On March 28, 2000 a strong F2 tornado roared through Fort Worth killing five people, injuring another 100, and causing more than $500 million in damages.  As the dust settled, it became clear to many in both the private and public sectors that there needed to be more communication and coordination between organizations BEFORE a disaster happens.

In order to increase preparedness across the board, Dallas CERT has expanded training to include Business CERT (B-CERT), to train business teams to respond during emergency and disaster situations. We have come up with a few good reasons for businesses to get trained:

1. It's FREE
2. Your workplace will be better equipped to deal with an emergency
3. Your family will benefit from your training
4. We will come train you during business hrs at the times and dates that you set
5. It's FREE

 What we need from you to get started:

1. Name, address, and phone number of the business
2. Number of Employees to be trained
3. Contact person and information
4. Dates and times suggestions for training
5. An email sent to oem@dallascityhall.com with "Business CERT" in the subject line

*ADDED BENEFIT FOR OUR PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERS*

The City of Dallas partnered with business leaders in the city’s Central Business District (CBD) to create a collaborative relationship between the public and private sectors.  The Dallas Emergency Response Team (DERT) was born from these early meetings and is still fostering strong relationships between public, private and non-profit sectors of our community.

Since 2000, DERT has expanded beyond the CBD to include organizations in the North Central and Northwest areas of the city.  Earlier this fall, the Office of Emergency Management, Dallas Police Department, and Dallas Fire-Rescue began working to broaden this program with the inclusion of businesses, volunteer organizations, and non-profits throughout the city.  But that is just the start.  We will be conducting the first ever DERT Conference this spring, with details to follow in future newsletters.  We will also be introducing a City-wide communications tool (USP3) soon, with more details to follow.

The City of Dallas is committed to seeing DERT expand and develop through collaboration and communication between the public, private, and non-profit sectors so that we will be better prepared for any disaster.

If you have any questions about the program, please contact the Office of Emergency Management at 214-670-4275 or oem@dallascityhall.com.

For more information on related topics, please visit: www.dallasalert.org