Community emergency response teams and the wealth of communities in New Jersey

Scott Phelps, JD, MPH, CEM, CBCP, Paramedic

doi:10.5055/jem.2006.0047

Authors

Scott Phelps, JD, MPH, CEM, CBCP, Paramedic

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.2006.0047

Keywords:

-

Abstract

This study examined median household income (MHI) of communities with community emergency response teams (CERTs). Preliminary data from New York City showed that in three of five counties, the mean MHI in CERT communities exceeded countywide MHI by up to $19,000. The research was then expanded to New Jersey, where, of 18 counties with CERTs, the mean MHI exceeded the countywide MHI in 15 counties (83 percent of the time). In counties where the mean CERT-community MHI was higher, it exceeded the county MHI by $6,060. Mean CERT-community MHI also exceeded the state’s MHI by over $5,000 ($60,745 versus $55,146). Given recent examples of the vulnerability of poor and working-class communities, emergency management agencies at all levels need to target CERT resources based on need, not on demand.

Author Biography

Scott Phelps, JD, MPH, CEM, CBCP, Paramedic

Associate Professor of Emergency Management, Emergency & Disaster Management Program, Graduate School of Public Administration, Metropolitan College of New York, New York, New York.

References

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