Services > Fire Department

Community Emergency Response Team

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) a trained group of citizen volunteers who will respond in the event of a disaster, or an imminent threat of a disaster, in Bloomfield Township. The CERT program helps our Township residents to be better prepared to survive and recover from all hazards including severe weather, flooding, major power outages, fire, transportation or hazardous materials incidents, weapons of mass destruction such as biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive-incendiary incidents. Furthermore, CERT volunteers are better able to help themselves, their families, neighbors and co-workers in an event of a disaster that slows, hinders, or overwhelms normal response capabilities of the public safety departments.

Training

CERT training is open to all interested Bloomfield Township residents and those who are employed in Bloomfield Township. Candidates must be at least 18 years old, receive a background investigation, successfully complete CERT training, and participate in yearly trainings to advance and maintain their skills. People completing the training may apply for membership on the Bloomfield Township CERT.

Through a combination of classroom and hands-on exercises, training covers:

Disaster Fire Suppression

Disaster Medical Operations

Disaster Simulation

Disaster Preparedness

Disaster Psychology

Light Search & Rescue

Team Organization

Terrorism Awareness

This is a free 20-hour course presented by the Bloomfield Township Fire and Police Departments.

There is no date set for the next course, but if you are interested, complete and submit the following application. You will be notified when the next course is planned.

Application for Basic Training

The completion of this application does not guarantee you a spot in a training session nor does it guarantee you a spot on the Bloomfield Township CERT. You will be placed on a list of interested volunteers on a first come, first serve basis.

*all fields required

Application Form

Title
First Name
Middle Initial
Last Name
Address
Additional Address
Municipality
State
Zip

Are you a U.S. Citizen?	Yes No
Are you representing a Bloomfield Township based business or organization?	Yes No
If yes, what is the name and address of the business?
Home Phone
Cell Phone
Business Phone
Fax Number
Email Address
Are you over the age of 18?	Yes No
Do you require any special accommodations to participate in this training?	Yes No
If yes, please explain

Enter Code:

In Action...

November 17, 2012

Saturday, November 17 at about 10:00 PM, CERT member Ken Loftus received a call from Bloomfield Township Fire Department Captain Chris Whitehead who requested a CERT deployment to aid in the search of a missing eleven year-old child. By 10:30, six CERT members reported to the staging area at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, on N. Adams Road. They were grouped into two teams, assigned radios, and given an area to search. They coordinated their efforts with Bloomfield Township Fire Department, patrol officers and some neighbors and relatives of the missing girl.

The teams drove slowly throughout a hilly subdivision on the west side of Adams Rd., using their headlights and portable search lights. Just before midnight, they received a radio communication informing them that the child had returned to her home and the search was terminated. CERT members gathered at the staging area to return their radios before going back to their own homes.

Many thanks go to CERT members Ken Loftus, Bill Carson, Ron Cousineau, Jim Strode, Cheryl Schiller and Ted Hollenkamp.

June 11, 2011

CERT Volunteers assisted in making Bloomfield Township’s Employee 5K Run a safe event.

CERT Volunteers assisted in making Bloomfield Township’s Employee 5K Run a safe event. This run was the first event of this type for the township so the presence and contribution of CERT was beneficial for both the awareness of CERT capabilities and coordination with township employees.

Su-Chuan Chuang, Jim Strode, Marne Prouty and John Shaw were all prepared and enthusiastic about the event and professionally represented the CERT organization.

January 15, 2007

An example of a CERT response occurred on January 15, 2007. The Bloomfield Township Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) was called into action for the very first time. Early that morning a severe ice storm passed through the area affecting Bloomfield Township and surrounding communities. The weight of the ice brought down many trees and power lines, and with numerous power lines being down, numerous calls come in. This storm created an extremely large call volume that was quick to tax the capabilities of the Bloomfield Township Public Safety Department. Bloomfield Township’s CERT was then activated, and several members responded. Team members were placed at several locations of downed power lines in an effort to keep unknowing persons from coming in contact with a potential live wire. CERT proved itself as the team’s efforts allowed our Public Safety Department to respond to other calls for help.

Fire Safety and Preparedness

The smoke was pouring from the two-story brick home nestled between mature pine trees on the south side of 14 Mile Road. Fed by a ruptured natural gas line, the fire was raging out of control. In an instant, the flames burst out of the first floor window, leapt up the chimney and spread to the roof. In a few minutes the entire house was destroyed. All the human residents escaped, the one lone victim was the beloved family dog. This was my neighbor’s home but could have easily been my home or even your home.

An uncontrolled residential fire can double in size every 30 seconds. During our CERT training we learned that when the smoke detectors in your home sound their alarm, you will have on average, one minute to get out of your house. That’s right, one minute!

Do you waste that minute looking for your shoes? How about your purse, wallet or glasses? Preparedness experts recommend keeping three things next to your bed at night: a cell phone, a flashlight, and your shoes. Having immediate access to these supplies will save vital seconds in the event of an emergency.

If you have small children or disabled family members, they will need your help and guidance during an emergency. A spouse or child that sleeps deeply may not hear the smoke alarm in time to react and escape unharmed.

In the event of a fire, use your cell phone to call 911. Use the flashlight to navigate through any smoke and as a beacon to notify the responders of your location. Wearing shoes will help avoid any disabling foot injuries if you have to walk over any debris inside or outside of your home.

Create an evacuation plan with all possible exits from your residence, including the windows. Always have at least two ways to exit any room. If one of your exits requires the use of a stairway, you may need to find another route. Crawl towards the exit, because smoke and heat rise so there is more air and less heat closer to the floor. Feel all interior doors for heat, with the back of your hand, before you open them.

When you exit the home, close the door or window behind you and meet your family at the pre-arranged meeting spot like the mail box or a tree in the front yard. Immediately inform the fire department of any family members or pets still inside the house. Do not go back into your house for anything.

Being prepared for an emergency situation means acting quickly and decisively with the right equipment and training. Spending valuable seconds looking for a few fundamental supplies may cost the lives of your loved ones.

Demonstration fire in a simulated residential room. This was about 90 seconds after the fire was ignited

Charter Township of Bloomfield
4200 Telegraph Road
P.O. Box 489
Bloomfield Township, MI 48303-0489
248.433.7700
All information © 2013 Bloomfield Township, Michigan

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