The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) program which helps people prepare to respond to emergency situations in their communities.

The CERT program trains members to respond to emergency situations under extreme circumstances. CERT members can give critical support to first responders in emergencies, provide immediate assistance to victims, organize other volunteers at a disaster site, and collect disaster intelligence to support first responder efforts. CERT members can also help with non-emergency projects that help improve the safety of the community.

The CERT concept was originally developed and implemented by the Los Angeles Fire Department in 1985, after a series of earthquakes that left many victims without emergency services.

The Town of Gilbert’s CERT program began in January 2004. The primary focus of the program is to establish a self-help cadre of citizen volunteers with the emphasis on self-sufficiency for their families first, and their neighborhoods second. These volunteers can be deployed at anytime a large-scale natural, man-made or terrorist disaster affects our community. It’s not uncommon that citizens will want to assist others during a major event. CERT training focuses on citizens being better prepared to minimize casualties and maximize life saving techniques. Access the complete history of CERT