They do train in fire fighting first aid and other needed skills
When all other communication means fail there is HAM radio
I’m a certified CERT Team Member. We/I don’t do anything but it’s basically up to the local team. The reason I’m on it is when it was first created they went to the local fire companies around here and used us a the nucleus of the thing. Getting certified is almost as easy as falling off of a chair.
The amount of required First Aid training is very minimal. I think they also require CPR. Your given a little bit of search and rescue training but no firefighting beyond what could be reasonably extinguished with a 2 pound ABC extinguisher.
The whole thing actually makes me nervous because the CERT team members that are outside of Fire and EMS don’t know what they don’t know. The saving grace is that no incident commander that I know of is going to send a CERT team on it’s own into some disaster area without a lot of supervision.
I know a lady at my workplace who is active in her local CERT team. They have been out on 1 call in the past 5 years. My county EMA director told me once that he would suggest CERT for an incident only after he was satisfied that he had every available volunteer firefighter and EMT in the county committed and still needed a few more hands.
To me if you want to get involved join a local SAR (search and rescue team), your local volunteer fire company or become a certified EMT and join an ambulance company as a volunteer first responder.
Don’t laugh at my question, but how would HAM radio continue w/ everything else down? I am now really intrigued.