Become a CERT Volunteer
During an emergency, the people best suited to help are those who are nearby - community members willing to lend a hand to help their neighbors. Becoming a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteer is a great way to help your community become more prepared and resilient in the event of a disaster! As a CERT volunteer you will receive additional disaster training and have many roles to choose from - there is something for everyone!
Your Impact
Action Steps & Tips
Introduction
The CERT program starts with an in-depth training, to help you build the skills and confidence you’ll need to be prepared for whatever situations your community may face! Because CERT volunteers are so well prepared, and the training is standardized around the country, local and federal agencies trust and rely on CERT volunteers to respond during emergencies, so that professional first responders can focus their resources where they’re needed most. If you are looking for ways to build your skills and support your community, keep reading below to learn how to become a CERT leader in your own community! Then join the ranks of over 600,000 trained CERT volunteers!
1Step 1: Decide if CERT is right for you!
Who can be a CERT volunteer? Anyone! The program is open to anyone of any background, from college students to parents with young children to retired professionals - and they even have a special program for teens! You don’t need any prior experience in first aid or disaster relief - the training will teach you everything you need to know! In fact, many CERT volunteers say that one of the most rewarding things about the program is learning the skills they’d never had before to respond to emergencies, and that it built their confidence so they could be useful and proactive in any situation!
What exactly do CERT volunteers do?
There are lots of ways to contribute as a CERT volunteer - it just depends on your interest and comfort level!
During a disaster: CERT leaders are trained in basic disaster response skills, including basic fire and utilities safety (how to identify fire hazards and suppress small fires, how to turn off utilities), light search and rescue, disaster medical operations, and community disaster relief (like distributing supplies at a shelter and getting clean water to neighbors), as well as specific disaster preparedness. All of these skills will help you respond to possible emergencies in your region, protect your family and community, and help professional first responders!
Non-disaster situations: CERT leaders also play important roles in non-disaster situations. They may distribute and show demos of emergency preparedness tools and materials, staff first aid booths at community events, and identify and help neighbors who might need assistance, such as with installing smoke detectors. These tasks all build community resilience and are a valuable way you can help your community!
What kind of training is involved to become a CERT volunteer?
CERT is a national program supported by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), so the training is consistent wherever you take it. CERT training is usually free for those who live or work in the community where the training occurs. It involves about 20 hours of in-person instruction, and includes these nine core units:
-
Unit 1: Disaster Preparedness
-
Unit 2: CERT Organization
-
Unit 3: Disaster Medical Operations, Part 1
-
Unit 4: Disaster Medical Operations, Part 2
-
Unit 5: Disaster Psychology
-
Unit 6: Fire Safety and Utility Controls
-
Unit 7: Light Search and Rescue Operations
-
Unit 8: Terrorism and CERT
-
Unit 9: Course Review, Final Exam, and Disaster Simulation
After this extensive training, you’ll have the life-saving skills to help your community be resilient through natural disasters!
2Step 2: Find your local CERT organization.
https://community.fema.gov/PreparednessCommunity/s/cert-find-a-program
You can also check out the Resources section at the bottom of this action for your local CERT program’s website. If you don’t see it, search online for “CERT training [my city/county].”
Even if you decide that taking the CERT training and being an active volunteer isn’t right for you, connecting to your local CERT will give you another line of support during an emergency. They also often host Emergency Preparedness events for community members to learn more about how to be prepared.
Action: Save the contact info of your local CERT in your phone and on your emergency contact list!
3Step 3: Join and train with your local CERT community!
-
Look on your local CERT website for the dates of the next training.
-
Sign up for the training or send a message inquiring about training dates.
-
If the next training session is a ways out, you can start with an online Independent Study (IS) course, “Introduction to Community Emergency Response Teams.” Sign up here!
Bonus: Build community resilience as you go! Reach out to a friend or neighbor to become a CERT volunteer with you!