BE AN ACTIVE PART OF YOUR COMMUNITY - VOLUNTEER!

What is CERT?
Local government prepares and responds for everyday emergencies. However, during a disaster, the number and scope of incidents can overwhelm conventional emergency services. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program is an all-risk, all-hazard training.

This valuable course is designed to help you protect yourself, your family, your neighbors and your neighborhood in an emergency situation. CERT is a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where citizens may initially be on their own and their actions can make a difference. In the CERT training, citizens learn to: manage utilities and put out small fires, treat the three medical killers by opening airways, controlling bleeding, and treating for shock, provide basic medical aid, search for and rescue victims safely, organize themselves and spontaneous volunteers to be effective, and collect disaster intelligence to support first responder efforts.

History of CERT

The Citizens Emergency Response Team (CERT) was created from a model developed by the City of Los Angeles Fire Department in 1987. Since 1994, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been promoting nationwide use of CERT and many communities have established these teams.

By becoming a CERT volunteer and completing the training, you can be better prepared for the unexpected. Whether it is an act of terrorism, a natural or a man-made disaster, you can be directly involved in saving and sustaining lives and property. Click here for a printable CERT brochure.

Why should I volunteer?

CERT training promotes a partnering effort between emergency services and the people they serve. The goal is for emergency personnel to train members of neighborhoods, community organizations or workplaces in basic response skills. CERT members are then integrated into the emergency response capability for their area.