Citizen Corps
As part of the USA Freedom Corps initiative, President George W. Bush created Citizen Corps to help coordinate volunteer activities that will make our communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to any emergency situation. The Citizen Corps effort is coordinated at the local level by Citizen Corps Councils, which feature local activities that reflect new and existing national programs such as Neighborhood Watch, Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS), and Fire Corps. Citizen Corps Councils will provide your community with a well trained, readily available pool of volunteers who know their locality and can help during the critical time when outside assistance has not yet arrived.
Two Immediates and One Delayed To Go Please
By: Mark L. Mindt, United Tribes Technical College CERT Participant
It was a crisp October morning near Bear Butte, near Sturgis, SD. I was on the road with my elderly Norwegian neighbor to tour some sights in our great Native Nation. While looking ahead to spending time near Devils Tower, I came upon a scene, which made my heart stick in my throat like a big piece of fry bread. A small pickup truck had rolled over just off the interstate frontage road.
As my car came to a halt, I quickly came up with a plan. There were already several cars and people around the accident sight. As I got out of the car I told my neighbor to meet me near the truck and to bring the cell phone. Within seconds, I was in my trunk and pulling out a full weeks worth of knowledge and training neatly tucked into a green CERT duffle bag. This knowledge and training was completed the previous day, as I became CERT certified by Barb Schmitt at United Tribes Technical College.
As I raced toward the scene, emotions washed over me: fear, sadness, confusion, and, oddly enough, happiness. Fear for what I might find at the truck, sadness for the people involved in such an accident, confusion for who might be involved and who had already been contacted and finally I was somewhat happy. Not for the actual incident, but I was happy that I felt more prepared and confident of what I would face in the next few seconds.
As I ran to the scene with my backpack of medical supplies, I announced, "My name is Mark and I have emergency training!" Not knowing if what I said was clear enough or even correct, I was surprised to see the whole group of people clear out of the way?for me!
After a quick assessment, I realized there were two "immediates" and one "delayed" on the scene. To those unfamiliar with the CERT (Community Emergency Response Training) terminology, there were two girls in shock and one male with minor scrapes but still responsive. After covering the "immediates" for warmth and setting them in a safe area, the "immediates" quickly became people with names, birth dates, identities, and places of high school affiliation. In short, I was asking each person questions not to be nosey, but to acquire knowledge and check their cognitive responsiveness.
After the police, paramedics, and even the county coroner arrived, I was through with my responsibilities and obligations as a CERT member. Before I left the scene, I said the last words as a CERT member to those two teenage girls. "You girls take care now," were the words I spoke. I then again became a person traveling with his neighbor toward a few of the sacred sites in our great Native Nation. Not exactly the same person. From that point on, I was someone who was able to give back to our community as a Native American CERT member from the United Tribes Technical College of Bismarck, ND. Special thanks to Barb, Cornelius, and Sharlene for this information and training. Hoka-Hey!
| Citizen Corps coordinator: | Bob Van Winsen, South Dakota OEM 605.773.3231 Email |
| CERT coordinator: | Bob Van Winsen |
| Number of active Citizen Corps Councils in the State: | 18 (Aurora, Beadle, Brookings, Brown, Brule/Buffalo, Davison, Edmunds, Hand, Hyde, Lake, Minnehaha, Pennington, Spink, State of South Dakota, Turner, and Yankton Counties, Sisseton Wahpeton Tribe, Hayword Fire and Emergency Services) |
| Number of active Fire Corps in the State: | 1 (Hayward Fire Dept) |
| Number of active Neighborhood Watches in the State: | 7 (Brookings [2], Rapid City [2], Sioux Falls, Spearfish, Day County) |
| Number of active Volunteers in Police Service units in the State: | 4 (Brookings, Sioux Falls) |
| Number of active CERTs in the State: | 16 (Aurora, Beadle, Brookings, Brown, Brule/Buffalo, Davison, Edmunds, Hand, Hyde, Lake, Minnehaha, Pennington, Spink, Turner, and Yankton Counties, Sisseton Wahpeton Tribe) |
Back to Top
South Dakota received $90,526 in funding for fiscal year 2011 to support and expand Citizen Corps initiatives in the counties and tribes in the state. The Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP) has granted the South Dakota Office of Emergency Management authority to distribute funds to help local governments implement and expand Citizen Corps programs. Please contact your county emergency manager or the South Dakota Office of Emergency Management for specific questions about how to apply for a sub-grant so that your community can begin to develop Citizen Corps programs.
The documents below are in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). You must have the ADOBE Acrobat Reader installed on your PC to be able to view the PDF files.
Citizen Corps/Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Volunteer Management Practices
South Dakota Office of Emergency Management
118 West Capitol Avenue
Pierre, SD 57501-2291
Phone: (605) 773-3231
Fax: (605) 773-8139
Email
Mailing Address • 118 West Capitol Avenue • Pierre, SD 57501