Local government prepares for everyday emergencies. However, during a disaster, the number and scope of incidents can overwhelm conventional emergency services. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program is an all-risk, all-hazard training. This valuable course is designed to help you protect yourself, your family, your neighbors and your neighborhood in an emergency situation.

CERT is a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where citizens may initially be on their own and their actions can make a difference. While people will respond to others in need without the training, one goal of the CERT program is to help them do so effectively and efficiently without placing themselves in unnecessary danger.

 In CERT training, citizens learn to:

Manage utilities,

Put out small fires,

Treat the three medical killers by opening airways, controlling bleeding, treating for shock, and providing basic medical aid

Search for and rescue victims safely

Organize themselves and spontaneous volunteers to be effective,

Collect disaster intelligence to support first responder efforts.

The basic CERT training lasts about 28 hours and combines classroom instruction with hands-on practical skills training, and concludes with a simulated disaster exercise. The Basic CERT Course in Portsmouth is taught in nine sessions. Students must attend all sessions, including a disaster simulation "practical," and complete a final exam in order to graduate. Training is FREE and the text and basic supplies are provided FREE. Participants MUST register in advance as space is limited.

The next course begins February 14, 2013. Contact virnelsonvi@cox.net to register.

Classes are held in Portsmouth several times a year. Please contact us for more information or to sign up for the next course. For a visual record of the CERT Basic Training Course, browse our Photo Gallery.

Independent Study

The Emergency Management Institute of FEMA offers an Independent Study Program open to any US resident for free. Dozens of online, self-paced courses are given in a range of subjects, many of which are appropriate to general disaster preparedness and more specifically to CERTs, such as:

IS-317 Introduction to Community Emergency Response Teams

IS-100 Introduction to Incident Command System

IS-200 ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incident

IS-700 National Incident Management System (NIMS)

IS-800 National Response Framework, An Introduction

Click here to view the EMI Independent Study course list.

Click here for IS-317 Introduction to CERT

Ongoing Training