What Is CERT?

CERT is a training program that prepares you to help yourself, your family and your neighbors in the event of a disaster. During an incident, emergency services personnel may not be able to reach everyone right away. By getting trained in CERT, you will have the skills to help emergency responders save lives and protect property.

As a result of CERT training, you will be better prepared to respond to disasters for yourself, your family and your community. CERT team members can support emergency responders and volunteer for projects that improve community emergency preparedness.

How Does CERT Help the Community?

If a disastrous event overwhelms or delays the community's professional response, CERT members can assist others by applying the basic skills that they learned during training.  These skills can help save and sustain lives following a disaster until professional help arrives.  CERT skills also apply to daily emergencies and promote safe actions at home, work, school, or anywhere you may travel.  CERT members maintain and refine their skills by participating in exercises and outreach activities.  They can attend supplemental training opportunities offered by the sponsoring agency and others that further their skills base.

What If This Happened to You?

Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) are trained to help communities mitigate disasters during the first minutes and up to 72 hours following a disaster when damaged roads, disrupted communications, high call volume, etc., may restrict access by local police, fire and emergency medical services. The purpose of CERT training is to provide citizens with the basic skills that they will need to handle their own needs and then to respond to their communities’ needs in the aftermath of a disaster.

What do CERT Teams do in an Emergency?

CERT teams are an important link between emergency services and the people that they serve. The goal is for emergency personnel to train community residents, community organizations, or workplaces in basic response skills.