Each year communities across our state fall victim to some disaster. Emergency events may be in the form of severe storms, tornados, blizzards, floods or "man made" disasters. The damage caused by disasters effect all elements of society and government.

Catastrophic events severely restrict and often overwhelm emergency response resources, communications, transportation and utilities. In addition, they leave many individuals and neighborhoods cut off from outside support. When we hear about this or see it on the news, it always seems to be happening to someone else but

What If This Happened to You?

Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) are trained to help communities mitigate disasters during the first minutes and up to 72 hours following a disaster when damaged roads, disrupted communications, high call volume, etc., may restrict access by local police, fire and emergency medical services.

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training is a program designed to prepare Tazewell County residents to help themselves, their families and neighbors, in the event of a disaster.  The training covers basic skills that are important to know in a disaster when emergency services are not available.

Over the course of 3 days, individuals receive training in disaster preparedness, fire safety, disaster medical operations, light search and rescue, animals and disasters as well as team organization and management. CERT Training culminates with a disaster simulation and comprehensive course review.  All classes are taught by trained emergency personnel, including firefighters and emergency medical services personnel, with an emphasis on hands-on practice.

How Can I Get Involved?

Tazewell County Residents 16 years of age or older can register to take the CERT class.   The class is free of charge and will be scheduled in different areas of Tazewell County throughout the year.  Anyone wanting to learn more about disaster preparedness is encouraged to attend.

After graduation those residents 18 years of age or older who wish to become a part of the CERT Team in their area may apply for membership. 

Disclaimer:  This course does not replace Firefighter or EMT certification classes and will not certify anyone to become a first responder. 

Some "natural" groups that can benefit from the CERT program are:

Community Groups - Homeowners associations, neighborhood watch groups, faith-based groups and similar organizations, geographically distributed within a local area.

Business and Industry - Possible locations include office buildings, large hotels. and industrial complexes.

Schools - Universities and Colleges, School District Administrators, PTA organizations and faculty groups.



Who May Serve as a Member of a CERT (Team)?

Any individual, who desires to voluntarily serve the community in response to emergencies and disasters or as a member of a group or organization functioning in the public interest, may serve in a (CERT) Team as long as they do so under the auspices of the Tazewell County Public Safety and Technologies Department.  Members must agree to follow the program guidelines provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Division of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Tazewell County Public Safety and Technologies. Team membership, in Tazewell County, is contingent upon satisfactory completion of all training sessions, a basic background check and application/orientation process.

Private sector business and organizations may sponsor the CERT program for their employees, and may arrange for such training through their local emergency CERT Program Director.

For Further Information on Disaster Preparedness visit the links below: