Campus Emergency Response Team celebrates 7th class, registration open for fall training
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 2, 2023) — Have you wondered what you can do to help the campus community before, during and after a disaster strikes? The University of Kentucky Police Department recognized the need for a Campus Community Emergency Response Team (C-CERT) and launched its first training for UK faculty and staff in 2014. Since the program started, UK Police has qualified over 100 volunteers to assist when disaster strikes.
The UK C-CERT program trains and organizes teams of volunteers to assist their families, neighbors, co-workers and other community members during emergencies when professional responders may not be immediately available to provide assistance. C-CERT members receive hands-on training in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety and suppression, light search and rescue, disaster medical operations, team organization, disaster psychology and terrorism. Using the training learned in the classroom and exercise, C-CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an incident.
UK C-CERT volunteers support emergency response efforts and enhance existing capabilities — they are not substitutes for the services delivered by professional first responders.
“UK’s campus now covers more than 900 acres with more than 32,000 students, approximately 25,000 employees and tens of thousands of visitors during special events,” said UK Police Chief Joe Monroe. “The growth of our campus community and infrastructure underscores the need to train UK employees on disaster response in order to minimize the impacts of emergencies.”
C-CERT volunteer teams perform basic response activities, including supporting the Emergency Operations Center and helping to manage traffic, crowds and assist with the reunification process.
Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 5, C-CERT training will be held for five weeks in The 90. The training will take place each Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will end with a mock disaster exercise Tuesday, Oct. 3. This is the seventh year UKPD’s Division of Crisis Management and Preparedness has offered C-CERT training, applying an established curriculum from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with added modules, such as family reunification, that are applicable to the university environment.
Registration for the 2023 training is open now through Aug. 20. Class size is limited and enrollment is on a first come-first served basis. The training is free and open to regular full-time faculty and staff. To register, please click here. UK faculty and staff who want to participate in the C-CERT training this fall will be expected to obtain approval from their supervisor to attend 40 hours of training and submit to an electronic background check.
To find out more, visit UKPD’s C-CERT website, UKPD Facebook page, or contact Ashley Chaney by calling (859) 218-2341 or by email at chaney.ashley@uky.edu.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.