Do members of the community you serve want to volunteer to help fellow residents? Sometimes it can be difficult to find opportunities for those with low English proficiency. That’s why the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has translated materials for its Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program into five languages. In addition to English, a fact sheet about CERTs and Basic Training are available in Korean, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese. All are free of charge.
CERT Basic Training prepares volunteers for such emergency response activities as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. CERT offers a consistent, nationwide approach to volunteer training and organization that professional responders can rely on during disasters, allowing them to focus on more complex tasks.
Your organization can help those who speak languages other than English learn about how CERT volunteers can help during an emergency. It will be a valuable communications resource for both first responders and community members if a disaster occurs. CERT volunteers have recently helped with the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, flooding in communities, and wildfires.
Please make CERT fact sheets available in languages most commonly spoken in your community at your next event. It’s the first step in offering a way for residents to get involved in increasing your community’s resilience.
It’s easy to download or order the fact sheet and CERT Basic Training Materials from ready.gov/cert.
