Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

  • Basic Needs
  • Community
  • Crisis
  • Disaster Response
  • Education
  • Emergency Sheltering
  • Preparedness

Who We Are

We are seeking out CERT leaders! Are you interested in organizing and leading a CERT team in your area within Skagit County? Please reach out to the Department of Emergency Management. If we don't have leaders, we can't have teams. If you are passionate about preparedness and community organizing, we'd love to talk more about opportunities! 

We know that police and fire emergency services may not be available to meet all the immediate needs of the public following a major disaster. We also know that many people will spontaneously volunteer to help others until professional responders arrive. This was the case following the 1988 Mexico City earthquake where untrained, spontaneous volunteers saved 800 people. 

Unfortunately, about 100 people lost their lives while attempting to save others simply because they were not trained to assess the dangers in a post earthquake environment.

CERT is about personal preparedness and being able to assist others until help arrives. 

CERT training is currently being offered in Skagit County via a hybrid delivery method where 12 hours of course materials are delivered in a self-paced online format. Once that part of the training has been completed, a 16 hour in-person practical is performed over the course of two days in a group setting with other CERT students.

CERT Curriculum Descriptions:

Disaster Preparedness

  • CERT introduction and history
  • National potential in the Pacific Northwest
  • Actions taken before, during and after disaster

Disaster Fire Safety

  • Fire chemistry, hazardous materials and fire suppression strategies
  • Fire extinguisher operation
  • Extinguish live fire

Disaster Medical Operations

  • Diagnose and treat airway obstruction, bleeding and shock
  • Learn principles of triage
  • Head-to-toes patient assessment
  • Establish a medical treatment area
  • Basic first aid

Light Search and Rescue Operations

  • Search and rescue (SAR) planning and size-up
  • Search techniques
  • Lifting and cribbing

CERT Organization and Disaster Psychology

  • Signs and symptoms of disaster victim and rescuer distress
  • CERT organization and management principles
  • Need for documentation
  • Take home exam

Terrorism, Course Review and Disaster Simulation

  • B-NICE and CBRNE
  • Self-decontamination
  • Time, distance and shielding
  • Shelter-in-place
  • Final exam review
  • Practice skills learned during the previous seven sessions

What We Do

CERT provides the emergency organization and coordination of resources to minimize the loss of life and to protect property and the environment in the event of natural, human-caused, or technological emergencies or disasters affecting Skagit County. The Skagit County Department of Emergency Management (DEM) provides emergency management services to Anacortes, Burlington, Concrete, Hamilton, La Conner, Lyman, Mount Vernon, Sedro-Woolley and the unincorporated areas of Skagit County.

While we are working on developing our website, check out the informative video from FEMA, at the side of the screen, to learn more about the national CERT program.

CERT is volunteer-based and can only be called to respond during a County EOC activation. Individual requests for response cannot be fulfilled.

Program Video