Thomaston Community Emergency Response Team

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, using the model created by the Los Angeles City Fire Department began promoting nationwide use of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) concept in 1994. Since then, CERTs have been established by hundreds of communities.

CERT training promotes a partnering effort between emergency services and the people that they serve. The goal is for emergency personnel to train members of neighborhoods, community organizations, or workplaces in basic response skills. CERT members are then integrated into the emergency response capability for their area.

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

CERT members maintain and refine their skills by participating in exercises and activities. They can attend supplemental training opportunities offered by the sponsoring agency and others that further basic skills. Finally, CERT members can volunteer for projects that improve community emergency preparedness.

In 2004, Thomaston Police Lieutenant Kristofer Nelson organized the Thomaston Community Emergency Response Team. Twenty-two persons completed the 21-hour training course, consisting of the following topics:

• Disaster Preparedness
• Fire Suppression
• Disaster Medical Operations-Triage and Treating Life Threatening Injuries
• Disaster Medical Operations-Assessment, Treatment and Hygiene
• Light Search and Rescue
• Team Organization and Disaster Psychology
• Final Exercise

For information concerning being a member of the Thomaston CERT Team, please contact Thomaston Police Lieutenant Kristofer Nelson at (860) 283-4343 or knelson@thomastonct.org.