Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

msar-riders - Re: [MSAR] CERT is unofficial and probably will stay that way

msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Mounted search and rescue

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "T'mi Fi" <tfinkle@erols.com>
  • To: Mounted search and rescue <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] CERT is unofficial and probably will stay that way
  • Date: Thu, 01 Nov 2007 06:39:29 -0500

Jorene,

I agree with you and have similar experiences/knowledge with SAR and CERT with East Coast operational procedures. Both NGO SAR teams and CERT teams are being credentialed across the Nation and have obtained callout status. As an example CERT teams in Montgomery County Maryland, Fairfax County Va, and within the city of Washington DC are being managed by local government entities and have responder status. In the State of Virginia "all" credential NGO SAR teams have a formal MOU with the VA State Attorney that is managed by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) and affiliated SAR responders are covered under workers comp. The State of Maryland has begun their NGO SAR credentialing process, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2008 and the two primary State law enforcement agencies (MSP and MD-NRP) are leading this effort..
Since CERT is a federally sponsored, local operated program, I am not sure why any public official would choose to exclude such NGO responders. In fact completion of CERT awareness course is recommended for all Type I and II, NGO MSAR responders in Maryland and Virginia. CERT teaches HAZMAT awareness, first aid, triage, structure size-up and other critical skills needed for communities of more than 200 persons (which is the size of many smaller public schools).
T'mi
TROTSAR Mounted Team
www.trtosar.org
Jorene Downs wrote:

I have sources across the country in Emergency Management, etc., up to State level, who indicate that trained, affiliated volunteer organizations such as SAR and CERT - with background checks, ID, NIMS compliant, etc. - are being activated and deployed. The key is apparently an appropriate affiliation with a recognized authority / agency to have call-out status. Across the country this affiliation is commonly with LE or Fire, sometimes through local Emergency Management.
In CA all authorized SAR is affiliated with the County Sheriff, and our SAR mutual aid is coordinated at the State OES level, LE Branch. CA CERT programs with deployable personnel are normally managed by Fire or LE, and commonly are organized with volunteer management structure. It isn't unusual to see CA volunteer CERT uniform shirts at a state or national conference indicating Battalion Chief or some other title.
So it appears that whether CERT (and SAR) is unofficial or official depends on the operational area / state, and perhaps also how that team is affiliated.
The topic of coverage for trained, affiliated volunteers was a presentation a few weeks ago at the National Emergency Preparedness Conference. In CA all affiliated SAR and CERT are recognized under the state's Disaster Service Worker program, covered for authorized response and training. (Since part of CERT training is specific to providing aid at an incident in front of you, that is also legally considered covered in CA ... with CERT-trained personnel acting within the scope of their training.) Many states have similar Disaster Service Worker-type programs. From what Irv indicates, apparently PA does not.
~ ~ ~ ~
Jorene Downs
SAR & CERT
Mounted SAR
www.ceoates.com/msar <http://www.ceoates.com/msar>





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page