The core aim of the solution is to integrate between the need for an immediate emergency response and management of adversities and the limited capacity of first responders to provide assistance to all afflicted communities, during a large-scale emergency. Furthermore, it is based on the need to empower communities, both large and small, to be able to provide an effective response, alongside the formal responders, and more so, even when the formal authorities and first responders may be somewhat delayed in arriving to all locations and providing vital care. On the one hand, it includes volunteers who receive basic training, and on the other hand, they are part of the community – who knows them sometimes in person; the volunteers themselves are well versed in the needs, capacities and varied characteristics of the specific community in which they operate, as they live in those locations. It is based on important resilience factors such as preparedness and social capital and on the assumptions that community members will willingly receive help from other local members and that local members of the community will have better understanding of the needs of the community. A major component of the success of the CERTs is the fact that they are both very agile and expedient in their response, as they are present in the communities when the adversity occurs, and simultaneously, they operate under the framework and the jurisdiction of the local municipality. Thus, they are aware and well adept in maximising the available resources, are able to communicate with key stakeholders and contribute towards a rapid conceptualisation of a situation report. This facilitates an effective prioritisation of resource allocation, both on a community and regional level but also enhances the decision-making process of local authorities and first responders, as they have “agents” in the community with which they can collaborate. Such collaboration has proven to be very effective in the past 10 years in which the CERTs in the southern part of Israel has been utilised in communities that have been exposed to recurring conflicts. They are productive in raising awareness during routine to potential risks and aid in building preparedness for them; activated immediately during an emergency to provide vital assistance; and actively involved in the reconstruction phase to help the community regain balance and equilibrium.
The CERT members are recruited by the local municipality who initiate "calls" that invite members of the communities to join these civil teams. Furthermore, by using the methodology of "friends bringing friends", the members of the CERTs are encouraged to approach their colleagues, neighbors or friends to invite them to join these initiatives.
Following their registration as volunteers of the municipality, they are recognized as volunteers by the Nationa Insurance Institute, and thus are insured for any personal damage or injury. As part of the CERT, they are covered by the municipality's insurance, so their activities as part of the CERT is covered for professional liability.
Representatives from all socioeconomic status, religions, work background and other demographic characteristics are relevant for inclusion in the CERTs. As it’s ‘people for the people’ based, the inclusion criteria is very encompassing. One important criteria that must be respected is the belonging of the volunteers to the CERT of their own community. This is intrinsic to the CERT’s success. As the CERTs aim to provide response to the needs of the community, representatives of all varied groups that compose the community is vital. A common language, acquaintance, understanding of challenges and constraints, familiarity with potential gaps and resources and more, characterise the members of the CERTs and facilitate their capacity for provision of an effective response.
Demographic characteristics and communality
The representation of all sects of the community’s society is crucial to enhance trust and confidence in the CERTs. Thus, recruitment of volunteers to the CERTs must be done with the utmost sensitivity and consideration of all groups that the community consists of. Special care should be given to include representation of all religious affiliations, as well as the varied levels of religiosity (secular, traditional, and religious groups)
Use of CERTs in the southern area of Israel (“Otef Gaza”) which is exposed to recurring missile attacks on civil communities. The CERTs have been involved in the past decade in enhancing the preparedness of the civil communities to these recurring attacks, including preparing shelters that are more “user-friendly” to both children and adults, providing psychosocial support during the attacks, and assisting in recovery activities following the attacks. Many studies have been carried out to evaluate the results of this community support to the well-being and societal resilience of the population, and have presented that they highly contribute to the societal cohesion and capacity to successfully overcome the traumatic experiences. Resulting from these actions, formal resilience centers have been established, in which both salaried employees and volunteers work together to enhance the societal resilience of the population.
Use of CERTs in the city of Acre (northern part of Israel). This is a city characterised by a multi-ethnic composition of the population, at times leading to frictions between the majority (60%) and the minority (40%) groups. During 2021, riots started in the city during the Ramadan period (a holy period among Muslims), during which hostilities were experienced between the two ethnic groups, including damage to varied infrastructures. While the formal authorities and responders were involved in containing the situation and return to routine life, the CERTS, consisting of volunteers from the varied ethnicity, were found to be useful in serving as a bridge between the different residents. Their psychosocial interventions, direct communication and capacity to work together, served as a vital tool to enhance understanding and calm in the different neighbourhoods. Trust in such informal entities can more easily be formulated and sustained, and this is of great importance during times in which the authorities may be viewed with apprehensiveness and even distrust.
Use of CERTs in the Northern Galilee which is considered to be of a heightened risk of earthquakes. The population in the region is characterized by agricultural small communities, some of a more communal way of living (‘Kibbutzim”. The CERTs were created by the regional municipality to enhance emergency preparedness of the civil society and ensure a “nucleus response group” that will facilitate the response until the first formal responders will be able to arrive to each afflicted community. The CERTs have been active in enhancing the preparedness of the communities (distributed information; created a small ‘expert volunteer group’ in each community (kibbutz); initiated training programs and encouraged families to create family response plans. The CERTs have not been tested in a real situation (as thankfully, no severe natural disaster has materialized) but is highly respected and welcome in the varied communities.
The main challenge is the burnout of the CERT’s members as they are exposed to high levels of pressure and trauma of the population. As they too are members of the community, they are expected to be available and supportive of the residents, while they too are personally affected.
An important remedy to cope with this challenge is to provide the CERTs' members with tools and techniques for "self-help", as well as to provide opportunities for debriefing to enhance the empowerment of the volunteers.
Overcoming ethnic sensitivities and the risk of the CERT’s members perceived as part of the authorities/formal responders. This may negatively impact on the level of trust and the way they are viewed by the community. A potential remedy is to ensure that the CERT consists of volunteers from all relevant ethnicities, so as to enhance connectivity with all sectors of the local populations.
The main challenge is maintaining the interest of both the CERT’s members and the community, when the adversities themselves do not occur, and as a result, the level of dedication wanes. The main remedy is to ensure that the CERT is activated regularly during routine times, both for training and education purposes, as well as to implement events with the local population, to enhance their risk awareness. This will not only help the local community but will also maintain the feeling of "worthiness" and productivity among the members of the CERTs.