Residents of Peaks Island are preparing for an emergency. They don’t know what the problem will be, or when it will happen, but they want to be ready, and they’re forming a Community Emergency Response Team or CERT.
The CERT concept originated with the Los Angeles Fire Department, which wanted to enhance citizens’ abilities to deal with difficult situations following area-wide disasters, such as earthquakes. The training was so beneficial that the Federal Emergency Management Agency decided to make it available to communities nationwide.
The training was expanded to cover hazards appropriate to all regions of the country. It includes basic fire suppression strategies, triage and basic first aid, and planning search-and-rescue operations. The team is not meant to replace professional workers but to augment and support the community’s regular emergency services.
The team was formed through the efforts of many people, both on Peaks Island and on the mainland in Portland. Then president of the Peaks Island Neighborhood Association, Charles Enders, played an active role in coordinating with the City. Funding for the team, which is provided by Portland through a federal grant, was slow in coming. Enders said, “There was a good deal of patience that everyone exercised, but since the money came through, it’s been a pretty effective use of time… I think this will ultimately make our community more knowledgeable, self-reliant, and safer in the long run.”
Another resident, Cynthia Cole, also helped move the process forward. She said she is “glad it [the team] has become a reality.”
The Portland Fire Department also helped form the team, which is being trained by officers Cindy Wilson and David Jackson. They received their training during a two-week course at the National Fire Academy in Maryland.
Wilson stated that this is Portland’s first CERT team, and that it’s a good pilot project. “We wanted to find a community that might become isolated” in an emergency, she said. Officials hope to form more teams in the Portland area. The Fire Department will also play a role in the continued funding of the teams. The department is “hoping to be able to maintain supplies and keep the teams intact with donations and grants,” Wilson said.
The team is comprised of a diverse group of island residents who all share a desire to serve their community in an emergency situation. Some were motivated by disasters elsewhere, such as the tsunami in Southeast Asia and the last serious ice storm here in Maine. Others stated a desire to become more self-sufficient, especially since the removal of the power station and water storage tank from the island. Angie Kelso joined because she believes she has something to offer the team. “I live and work here,” she said. “There could be a need for an immediate response.” Her comment reflects the only qualifications to be on the team: a desire to help and regular presence on the island.
Approximately 25 people are currently being trained, but interested community members who have not yet attended any meetings are encouraged to do so. The team hopes to finish initial training in the next few months. Once formal instruction is completed, the team members will identify leaders, practice their skills, and add new members. Peaks Island resident and CERT team member Jill Tiffany hopes that the team will continue on, and not end up as just another short-term evening activity. “We can’t let it die,” she concluded.
Michele Tranes is an Island Institute Fellow on Peaks Island.