Most people spontaneously help in emergency situations. Most of us cannot sit by when something is happening in front of our eyes. Experience has shown that people will go into dangerous zones even if they are totally unprepared. Unfortunately, they often get hurt and occasionally are fatally injured.
By joining the Community Emergency Response Volunteer program (CERV), you can be ready to act safely in emergency situations with the confidence acquired through training. The City of Brampton and its partners in Emergency Preparedness invite you to become a volunteer member of a local CERV.
Joining a team
To join a team, you must first be certified. Certification is obtained by attending a seven week training program, one evening per week, and successfully going through a weekend-long drill.
The training sessions include:
Personal preparedness: assessing risks in your community, preparing yourself and your family for an emergency, preparing for your role as a civilian volunteer emergency support worker
Extinguisher training: basic recognition of fire situation, safe use of extinguishers and extinguishing a small fire
First Aid: basic first aid course related to emergency situations
Emergency Medical Operations: Advanced version of first aid course involving triage and minor rapid treatment techniques
Impact on utilities: recognition of dangers from electrical, gas and water utilities, damage assessment to structures, safe use of tools
Psychology and organization: Signs and symptoms of emergency related stress, organization and management of CERV, communication and coordination
Course review: review of skills learned during 6 previous weeks, questions on particular topics related to hazards in the neighbourhood, planning of participation in local teams, preparation for the weekend drill
Community Involvement
Help your community to be prepared, to respond and/or recover from emergencies! Participate in one of these programs!
Emergency Measures Ontario with Community Emergency Response Volunteers (CERV) is an initiative of the City of Brampton in affiliation with Emergency Measures Ontario.
These are some of the roles CERV members play under emergency conditions:
helping neighbours in distress (comforting, first aid)
identifying victims of disasters most in need of treatment (medical triage)
preventing additional situations to develop (barricading access to live wires, shutting off utilities, extinguishing small fires)
helping in various support functions in a large-scale emergency
CERV members can also play a number of roles and assist in many functions between emergencies.
evaluate and simulate emergency response exercises
help promote Emergency Preparedness Programs in the community
handle a booth at the annual exposition,
be part of a home safety inspection crew
act as a greeter for various seminars on emergency preparedness
be a weather watcher
help in traffic and parking control during community events
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