How LAFD CERT may be understood as a smart practice: how it is pioneering a transition to whole community CERT and how it can serve as the template for CERT programs nationally

Abstract

In 1987, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) established the first Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) Program in the United States as a framework for organizing citizens to be more prepared. Using an appreciative inquiry approach, this thesis investigated how LAFD CERT can be understood as a smart practice and how successes might assist other agencies in constructing successful CERT programs within their jurisdictions. The conclusions are that through collaborative efforts with agencies within a city, expanding the outreach of CERT can be instrumental in achieving a more robust trained citizenry. Focusing on community resiliency and whole community concepts, LAFD CERT and others like it will be better equipped to assist as assets in the homeland security enterprise.