Fairfax.County.CERT, Neighbor

The Fairfax County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program prepares regular citizens to safely help themselves, their families, and their communities during major emergencies where first responders are delayed.

During CERT training, experienced instructors from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department and CERT volunteers teach disaster response skills, such as fire suppression, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. In hands-on training, classroom learning, and realistic exercises, CERTs learn how to prepare for disasters, and if a disaster occurs, what to do until professional first responders arrive.

CERTs deploy only during major disasters of such large scale that regular emergency services are overwhelmed (for example, earthquakes or major storms that produce mass casualties), and only to help their neighborhoods and local communities.