CERV Team Training

Community Emergency Response Volunteers (CERV)

Should a county-wide emergency situation occur impacting the lives and property of County residents, CERV Middlesex (Community Emergency Response Volunteers) will be there to help.

Teams of Community Emergency Response Volunteers (CERV) from the County and the Middlesex-London Health Unit will open and operate the reception centres, and provide personal support to individuals and families affected by the emergency. CERV Middlesex is a county-wide program to improve safety and security in Middlesex communities – large or small, urban or rural.
 
Operating at the grassroots level, CERV Middlesex trains volunteers to help in their own communities by preparing for emergencies based on local risks and meeting the challenge when an emergency occurs, whether it’s a flood, a severe storm, a major power failure or other hazard.
 
CERV Middlesex volunteer training includes:

• Emergency and disaster response skills
• Volunteer and victim safety
• Fire safety and prevention
• Emergency first aid and CPR
• Community emergency management
• Public awareness and education
• Decision making, teamwork and morale
• Personal and family emergency preparedness
• Participation in the annual municipal emergency exercise 

CERV Middlesex provides resources to municipalities to establish, train and administer volunteer emergency response programs in their communities. When partner municipalities select their CERV Middlesex members, special skills are not the first priority, just a willingness to step up to the challenge when members of the community need help.
 
The Municipality of Strathroy-Caradoc was the pilot program for CERV in Middlesex County; the municipalities of Thames Centre, Lucan Biddulph, North Middlesex and the Village of Newbury  joined in 2008. The Middlesex-London Health Unit will also trains CERV MLHU Team Members; these well-trained volunteers will be a great help to our communities when emergencies strike.
 
CERV Middlesex capitalizes on the knowledge of local conditions and risks that volunteers bring to the program, as well as the “can-do” spirit and compassion which Ontarians demonstrated during the Ice Storm in 1998. By focusing on communities, it allows CERV Team Members to best meet local needs and maximize the potential for action, efficiency and organized response in an emergency.

What are the requirements of a CERV Middlesex volunteer?

• CERV Team Members must be at least 21 years of age and have a valid Ontario Driver’s License.
• CERV Team Members will be interviewed, and agree to provide a criminal record check with vulnerable sector query.
• CERV Team Members agree to prepare themselves, their homes and their families for emergencies.
• CERV Team Members are willing to make a three-year commitment to the program, to assist as volunteers in their community and in Middlesex County during emergencies.
• CERV Team Members are asked to attend approximately 80 hours of training in the first year, and 40 hours of training per year during the next two years.
• CERV Team Members understand that training may take place in various locations in the County.

Are you interested in making a difference?   View more information and the application