Port Richmond Staten Island Richmond County
Port Richmond CERT is an active neighborhood and community based volunteer team committed to:
- Inform and educate their neighbors about disaster preparedness
- Assist public safety agencies and local community boards with public events
- Respond to local disasters in accordance with CERT protocols and support emergency personnel upon their arrival and request
- Assist agencies in managing spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site
- Participate in community outreach opportunities
Joining the Port Richmond Community Emergency Response Team is an excellent opportunity for an individual who wants to volunteer time to their community and be part of a team. Members undergo initial CERT training (10 three hour sessions) and continued awareness-level training throughout the calendar year. Certain instruction modules are worth college credits.
Initial CERT training includes: Incident Command System, Lite Urban Search and Rescue, Fire Suppression, Triage, Traffic Control, Radio Communications and Urban Emergency Preparedness. Graduates can choose which specialty squad they wish to participate in. Members of the team conduct periodic emergency response drills and training with our local emergency preparedness first responders. The team also plans several community outreach projects during the year. Since its beginnings, the team has logged over 75,000 hours of community service.