College of Business Administration

GROUP MEMBERS:

Blanca Reyes
Cristina Zizzo
Tamara Bowlin

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

When we were confronted with this assignment several ideas ran through our minds like raising donations for local charities or helping out at Children’s Hospital. The two would have been excellent choices and great causes to help with; however, we decided to give our time to a different cause, the CERT Program. For those who are unfamiliar with the CERT Program it is the “Community Emergency Response Team”. The program consists of community volunteers who participate in training classes that are instructed by the San Diego Fire Department. The program requires 64 hours of training, which breaks down to four-hour classes two times a week for eight weeks. Each class covers a different topic in disaster relief such as disaster preparedness, fire suppression, medical operations, search & rescue, and psychological training. Once the course is completed the volunteers are put through a simulation where they work together in a natural disaster. Now, most people would probably not think that these skills would ever be put to use, but in the event of a disaster if qualified professionals are unable to reach an area for 72 hours the CERT members have made a commitment to step forward and take charge of any threatening situations. The CERT members are provided with identification cards and a duffle bag that contains items that prove useful in the event of an emergency.

Since September 2004 we have been working in accordance with the San Diego Fire Department, community volunteers, and CERT members to help prepare the citizens of San Diego for any natural disasters. As a result of last years firestorm many San Diegans fell victim to wild fires and it changed their priorities. Members of the Tierrasanta community made one of the biggest efforts yet to become prepared for any unforeseen occurrences. At this point we have assisted in marketing for the CERT Program to surrounding communities. Since the program is fairly new in San Diego we thought it would be a good idea to get the word out about the program. We have also volunteered our time to play the role of victims for a simulation conducted for the CERT members. The San Diego Fire Department also chose to use the simulation as an opportunity to film Public Safety Announcements that will air throughout San Diego County over the next several months.

The success of the program relied on spreading the word about the CERT program and finding community members to dedicate their time and energy. And so, by these standards we have successfully achieved our goal. Convincing people to volunteer 64 hours of their time is not a simple task, but if you explain that it could save their lives or the life of a loved one, the 64 hours suddenly does not seem like very much time at all.

Finally, we have come into contact with Kyocera Wireless Corporation and are happy to announce that the company is planning to implement the CERT Program. We first approached the safety manager at Kyocera and he agreed that it would be a great program to implement because of the benefits CERT has to offer, in addition to the fact that safety is always a primary concern for the company. Fortunately, Kyocera will soon be having a meeting to update safety procedures within the corporation and CERT will be one of the issues brought forth. When Kyocera adopts the CERT program, it will be offered to key employees such as managers and supervisors.

This project also links to several theories that we discussed that lead to ethical and social importance. Under ethical importance we find the Utilitarian Theory. By educating communities about CERT we feel that we are providing a greater good for the greater number of people. Also, the CERT members are volunteering their time to make sure their families and neighbors are all safe. So those members are providing the greater good for the greatest number. Next is the social importance and where we find Social Contract Theory. We as a group had a Social Contract with each other to equally participate in order to make the project a success. In addition, there is a Social Contract between the members of CERT who made a commitment to take charge in the event of a disaster. Select people are agreeing to accept responsibility for their mutual benefit and the benefit of those who surround them. Without Social Contract Theory the CERT Program would not function properly because the idea of the program is to help others and granted one person makes a difference, in the event of a natural disaster it will take more than just one person. Finally, we held the Ethic of Care because by joining CERT community members are showing that they care, not only for their own well being, but also for the well being of all that surrounds them. The Ethic of Care is really about the moral worth of relationships and members of CERT really see that as a valuable concept.