CERT explains its work to the Warren City Council

WARREN — The Warren Community Response Emergency Team gave a presentation at the City Council’s committee of the whole meeting Oct. 15 to share what they do and how it helps the community.

According to Councilwoman Melody Magee, the meeting gave the CERT team an opportunity to have a one-on-one conversation with the council members. It also allowed the council and the residents to ask more detailed questions, as opposed to having a presentation at a regular City Council meeting.

CERT’s mission is to help train people to be prepared to respond to emergency situations in their communities. In emergencies, CERT members are trained to give critical support to first responders, provide immediate assistance to victims, and organize volunteers at disaster sites. Members of the CERT team can help with nonemergency safety projects in the community.

CERT Director Michael Riley said, “Warren CERT will be a well-organized, well-trained and well-managed volunteer group providing highly effective critical activities. The safety of everyone is our number one priority.”

The training of CERT members includes disaster preparedness from earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes.

“Above and beyond that we have a special relationship with our agencies where we do a lot of work with police and fire (departments),” Riley said.

Most of the work done by Warren CERT is redirecting traffic at a crash scene, traffic and crowd control for large events, and protecting citizens from downed wires after a storm.

“The (CERT) team is out today (Nov. 1), apparently one of the presidential candidates is coming today to Warren and they’re doing traffic today, but I wasn’t available,” said Jerry Burden, a CERT team member.

“Trump was at Macomb Community College a couple of weeks ago and we were there directing traffic and blocking streets and so forth,” Burden added. “We spent about four or five hours there.”

Burden, 89, has been a member of Warren CERT for five years and is among the group’s older members. In addition to CERT, he is involved in other groups, boards and commissions.

“I’ve been a volunteer all my life. I’ve always heard the saying, ‘If you want to get something done, get somebody that’s busy,”’ he said.

CERT sends out notification to its team members and those who are available go out on the assignment. According to Burden, CERT relieves the police and fire personnel from some of their duties so the departments can take care of more pressing tasks.

“After a bad storm, say you have four fire trucks guarding wires,” Burden said.  “Well, that’s four fire trucks that are not available for any other service,” Burden said. “As soon as the CERT team comes in and takes over, then that fire equipment can go back in service and be available for other calls and help the citizens with other things.”

The Warren Fire Department had 1,764 total calls in September. Among those were 1,174 medical emergencies, 59 motor vehicle accidents, 391 suppressions or fires, and 140 calls for public assistance, according to the department’s Facebook page.

Councilwoman Melody Magee was a member of Warren CERT from 2017-2018.

“They say once you are a member of the CERT’s team, you are always a member,” Magee said.

“The CERT’s training videos are outstanding and should be made available for all Warren residents,” she added.

These videos included emergency response, amateur radio emergency services, and active shooter response training, which took place at the Insight Surgical Center in Warren.

“It was as if an active shooter, who was going to shoot up the place, had just walked in. We dressed up as the victims. The hospital acted the way they should. The Warren Fire Department was involved to make sure they did what they needed to do in an active shooter situation,” Magee said.

Some of the strategies they learned were to play dead if the active shooter was still there. Or, if the shooter is gone or no longer a threat, “Call out, I’ve been shot,” Magee said, so those injured could receive proper medical attention.

Warren CERT has about 40 listed members, of which 20 to 28 are active, according to Riley.

“We need more members and a permanent home,” Riley said, in response to Warren City Council President Angela Rogensues’ inquiry about what is on the director’s wish list for the group.

“CERT does need younger members because several of our members are getting old and I’m not the only one,” Burden added.

CERT is currently storing its vehicles at the city’s Department of Public Works’ garage where the Detroit Arsenal of Democracy Museum formerly stored its vintage military vehicles.

Kristina Lodovisi, Warren Mayor Lori Stone’s chief of staff, said, “We’re working on it (finding a home for CERT).”

She explained the front portion of this building doesn’t have heat due to boiler issues, so it cannot be used as an office for the organization.

Each year, CERT logs thousands of hours in the community. In 2023, CERT completed more than 4,860 hours of work, which included traffic accident scenes, large events, power outages, freeway closures, gas leaks, graduations, parades, light search and rescue operations, and a host of other events. As of Oct. 15, the group completed more than 3,821 hours this year.

“I am a bragger on the CERT team,” Magee said. “They are amazing.”

CERT members are required to be 18 or older. Those interested in learning more or joining CERT should contact Michael Riley at (586) 943-6110 or mriley@warrencert.org. Find the group on Facebook at facebook.com/wrncert.