LaDonna Norman feels good knowing that if she is in a disaster situation, she can help those around her before first responders arrive. She is among 16 Grand Rapids residents who are part of the city’s first Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).
The CERT volunteer is ready to serve after completing a rigorous eight-week training curriculum.
“I definitely feel like I'm more prepared,” says Norman. “I carry an emergency preparedness backpack now wherever I go. It has everything that you would need for an emergency.”
CERT is a volunteer program focused on community-based disaster preparedness, response, and recovery training. The CERT volunteers have been trained in emergency preparedness procedures, fire safety, light search and rescue, disaster medical operations, disaster psychology, and more.
“This first graduation class is a game changer for us in emergency management,” says Allison Farole, the city’s emergency management administrator. “If a disaster occurs in Grand Rapids, we will be able to respond in a more robust manner. These trained community members will be resilient and able to help their families and neighbors until professional first responders are able to respond.”
When help does arrive, CERT members will provide valuable information to responders and support their efforts. CERT members’ duties can include assisting in evacuation, handling donations, supporting damage assessment efforts, and other tasks.
More volunteers sought
The city is looking for more volunteers like Norman who want to make an impact on their community. More CERT training sessions are planned this year.
So far, more than 160 people are on the waitlist for future classes, according to Allison Dunivan, an emergency management specialist with the city of Grand Rapids who oversees the CERT training. It's part of the city's Office of Emergency Management, which is located at the Grand Rapids Fire Department.
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From left to right: Allison Dunivan, LaDonna Norman, Allison Farole.
She thinks the impact of climate change on the environment has people realizing the importance of personal preparedness.
The Community Emergency Response Team is a national program, with CERT operations in every state and more than 2,700 CERTs teams across the country. Since its inception in 1993, over 600,000 people have been trained through the program.
During the eight-week training, attendees are required to attend a weekly three-hour class plus do two to four hours of reading between classes.
Level one teaches personal preparedness, and that is open to everybody. It is a prerequisite for becoming a CERT volunteer and taking the CERT training.
“We want everyone to feel that they have some sort of personal preparedness, so we offered a class in each ward of the city,” Dunivan says. “We’ve had a great response. We fill the seats for each class.”
Previously, Dunivan was a Kent County 911 operator. She also served in the U.S. Air Force as a medic and first responder.
“So, as a responder, I really got to see how impactful having volunteers with this specific set of skills is,” Dunivan says. “But also saw it through the dispatch side, and now through this community engagement and program manager role. I have a whole community vision behind this.”
Hopes of expanding program
Norman, who lives in southwest Grand Rapids and owns a housekeeping business, discovered the program on the city website when she was looking up a schedule for city meetings. She signed up because the training sounded interesting.
“It didn't feel like three hours when you're sitting there because you're able to grasp the information that they were presenting,” Norman says.
She found the training on electrical hazards the most fascinating. She learned about different forms of electrical fires and how to respond to them. One of her favorite pieces of gear is a four- in-one tool that can be used to shut off utilities.
“I've been encouraging everybody to get on the waiting list,” Norman says. “I feel like this program is going to take off because it's not as intense as one might think when you initially sign up. I'm hopeful the community will learn about these skills.”
She thinks the training should be offered as an elective in high school. That is an option that Grand Rapids is exploring. There is a youth version of CERTS, but the city’s program is currently only available for adults.
“As we get this program going, we want to extend the CERT program to the youth,” Dunivan says. “We are definitely having conversations with different organizations on how we can partner to provide training opportunities to folks who have access and functional needs, or for whom English is not their primary language.”