of residents, or assist with setting up a neighborhood shelter.
While responding at the request of NEMCo, properly credentialed members are Emergency Worker Volunteers and will be provided a mission number.
Why CERT?
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a program that teaches basic disaster response skills that can help you assist your family, neighbors, community during disaster situations. The training typically consists of 20 hours of instruction including hands on learning. Some programs provide training one night a week over a course of eight weeks while other programs offer fast track training that can be completed in one weekend. Check out the 30-second overview for a short clip to share with your community.
Regardless of your age, background, experience, or capabilities, there’s a role for everyone in enhancing community resilience. Our NEMCo class, led by trained CERT instructors, cover a range of topics including Fire Safety, Basic First Aid, Disaster Medical Operations, Light Search & Rescue, Utility Management, and overall preparedness. Join us, be prepared and make a difference in your community.
CERT is for everyone! Topics are presented in an easy-to-understand, step-by-step process, with hands-on training to build your knowledge and skills. After some class practice, you and your classmates will participate in a disaster simulation to give you the opportunity to apply what you have learned and build confidence in your new skills and abilities.
After completing this CERT course, the opportunities do not end. Join NEMCo to become one of our Field Operations or community members who serve our Northshore community, police, and fire departments throughout the year by participating at community events and so much more. NEMCo also offers additional training in GMRS Emergency Radio Communications, amateur radio (ham) communications through the RACES branch, Emergency Operations Center management, its drone program, and teaches additional emergency skill sets with more specialized member training through our monthly training program.
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Motto
"Doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people": The foundational guiding mantra when prioritizing rescue and medical triage operations during a disaste
Guiding Principles & Priorities
Safety is Priority #1: Volunteers are strictly trained never to compromise their own safety or enter high-risk/unstable environments (such as heavily damaged or collapsed structures).
Personal & Family Readiness First: Members must ensure their own households and families are secure before deploying to assist the wider neighborhood or workplace.
Working Within Training Limits: Volunteers operate strictly within the scope of their basic training (e.g., small fire suppression, light search and rescue, basic triage) and do not replace professional first responders.
Teamwork & Accountability: Operations utilize a buddy system and integrates into the Incident Command System (ICS) to maintain clear chains of command and personal safety tracking
CERT Program Overview and History
Origin: Developed in 1985 by the Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) after major earthquakes in Mexico City and Japan.
National Expansion: Adopted as a national program by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 1993.
Reach: Active programs exist in all 50 states, tribal nations, and U.S.
Number of Programs: More than 3,200 local CERT programs operate nationwide.
Trained Volunteers: Over 600,000 individuals have completed basic CERT training since 1993. CERT training materials were expanded by FEMA in 1994 to make them applicable to all kinds of hazards.
Training Format: Typically structured as a 20-hour basic course covering disaster preparedness, fire safety, light search and rescue, and medical operations
NEMCo CERT GRADUATES
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