Imagine yourself living in a community where your neighbors are not just witnesses but trained responders ready to act when disaster strikes. FEMA's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program transforms average citizen volunteers into lifesaving neighbors with essential skills in fire safety, search and rescue, and basic emergency medical treatment.

The CERT program is an enlightened and indispensable program that trains ordinary people to become capable, willing, and confident responders during local disasters. This national initiative educates volunteers in disaster preparedness and trains them in fundamental skills to respond safely and effectively when disaster strikes. It prepares community members with the knowledge and hands on training on how to help themselves, their households, and their community during the such disasters.

CERT bridges the critical gap between the early moments of a disaster and the arrival of our first responders', allowing communities to help themselves and assist their neighbors. By joining CERT as a member, you're joining a national movement that saves lives, makes your community more resilient, and makes your neighborhood safer. Together, we prepare, respond, and recover because safety begins with citizen volunteers.

The benefit of a community emergency response team (CERT) is immeasurable, in that it can enhance local preparedness and resilience for disaster emergencies. By preparing volunteers in basic skills such as first aid, fire safety, and search and rescue, CERT allows communities to respond effectively during emergencies when professional services are not readily available. This proactive method not only evokes the spirit of oneness among the citizens but also makes them ready to protect themselves and their neighbors, which ultimately reduces the impacts of the disasters on the community as a whole.