How to Start a Community Emergency Response Team

As extreme weather and natural disasters continue to plague the United States, communities across the country are taking preparedness into their own hands.

Professional first responder resources can become overwhelmed during emergencies, and community-led emergency response teams have proven to be essential lines of defense. Not only do these teams support the community, but they also empower residents to make a positive difference in their neighborhood. 

What is a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)?

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) established the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program to train civilian community members in basic disaster response skills, including fire safety, search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations. These qualified individuals assist after a hurricane or other disaster when professional emergency response workers are overwhelmed.

Communities can offer a free 20-hour program to train and certify CERT volunteers. These programs typically conclude with a disaster simulation, where volunteers put their training into practice and discuss it afterward.

If your community doesn't offer such a program, you can request that your city government add it, or take the online course offered by FEMA and establish your own neighborhood response team. 

How to set up your own Community Emergency Response Team

The good news is that even without official training being offered in your area, you and your neighbors can establish a community response team to support one another in case of an emergency. Here are some steps to get you started:

1. Talk to neighbors and assess interest. To set up your neighborhood emergency response team, you will need team members. With a few interested individuals, you can spread the word about the program and recruit more people.
2. Assign roles. Early in the team-creation process, determine whether any of your neighbors have special skills or interests that could be helpful in an emergency. This could be anything from medical training to wilderness survival skills. Knowing this information will help when assigning roles, such as medical lead, communications lead, logistics and supply coordinator, and more.
3. Create a basic emergency response plan. Your plan should include an assessment of potential hazards and communication channels, plus neighborhood meetings and shelter locations. This plan can also include a neighborhood inventory, allowing you to be aware of vulnerable community members who may need extra support in an emergency, such as the elderly or people who do not have personal vehicles.
4. Schedule training sessions. Even if you don't have in-person CERT training in your area, you can bring in trainers to teach skills such as first aid and CPR that can help out in times of emergency. Your local fire department or emergency management office can often provide these services. Offering these to your neighbors creates a deeper well of knowledge in your neighborhood.
5. Collect emergency supplies. Someone on the team can be in charge of gathering generators, tools and other shared resources that will be helpful in an emergency. This person can also provide neighbors with a list of recommended items to keep on hand at their own homes, such as first aid kits, bottled water and canned food supplies.
6. Schedule drills and provide community updates. It is a good idea to practice using the emergency response plan for an emergency, so that any kinks can be worked out and the plan adjusted. This also helps people feel more confident when the time comes to use their skills. 

The power of neighbors helping neighbors

Neighborhood response teams don't just fill in the gaps when emergency resources are stretched thin; they foster stronger connections and provide a shared purpose among residents.

You might not know when the next hurricane will be coming your way, but knowing you have a cohort of knowledgeable neighbors to support you when it does can alleviate anxiety and provide a sense of control.

These teams provide quicker response times to check on elderly neighbors, offer basic first aid, and even organize evacuations. Most importantly, they transform neighborhoods into resilient, tight-knit communities where people look out for one another, before and after the crisis.

Resilience starts on your block. Whether it’s organizing your first meeting or printing a neighborhood contact list, small actions today can make a life-saving difference tomorrow.