Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

CERT Member Tasks

When emergencies happen, CERT members can:

• Give immediate assistance to victims.
• Organize spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site.
• Provide support to first responders.

CERT members can help improve the safety of the community in many ways by:

• Assisting in shelter operations
• Helping during evacuations
• Marshalling at road races
• Monitoring parade participants for safety
• Monitoring water bodies during extreme rainfall events
• Providing emergency radio communications

CERT Course

The CERT course is taught in the community by a trained team of first responders who have completed a CERT "Train-the-Trainer" course conducted by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), or the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Emergency Management Institute (EMI), located in Emmitsburg, Maryland. CERT training includes but is not limited to:

• Basic disaster medical operations
• Disaster preparedness
• Light search and rescue operations
• Limited fire suppression
• Sheltering operations

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Teach kids to prepare for disaster while having fun at the FEMA website for kids. Underneath all the games, stories and puzzles is good information that makes kids and their families better prepared in the event of a disaster. Even parents and teachers can get great curriculum or safety information to use in the classroom or at home. Activities geared toward youth of all ages are included, and trainers can download safety fact sheets.

Enroll

To enroll in CERT please fill out the form (PDF) and mail it to Town Hall.

Learn more by visiting the United States CERT homepage.