Community Emergency Response Team

Preparing to Respond

The CERT Program, which is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Citizen Corp Program, helps train people to be better prepared to respond to emergency situations in their communities.

CERT Program logo

Supporting First Responders & Others

When emergencies occur, CERT members can give critical support to first responders, provide immediate assistance to victims, and organize spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site. CERT members can also help with non-emergency projects that help improve the safety of the community.

The CERT concept was developed and implemented by the Los Angeles City Fire Department in 1985. FEMA made this training available nationally in 1993. Since this time, CERT programs have been established in more than 340 communities in 45 states.

Team Composition

The Town of Brookline's CERT team now consists of 100 trained and dedicated volunteers who are willing to assist emergency response personnel in times of crisis.

Training Received

CERT trainees received the following types of training:

  • Avian flu awareness
  • Basic fire suppression
  • CPR / AED and first aid
  • Incident Command System (ICS)
  • National Incident Management System (NIMS)
  • Public safety and emergency response procedures
  • Red Cross Shelter Operations
  • Other skills that can be utilized to assist responding to a terrorist attack or natural disaster

Contact Information

Email officer Casey Hatchett or call 617-730-2734 for more information.