FEMA's Emergency Management Institute (EMI) offers people an online Independent Study (IS) course 315.A that introduces you to the Community Emergency
Response Team (CERT) relationship to the Incident Command System (ICS),
a proven management system used by emergency managers to help maintain
the safety of disaster workers, provide clear leadership and
organizational structure, and improve the effectiveness of rescue
efforts.
This program educates any CERT program manager, CERT trainer, or emergency responder who may manage and/or coordinate with a CERT about the CERT’s potential roles in a disaster or emergency situation.
The IS-315.A course includes 4 instructional lessons:
- ICS Review;
- CERT as Part of ICS;
- Working with Volunteers;
- and CERT/ICS communications.
Lesson 1: ICS Review, briefly summarizes the components and principles of the Incident Command System.
Lesson 2: CERT as Part of ICS, describes CERT general operations roles with the ICS level. It also discusses ways to integrate CERT programs into your response framework.
Lesson 3: Working with Volunteers, focuses on effective volunteer utilization, best practices for managing volunteers, how VOADs (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) differ from CERTs, and how to effectively integrate spontaneous volunteers.
Lesson 4: CERT ICS Communications, discusses how you, as a CERT sponsor or emergency responder, can define and implement effective communication processes with the CERT. This lesson also explains why NIMS (National Incident Management System) terminology is used by all agencies involved in a disaster and how best to communicate with the media.
Prerequisites: Before taking IS-315, course participants should complete:
- IS-100, An Introduction of the Incident Command System (ICS 100), and
- IS-317, Introduction to Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs)
It is recommended that you also complete the following courses before taking IS-315:
- IS-800, National Response Framework, An Introduction
- IS-700, An Introduction to the National Incident Management System
The interactive web-based IS-315.A course takes about 2 hours -- learn more at FEMA.gov