Community Emergency Response Team - CERT

Following a disaster, community members may be on their own for a period of time because of the size of the area affected, lost communications, and impassable roads.

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program supports local response capability by training volunteers to organize themselves and spontaneous volunteers at the disaster site, to provide immediate assistance to victims, and to collect disaster intelligence to support responders’ efforts when they arrive.

In the classroom, participants learn about the hazards they face and ways to prepare for them. CERT members are taught basic organizational skills that they can use to help themselves, their loved ones, and their neighbors until help arrives.

Guilford County Emergency Managements sponsors CERT training in the community. Training consists of 24 hours of instruction on topics that include disaster preparedness, fire safety, disaster medical operations, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster psychology. Upon completion of the training, participants are encouraged to continue their involvement by participating in training activities and volunteering for projects that support their community’s disaster preparedness efforts.

For additional information on CERT, visit https://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/ or contact Steve Marks with Guilford County Emergency Management at 641-5517 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .