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	CERT BEST PRACTICES SHARED AT FEMA-SPONSORED SEMINAR *Thomas R. Hirt,* *FEMA's Emergency Management Institute* About 100 participants from state, local and tribal governments shared their Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) best practices on Sept. 2 and 3, 2003, at the Emergency Management Institute (EMI), in Emmitsburg, Md. EMI is overseen by the U.S. Fire Administration, which is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The meeting was the first of what may become annual FEMA-sponsored CERT seminars.
Participants of the seminar heard from a wide range of presenters on topics specifically related to CERT. Presenters from large metropolitan departments shared the stage with small community presenters to offer their successes and challenges in implementing and sustaining the CERT program in their communities. Topics included volunteer management, CERT in action, state coordination of the teams, working with tribal governments, sharing news and managing stress in a changing environment.
U.S. Fire Administrator R. David Paulison, also the director of FEMA’s Preparedness Directorate, welcomed and addressed the participants. He stressed the importance of the CERT program and acknowledged the hard work of the dedicated CERT coordinators present at the conference. In addition to allowing participants to learn what presenters were doing in their communities, the two-day seminar also provided participants with the opportunity to network and share information informally.
EMI is planning to conduct another CERT seminar on Sept. 8and 9, 2004. State CERT Coordinators must select and approve the local representatives from their jurisdiction that will attend this conference, and next year each State will be allowed to send three local “best practice” participants. For information on other high quality EMI training opportunities visit the EMI website at: http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/

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