Since 2009, Resource Solutions Associates has worked with our EMA partners in Erie, Huron, and Ottawa counties to coordinate the Community Emergency Response Team. CERT is a 100% volunteer organization dedicated to promoting emergency preparedness, training volunteers to assist our communities following a disaster, and supporting emergency responders and volunteer agencies during a response. We're insanely proud of the 100+ volunteers who participate in the team. They dedicate an amazing amount of time and effort to the organization. Without their work, North Coast CERT would not be the strong organization it is today. 

We're so thrilled to celebrate five years of CERT in Erie, Huron, and Ottawa County, we made a video! Please take a few minutes to walk down memory lane with us and celebrate the volunteers who make North Coast CERT such a fun team to be a part of. If you'd like to learn more about the team, check out our website www.northcoastcert.com. 

And because the message bears repeating ... THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!!

Emergency preparedness is costly. Surviving a disaster is costly, and so is dying in one. It seems nowadays everything regarding emergencies is expensive. Thus, cities and counties face a huge challenge when they attempt to right-size their public safety departments and balance the budget at the same time. Few jurisdictions get it done to the satisfaction of their constituents. The City of Sandusky, along with dozens of other cities, faces this dilemma right now as the fire department budget has been slashed, and the knife isn’t done making its hashes yet. 

The answer to rightsizing a response capability lies partly in the step of a thorough hazard and risk assessment. Oftentimes cities and villages don’t really know what, when, where, and how emergencies occur in their jurisdiction. Instead of basing their actions on all hazards impact data, they work from memory. Memory tends to be emotional rather than logical. 

Inside the gut of every elected official is the desire to to make their jurisdiction safe. And then the budget takes a downward spiral and they have to deal with budget demons. All parties end up at odds when, in fact, they need more than ever to work together in a game of collaboration and cooperation.

Jurisdictions need to complete a comprehensive risk assessment for their community, and use those statistics to develop a logical plan that facilitates prevention, maximizes the use of all resources available, and shares the costs of response with other stakeholders in the community. The answers are not inside the box. Officials can no longer afford, either monetarily or politically, to succumb to actions they cannot support strategically and statistically. Robbing Peter to pay Paul doesn’t work anymore. Sound reasoning starts with knowing the hazards and risks that exist, and having a full list of the alternatives to compose workable solutions. Those solutions are a result of parties who work together to find creative and effective new solutions to old problems. That’s how we create resilient communities with affordable answers.