CERT - Is It for You?

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training teaches you how to take care of yourself and your family in the event of an emergency.

Training Sections


The course includes 9 training sections. A fire safety section, including use of fire extinguishers, shows things to look for in your home to keep the potential of fire low. You will also learn what to look for during and after an earthquake.
CERT Training Class
The search and rescue section highlights systematic searches of rooms and how to rescue someone using cribbing.

A basic first aid section addresses assessing patients for breathing, bleeding, and shock, and gives you the skills to deliver initial treatment. This section also provides the criteria for triage done by the CERT teams, which enables the EMS to be more efficient when they arrive on the scene.

One section introduces the Incident Command System (ICS), an emergency-response communication system.

The disaster psychology training section increases your awareness of how you and others could feel during a crisis, and ways to help cope with those feelings.

The section on terrorism heightens your awareness of potential threats, including area-specific issues.

The course ends with a “hands-on” exercise: real-life simulation to help the responders use what they have learned and identify which skills they need to refine.

We are planning additional training sessions on triage, CPR, basic first aid, hospital radio and phone communications, and basic decontamination procedures for the hospital and fire department.

Community Engagement


The Citizen Corps Council and the Madison County Department of Emergency Services are encouraged by the community’s enthusiasm and willingness to be a part of the emergency response network.