You have chosen to be a part of one of the most fundamental catastrophic disaster response organizations in our area. When you respond in the capacity of a CERT team member, you represent the CERT program to new members, to the public, and to those to whom we render our services. It is important to always portray a professional and positive image.

As a volunteer with the local CERT program, you are expected to comply with the following:

1. You are trained to function as an extension of your local jurisdiction’s response to CATASTROPHIC disasters, when such circumstances exist or when directed by local emergency response officials. Your first responsibility is to ensure your own safety and the safety of your family. After personal safety is ensured, you may respond to your CERT team meeting place to join with other CERT team members. Do not self deploy to events outside of your immediate jurisdiction.
2. Stay within the scope of your training. You have been trained under the curriculum of your Community Emergency Response Team program. Confine your actions to those guidelines and stay within the scope of your CERT training and program certification and affiliation or team task training. The three CERT functions are light fire suppression, light search and rescue and light medical. Anything outside of these three functions is not consistent with CERT training.
3. Confine your actions to your physical and resource limitations when responding as a member of CERT. Such limitations may be determined by, but not limited to, equipment available, physical abilities, knowledge, authority, and hazards of the disaster.
4. Conduct yourself with professionalism, dignity and pride, and act appropriately and responsibly at all times while assisting others. Respect the privacy of persons served by CERT or your task team and hold, in confidence, all sensitive, private, and personal information. When using public radio do not broadcast personal or private information over the air waves.
5. When responding, bring and wear your safety equipment: helmet (no baseball hats), vest, dust mask, gloves (rubber / latex or leather), goggles or safety glasses, sturdy shoes (no sandals or open-toed shoes are allowed), long pants, flashlight, bottled water, and non-perishable food. Bring your equipment in your backpack or fanny pack. Bring any additional protection you may need against the current or short term predicted weather conditions.
6. Be sensitive to the diversity of team members and those you assist. Treat fellow team members, other volunteer program participants, guests, and property with respect and courtesy. 
7. Partake of no alcohol while responding as CERT and do not report for duty while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
8. When responding in motorized vehicles you shall wear your seat belt and follow all traffic rules and regulations. You are not authorized by your local jurisdiction to violate or suspend any traffic rules or regulations.
9. You shall not accept, or seek on behalf of any other person, any money or gifts offered as a result of your affiliation with the local CERT program or in the jurisdiction you are responding to help.
10. You shall not use your participation in the local CERT program to promote any partisan politics, religious matters or positions on any issue.
11. Avoid inappropriate conduct while in the capacity of a CERT team member, which would jeopardize program effectiveness. Such behavior includes, but is not limited to, the following:
• Offensive or profane language or gestures
• Public criticism of a CERT team member, its leaders or the CERT program.
• Jeopardizing another CERT team member’s or other volunteer’s safety.
12. Keep CERT leadership and the local Incident Command organization informed of any progress, concerns, or problems with tasks which you have been assigned. If injured in the course of rendering assistance, report all injuries and accidents to the local incident command post or emergency response authority in the immediate area as soon as possible.
13. You shall not authorize the use of, or use for the benefit or advantage of any person, the name, emblem, endorsement, services or property of the local CERT program without the approval of the local program coordinator in your jurisdiction.
14. Do not self deploy to events in jurisdictions outside of your current jurisdiction. Only participants of CERT call-out teams requested by the local CERT program coordinator should respond when requested outside of your immediate area. General disaster Alert messages or television & radio emergency advisories or warnings are not official authorizations to self deploy both in and out of your immediate area.
15. Direct all media or anyone who is looking for official statements from your local CERT program to the local program coordinator or your jurisdiction’s Public Information Officer (PIO).

The local CERT program is committed to a policy of fair representation and will not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, disability, gender, religion, sexual orientation, geography, or group affiliations. CERT team volunteers will adhere to these same standards in the course of their duties. All violations will be thoroughly investigated. During the investigation process, involved CERT team members will be temporarily suspended from all CERT activities, pending the outcome of the investigation. Said CERT team members will be notified as to their status with the local CERT program by the local CERT program coordinator. If found to be in violation of these standards CERT team privileges and affiliation with the local program will be revoked by the local CERT program coordinator over the jurisdiction in which you serve.

Updated: 8/26/2013