Overview

We train on skills helpful in emergencies as well as required for possible activation when major disasters overwhelm regular first responders. Hands-on training builds "muscle memory" that takes over when you don't have time to read the book or watch a YouTube video. Example training topics include:

Damage assessment
First aid
Emergency sheltering
Flood control (sandbagging)
Light search and rescue
Traffic management
Radio communication

Activation - Once basic academy is completed, members may be activated to help the community overwhelmed in an emergency.

More Detail

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program prepares residents to help themselves, support their families, and assist their neighbors when disaster strikes and professional responders may be delayed or overwhelmed. Through CERT, community members gain practical skills in disaster preparedness and response and learn how to apply them safely and effectively.

Our CERT Basic Training follows the current FEMA CERT Basic Training curriculum and is currently delivered primarily online (lectures with periodic quizzes, totaling approximately 15–20 hours of instruction).

Future academies may be offered online, in person, or in a blended (hybrid) format, depending on program needs and resources. The course culminates in a final practical exercise that simulates a disaster response environment, allowing participants to practice what they have learned in a supported setting. This guided exercise focuses on applying core CERT skills—such as team organization, light search and rescue, disaster medical operations, and communication—giving participants the chance to build confidence and reinforce their learning without the pressure of a formal test. Participants who complete all required modules and the capstone exercise receive a CERT certificate of completion and may be eligible to support local preparedness and response activities as part of the CERT program.

What You Will Learn

CERT Basic Training covers core disaster skills that community members can use at home, at work, and in their neighborhoods. Topics typically include:

Disaster preparedness: Identifying local hazards, reducing home and workplace risks, creating emergency plans, and assembling disaster supply kits.
Fire safety and utility control: Basic fire chemistry, safe use of fire extinguishers, utility shutoff procedures, and strategies for small fire suppression.
Disaster medical operations: Size-up, patient assessment, triage, opening airways, bleeding control, shock management, and basic treatment techniques.
Light search and rescue: Size-up of damaged structures, search techniques, victim lifting and moving, and rescuer safety.
CERT organization and ICS: How CERT operates within the Incident Command System, including team roles, documentation, and communication.
Disaster psychology: Stress reactions in survivors and rescuers, psychological first aid principles, and maintaining responder resilience.
Terrorism and hazard-specific annexes: Awareness of terrorism-related hazards and additional topics relevant to local risks.

The curriculum emphasizes doing the greatest good for the greatest number while operating safely and within the scope of CERT training.

Activation

One possible team activation is to assist with an emergency shelter during fire evacuations or other incidents that displace residents from their homes. Shelter Operation training is required for all team members and is provided as a classroom-based course. CERT training helps build a safer, better-prepared community by giving residents the knowledge and confidence to respond effectively in emergencies. Whether you want to strengthen your own household readiness or serve your community as a trained volunteer, CERT offers a practical and meaningful way to get involved.