Have you ever asked yourself the question, “What would I do in the event of a disaster?” If your family, friends, and co-workers needed help, would you know what to do?
In an instant, a disaster has the potential to devastate a community and leave professional emergency responders overwhelmed with survivors in need of help. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommends that community members prepare to sustain themselves for a minimum of 72 hours after a disaster until professional relief can reach them. The purpose of the CERT program is to provide LBNL employees with disaster response skills, strengthened by team purpose and unity.
At Berkeley Lab, we strive for uncompromising safety and although we cannot prevent natural disasters from occurring, we can prepare ourselves to respond to them. LBNL CERT members receive training in a wide variety of disaster preparedness skills such as basic fire suppression, medical assessment, patient transport, crowd control and light search and rescue. In the event that a disaster such as an earthquake, wildfire or landslide occurs at the Lab, LBNL CERT members can be deployed to provide disaster relief to the Lab community until professional first responders arrive.
The LBNL CERT is seeking volunteers who are eager to learn about emergency preparedness and response, as well as contribute to a team dedicated to enhancing safety and large scale disaster response here at the Lab.
If you would like more information on joining the CERT Team, contact emergencymanagement@lbl.gov.
