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

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

County of Los Angeles Fire Department: CERT History. Los Angeles County Fire Department Web site. Available at www.lacofd.org/ProgramsEvents/CertHistory.asp. Accessed June 24, 2006.

CERT: CERT Overview. Citizen Corps Web site. Available at www.citizencorps.gov/cert/about.shtm. Accessed June 24, 2006.

Citizen Corps: Citizen Corps Councils: Q&A of FEMA/Citizen Corps CERT Grants. Citizen Corps Web site. Available at www. citizencorps.gov/councils/grantqa.shtm. Accessed June 24, 2006.

Citizen Corps: Programs & Partners. Citizen Corps Web site. Available at www.citizencorps.gov/programs/. Accessed June 24, 2006.

Emergency Management Institute: Important Notice for CERT Program. EMI/FEMA/DHS Web site. Available at training.fema.gov/emiweb/CERT/. Accessed June 24, 2006.

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Ohlemacher S: Highest wages in East, lowest in South. USA TODAY Web site. Available at www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2005-11-29-wage_x.htm. Accessed June 24, 2006

CERT: Directory of Community Emergency Response Team Programs by State. Citizen Corps Web site. Available at www.citizencorps.gov/citizenCorps/certsByState.do. Accessed March 14, 2006.

Citizen Corps: Citizen Corps 2002 Annual Report. Citizen Corps Web site. Available at www.citizencorps.gov/news/02annrpt.shtm. Accessed June 24, 2006.

CERT: NJ State Employee CERT Recruitment Campaign. State of New Jersey Web site. Available at www.state.nj.us/njoem/cert/. Accessed June 24, 2006.

Downloads

Published

11/01/2006

How to Cite

Phelps, JD, MPH, CEM, CBCP, Paramedic, S. “Community Emergency Response Teams and the Wealth of Communities in New Jersey”. Journal of Emergency Management, vol. 4, no. 6, Nov. 2006, pp. 11-16, doi:10.5055/jem.2006.0047.