About Us
Under the leadership of the Westshore Council of Governments and Advisory Committee “the
Community Emergency Response Team
(CERT) Program educates people about
disaster preparedness for hazards that
may impact their area and trains them in
basic disaster response skills, such as fire
safety, light search and rescue, team
organization, and disaster medical
operations. Using the training learned in
the classroom and during exercises, CERT
members can assist others in their
neighborhood or workplace following an
event when professional responders are
not immediately available to help. CERT
members also are encouraged to support
emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in
The WSC is a nonprofit, tax deductible organization under the Westshore Council of
Governments. While the cities support the team in many ways, all equipment, supplies, and
training needs are met through grants and donations.
Westshore CERT TV PSA by former coordinator
WESTSHORE REGIONAL CERT LEADERSHIP
Westshore Council of Governments
•
Mayor Paul Koomar, City of Bay Village
•
Mayor Eileen Patton, City of Fairview Park
•
Mayor Michael Summers, City of Lakewood
•
Mayor Kevin Kennedy, City of North Olmsted
•
Mayor Pamela Bobst, City of Rocky River
•
Mayor Dennis Clough, City of Westlake
•
Renee Mahoney, Fiscal Officer
Advisory Committee
•
Staff Advisor: Tony Raffin, Chief of Fire, City of Fairview
Park
•
Staff Coordinator: Julie Morron
•
Bay Village Unit Representative: (Position open)
•
Fairview Park Unit Representative: Karen Altmos and
Gerty Delfs
•
Lakewood Unit Representative: Jessica Cotton, John
Saunders and Karen Matter
•
North Olmsted Unit Representative: Cynthia McGinty and
John Moody
•
Rocky River Unit Representative: Jon Silvis
•
Westlake Unit Representative: Dennis Kucler
Vision
The vision of the Westshore Regional CERT is to make our communities safer, stronger, and
better prepared to be both disaster resistant and disaster resilient.
Mission
The Westshore Regional CERT shall
serve our communities by acting as an
extension of emergency response when
needs outweigh professional resources
and by promoting disaster preparedness.
We will fulfill our mission through
continuing team recruitment and training,
public education, and community
volunteer service.
Values
•
Preparedness: Individually, we will take reasonable disaster and emergency preparedness
measures for the safety and resiliency of ourselves and our families. We will encourage
others to do the same through both personal relationships and team activities.
•
Service: We pledge to serve our region, whether government agencies, responders, or
citizens, to the best of our ability and within the scope of our training to prevent, prepare for,
mitigate, and respond to emergencies and disasters. We pledge to serve all without bias or
discrimination.
•
Integrity: We will seek to meet national and local CERT goals with honesty, reliability,
accountability, and veracity.
•
Partnership: We will partner and collaborate within the team and with all applicable agencies
and individuals to accomplish preparedness and response goals.
Philosophy of Volunteer Involvement
The Community Emergency Response Team is a volunteer program. Therefore, the team
members are integral to the CERT concept. The Westshore Regional CERT plans to actively recruit,
train, implement, and maintain a cadre of volunteers because:
•
Professional responding agencies will never have enough resources to meet immediate
disaster-level needs. CERTs are a valuable extension of emergency services when the needs
outweigh resources.
•
By training citizens in disaster preparedness and response at the grassroots level, the CERT
program makes our neighborhoods and our nation more disaster resistant and disaster
resilient. Committed volunteers in organized teams greatly enhance this effect.
•
Encouragement and recommendations from fellow citizens is often more successful at
creating positive change in the community than that of government spokespersons or public
safety announcements.
