BCERT

Community Emergency Response Team Training

Origin of CERT

The CERT program began in 1985 after emergency officials studied how communities in Japan prepare for disasters. They learned that training people in basic emergency skills — such as first aid, fire safety, light search and rescue, and evacuation — helps communities respond more safely.

That same year, a major earthquake in Mexico City showed both the power and the risk of volunteer response. Neighbors helped save more than 800 lives, but many untrained volunteers were injured or killed because they were not aware of safety hazards. These events showed the need to train community members to safely help their neighbors when professional emergency responders are overwhelmed. In 1993, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) made CERT a national program.

Today, there are about 2,700 CERT programs across the United States, and more than 600,000 people have completed CERT training. In 2003, Benton County brought CERT to our community and has been leading the way for individual and community preparedness education for 20 years. The Benton County CERT program is one of 50 in the State of Oregon.

Looking to volunteer for Emergency Management? Click here to visit the Volunteer Corps website for details.

The Benton County CERT Training Program

The Benton County CERT curriculum trains individuals on what to do before, during, and after an emergency to safely help themselves, loved ones, and neighborhoods. With support from the Benton County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management, Benton County CERT is helping to build a culture of individual & community preparedness. Certified instructors provide a safe, positive, and inclusive learning environment for people of all abilities to learn emergency preparedness!

The CERT Curriculum

The CERT curriculum is taught using a hybrid delivery. The online course is completed at your own pace, wherever you feel most comfortable. An in-person skills check weekend follows where participants get to put it all into practice. We do not test, but coach everyone through to gain confidence and support understanding of these topics:

Disaster Preparedness

CERT Organization

Disaster Medical Operations – Part 1

Disaster Medical Operations – Part 2

Disaster Psychology

Fire Safety and Utility Controls

Light Search and Rescue Operations

Terrorism and CERT

Course Review and Disaster Simulation

Independent Learning

Whether you’re already in a CERT program or want to learn more about becoming involved, the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) interactive web courses are free and available to anyone.

FEMA Independent Study IS-317: Introduction to CERT – This Independent Study (IS) course is an introduction to the CERT program.

FEMA Independent Study IS-315: CERT and the ICS – This course introduces CERT leaders to the Incident Command System (ICS), a proven management system used by emergency managers.