Polk County 

Community Emergency Response Team

An Introduction to the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

Did you know…

v                 There is a very good chance that your neighborhood will be on its own during the early stages following a catastrophic disaster.

v                 After a catastrophic disaster, citizens will volunteer to help.  Without proper training these people can expose themselves to potential injury and even death!

v                 Experience has shown that basic training in disaster survival and rescue skills improves the ability of citizens to survive until responders or other assistance arrives.

The Polk County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program

Polk County Emergency Management and the Polk County Emergency Planning Committee has become a part of a national network of CERT communities.  We have developed a program that is designed to help neighborhoods prepare for and respond after catastrophic disasters such as tornadoes, winter storms, flooding and other major emergencies.

Individuals completing CERT training may be affiliated with one or more of the following teams:

·                    Neighborhood CERT: Ten or more neighbors serving immediate residential neighborhood

·                    Business or Government CERT: Co-workers serving places of business and surrounding areas, or county, municipal or state agency employees.

·                    School CERT: School faculty and staff serving school and surrounding areas.

·                    Faith-based CERT: Teams based at a house of worship serving the immediate neighborhood, or traveling into areas that need assistance.

If you would like to become CERT trained or your group would like to become a CERT Team contact Polk County Emergency Management at (828) 894-3067 or sghalford@alltel.net