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The Community Emergency Response Team training program prepares citizens and communities to take a more active role in emergency preparedness. CERT participants are trained and maintained as part of a neighborhood or workplace response team. CERT training can give you the basic skills needed immediately following a major disaster, when emergency services may not be available and when residents may have to rely on each other for life-saving and life-sustaining needs.
You will learn how to provide help for your family and neighbors in emergency situations – whether caused by terrorism, technological disasters or severe weather. You will learn about disaster preparedness and response, basic fire safety, first aid, search and rescue techniques and terrorism preparedness.
The neighborhoods below have organized Community Emergency Response Teams and have developed Web sites. If your neighborhood or organization has a CERT team and would like your contact information or Web site listed here, please contact the VDEM Webmaster at pio@vdem.virginia.gov. There is also a list of city and county CERTs available on this site.
The links below will open in a new browser window.
05.09.09: The City of Williamsburg’s Spring 2009 CERT training for disaster preparedness conducted its disaster drill on Saturday, May 9, at the Dillard complex at the College of William & Mary.
04.25.09: Norfolk’s CERT Team conducted a Regional CERT exercise. The exercise took place at Lakewood Park and simulated a plane crash with 20+ people on board. View Photos by Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association of Norfolk at CERT Training Exercise 2009 [opens in a new browser window]
03.12.07: Arlington County CERT is featured in a film available on the Homeland Defense Week Web site. View the video now. [opens in a new browser window]
View presentations and other materials from the 2005 Virginia Public Safety Outreach Conference and Training.
The City of Williamsburg’s Spring 2009 CERT training for disaster preparedness conducted its disaster drill on Saturday, May 9, at the Dillard complex at the College of William & Mary. Volunteers from the city’s Youth Achievement Program joined other volunteers to be victims in a simulated tornado disaster. 12 city residents were trained, bringing the total city CERT volunteers to 72. Anyone interested in joining the city’s Neighborhood Response Teams may contact Amy Stoll at 220-6198.
Pittsylvania County CERT members hand out preparedness
information during National Night Out, August 3, 2004.
March 15, 2005: CERT Update. A newsletter from Arlington CERT. [38 kb PDF]
Dec. 4, 2004: York County CERT Team partners with local Home Depot. Read more about the event.
Aug. 12, 2004: Danville CERT Team on the scene after August tornado struck. See photos.
Volunteer King William CERT Coordinator Pat Pitts was a judge for a Los Angeles CERT competition April 3-4, 2004. The competition included CERTs from across the country who participated in an earthquake scenario to test their CERT knowledge and skills. Read more about her experience.
VDOT Team Finishes CERT Training. Read more
