A new Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) has been established in Sea Cows Bay, Tortola.

CERT training is aimed at strengthening disaster resilience within communities by empowering people to be able to respond to and cope with hazard impacts.

23 individuals successfully completed the training, from October 17 to 24, at the Ebenezer Thomas Primary School.

The training was funded under the BVI Red Cross’ Disaster Risk Reduction Programme and exposed participants to basic lifesaving and support techniques, such as fire suppression, search and rescue, disaster medical operations, first aid and CPR.

This is the second Community Emergency Response Team formed in the Sea Cows Bay Community. The first team includes teachers and parents of the Ebenezer Thomas Primary School.

A formal CERT Training programme was established in 2012 and is an ongoing initiative by the Department of Disaster Management (DDM), the BVI Red Cross and the Virgin Islands Fire and Rescue Service. 

Emergency response teams have been established in several communities throughout the Territory including the Valley and North Sound, Virgin Gorda; Jost Van Dyke and Anegada; West End, Cane Garden Bay, Carrot Bay, Sea Cows Bay, Road Town, Purcell and East End.

Refresher courses are also conducted for established teams every two years to ensure that the skills are not lost.