Acronyms, Abbreviations & Definitions
| Abbreviation | Definition |
| AAR | After Action Review – Usually a written debrief of event: what happened, how can it be improved (Also known as “Hot Wash” when given orally) |
| ACT | Area Community Teams, formerly Neighborhood Teams |
| AED | Automated External Defibrillator – a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias and shocks to treat these conditions. |
| AHA | American Heart Association – an organization that teaches and certifies CPR instruction |
| ARC | American Red Cross |
| Association | Fairfax County CERT Association, a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization supporting the Fairfax County CERT Program |
| ASAP-18 | Modular Tent Shelter System that can be attached to a heating/air conditioning unit |
| BSA | Boy Scouts of America |
| BSI | Body Substance Isolation – Used especially by EMS providers to protect them from bodily fluids |
| Canteen | Type of vehicle used to support the fire and police department on the scenes of major incidents. It provides beverages and nutrition to first responders. |
| CAP | Community Assessment Program |
| CCE | CERT Continuing Education (all classes after Basic CERT) |
| CERG | Community Emergency Response Guide (DEMS) |
| CERT | Community Emergency Response Team |
| CERT Association | Fairfax County CERT Association, a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization supporting the Fairfax County CERT Program |
| CERT Manual (Policies and Procedures) | Document that lays out the rules and practices of CERT |
| CERT Support | A group within Fairfax County CERT given greater responsibility and access in the organization (e.g. all canteen drivers must be CERT Support qualified) |
| CERTCON | CERT Convention – there are local and national CERTCONs |
| CGM | CERT Green Machine – vehicle (step van) used for canteen, outreach, training, etc. |
| CPLC | CERT Program Leadership Council – Group of leaders within Fairfax County CERT |
| CPR | Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation |
| CSG | CERT Support Group |
| DEMS | Fairfax County Department of Emergency Management and Security |
| EAP | Event Action Plan – Document that outlines plan for an event |
| EIN | Employee Identification Number – Number assigned by the Fire and Rescue Department to Fire department and CERT support members |
| EMI | Emergency Management Institute- Offers FEMA classes |
| EMS | Emergency Medical Services |
| EMT | Emergency Medical Technician |
| F&R | Fire and Rescue |
| FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions |
| FC | Fairfax County |
| FCBOS | Fairfax County Board of Supervisors |
| FCCJA | Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy |
| FCFRD | Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department |
| FCPD | Fairfax County Police Department |
| FCPS | Fairfax County Public Schools |
| FCVFRA | Fairfax County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association |
| FEMA | FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency – Federal Agency that governs CERT |
| FRA | Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy 4600 West Ox Rd. Fairfax, VA 22036 |
| FRD | Fire and Rescue Department |
| FSOH | Fire Station Open House – a designated Saturday in October when all Fairfax County Fire Stations are open to the public |
| G.O. | General Order |
| Green Helmet | Fairfax County CERT’s Internal Newsletter |
| HAM | Amateur Radio |
| Handbook | Document that outlines the duties and responsibilities of CERT members |
| Hot Wash | Usually oral debrief of event: what happened, how can it be improved (see also AAR) |
| IAP | Incident Action Plan – Document that outlines plan for event (see EAP) |
| MRC | Medical Reserve Corps |
| MWAA | Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority |
| NCR | National Capital Region |
| NCRCC | National Capital Region CERT Consortium |
| Neighborhood Teams | Now Called Area Community Teams (ACT) |
| NGO | Non-Governmental Organization (e.g. Doctors without Borders) |
| NNO | National Night Out – an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie. |
| PAR | Personnel Accountability Report |
| POC | Point of Contact |
| POV | Privately Owned Vehicle – Owned by an individual and not an organization |
| PPE | Personal Protective Equipment |
| PSHQ | Fairfax County Public Safety Headquarters 12099 Government Center Parkway Fairfax, VA 22035 |
| SAR | Search and Rescue |
| SOP | Standard Operating Procedure |
| STB | Stop the Bleed |
| TCM | Traffic and Crowd Management |
| USAR | Urban Search and Rescue |
| TEEX | Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service – Offers continuing education classes like Wide Area Search |
| VATF-1 | Virginia Task Force 1 – Fairfax County’s Search and Rescue Team that deploys both Nationally & Internationally |
| VDEM | Virginia Department of Emergency Management |
| VMS | Fairfax County Volunteer Management System – Where one can sign up for CERT classes and other opportunities |
| WMATA | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority |