The CERT National Program Office is pleased to present the CERT National Newsletter. This publication will offer updates on the CERT Program, highlight successes of local programs and provide valuable information for current and prospective CERT programs.
CERT Newsletter Issues
CERT E-Brief March 2016 – Volume 3, Issue 1
The March 2016 CERT E-Brief highlights a horse-mounted CERT in Anderson, South Carolina, a CERT in Irvine, California that supports the local police department, and a CERT in Dallas, Texas that has trained thousands of residents. This edition also features articles about the 2016 FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Awards and America’s PrepareAthon!
CERT E-Brief Decemeber 2015 – Volume 2, Issue 5
Stories featured in the December 2015 CERT E-Brief include the Bunkie, LA Teen CERT Academy helping youth become preparedness leaders, southern California tribal communities teaching teens emergency response skills, the Lincoln County School District Teen CERT program preparing student for earthquakes, the Westlake High School starting a Teen CERT program, and the FEMA Corps application period for summer 2016
CERT E-Brief September 2015 – Volume 2, Issue 4
Stories featured in the September 2015 CERT E-Brief include the Orange County CERT Mutual Aid Program winning a FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Award, Hawaii CERT responding to lava flow on the island, Springville, UT CERT engaging the community in preparedness drills, and Denton County, TX and Bixby, OK CERT programs responding to local floods.
CERT E-Brief July 2015 – Volume 2, Issue 3
The July 2015 E-Brief features stories highlighting CERT programs in Greenbrier and Monroe Counties in West Virginia responding to a local diesel spill, the Villages CERT program, which serves a large retirement community in Florida, and the Newport News, VA program, which partners with Commonwealth Catholic Charities to offer free disaster preparedness training to refugees participating in a resettlement program. This edition also includes a recap of the fifth annual CERTCON, a series of meetings and workshops organized by CERT programs in the National Capital Region.
CERT E-Brief May 2015 – Volume 2, Issue 2
The May 2015 E-Brief includes stories about the Daisy Mountain, AZ Fire Department and Whatcom County, WA CERT programs and their recent efforts in response to flooding in their communities and surrounding areas, a CERT best practices guide developed by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency for local programs, the Charlton County, GA CERT program’s important role in emergency response and recovery in a community with very few professional resources and capabilities, and the Erie County, PA CERT program’s response to disrupted water service at a local correctional facility.
CERT E-Brief March 2015 – Volume 2, Issue 1
Stories featured in the March 2015 E-Brief include the Galveston, TX CERT program’s response to the fifth largest oil spill in U.S. history, the Nashua, NH CERT program’s Thanksgiving Day response to a local winter storm, the New York City CERT program’s response to a building collapse in Harlem, and New Lenox, MI CERT helping its community to be recognized as a “Safe Community” by the National Safety Council.
CERT E-Brief December 2014 – Volume 1, Issue 3
The December 2014 E-Brief features the work of CERT programs in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, the Putnam County, Indiana CERT program's response to the 2014 Polar Vortex, the earthquake preparedness efforts of CERT programs in Los Angeles and the California Bay Area, and the Snomobiling CERT team established in Burleigh County, North Dakota.
CERT E-Brief September 2014 – Volume 1, Issue 2
Stories featured in the September 2014 CERT E-Brief include lessons learned from CERT Activation during Hurricane Sandy; the Brown County, South Dakota’s response to a local bomb scare; the role of CERT of disaster animal care; and a feature on CERT Competitive Events across the country.
CERT E-Brief July 2014 - Volume 1, Issue 1
The FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Division and the National CERT Office are excited to introduce the new CERT E-Brief, replacing the CERT Newsletter as the platform for sharing ideas, stories, and other information with the national CERT community. This new format will make it easier for readers to access stories about CERT programs and volunteers throughout the country and other useful information. Readers will be able to view the E-Brief across several new digital platforms, including e-mail apps for smart phones and tablets. Stories featured in the July 2014 CERT E-Brief include the Dearborn, MI CERT program’s collaboration with the United Arab Emirates, the Hamden CERT program’s support of an overnight apartment fire response, the efforts of several New Jersey CERT programs during the Super Bowl, and how the Montgomery County CERT program is integrating social media into emergency operations.
CERT Newsletter - Volume 4 - Issue 5, April 2014
This issue of the National CERT Newsletter includes stories from the North Carolina Central University Camus CERT program, the CERT response to the West, Texas Fertilizer Plant explosion, and winners of the 2012 and 2013 FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Awards. The newsletter also includes 2014 training dates at the Emergency Management Institute for the CERT Program Manager and Train-the-Trainer courses.
CERT Newsletter - Volume 4 - Issue 4, March 2013 (7-page PDF, 830 KB)
This issue of the National CERT Newsletter includes stories that represent the efforts of CERT programs in four states (California, Delaware, Missouri, and Oklahoma). They are all supporting emergency preparedness, disaster response and hometown resiliency in their own and in some cases, neighboring communities.
CERT Newsletter - Volume 4 - Issue 3, August 2012
This issue of the National CERT Newsletter includes stories from CERT programs in the central U.S. The central states, in FEMA Regions V-VII, experience or are at risk for a wide range of disasters - floods, winter storms, tornados, earthquakes and more. The CERT stories in this issue represent the efforts of the 610 registered CERT programs in the central U.S. They are all supporting disaster response and hometown resiliency in their communities.
CERT Newsletter - Volume 4 - Issue 2, April 2012
This issue highlights activities of CERT programs across the eastern United States. CERT programs in this part of the country experience a wide range of disaster- floods, winter storms, tornadoes, hurricanes and more. The eastern states have over 636 registered CERT programs and this issue features stories from Georgia, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina and Alabama.
CERT Newsletter - Volume 4 - Issue 1, December 2011
This exciting issue of the CERT National Newsletter features Giving CERT A Spanish Flavor, about CERT training for Spanish-speaking communities in Arizona, California and Texas. The CERT response to tornadoes in Gloucester County, VA, Walker County, AL and Joplin, MO shows how CERT members assisted communities who suffered devastating damage. Additioanlly there is a story on CERT members running the medical tent at a bike race provides a good example of CERT assisting with non-disaster public safety efforts. These articles and more showcase CERT members making an impact in their communities and providing help whenever and wherever needed.
CERT Newsletter - Volume 3 - Issue 4, June 2011
In this issue of the CERT National Newsletter, Volume 3, Issue 4, you will read about the creative and diverse ways CERT members serve their communities when they aren’t activated for emergency situations. Also featured in this issue is an article on the Pasadena Community College CERT’s full-scale ShakeOut exercise and the Denver CERT program’s success in building community partnerships. Last but not least, find out more about Georgetown University’s collaboration with other Washington, D.C. universities and colleges to provide CERT training.
CERT Newsletter - Volume 3 - Issue 3, January 2011
This is an exciting edition and features an informative story on Haiti CERT’s response to the devastating earthquake there a year ago. Also, be sure to read the stories on the rodeo in Guam that refreshes disaster readiness skills and how a “disability” is a special skill in disguise. Also learn how to promote CERT in your community and see what other programs are doing across the country.
CERT Newsletter - Volume 3 - Issue 2, October 2010
In this issue of the CERT National Newsletter, Volume 3, Issue 2, you will read about how a CERT in Haiti mobilized after the earthquake. Also, in this issue is a story of how the Charlottesville-UVA Albemarle County CERT responded to a snowstorm. You will also read about how the Hawaii CERT is preparing for a tsunami that could devastate the island state and how the Passaic Valley, NJ CERT responded to flooding.
CERT Newsletter – Volume 3 – Issue 1, April 2010
When a West Virginia teen uses his CERT training to save a life, people pay attention. That’s just one of the many stories featured in Volume 3, Issue 1 of the quarterly "CERT National Newsletter." Read about CERT members who staffed local H1N1 clinics by assisting with crowd and traffic management, patient registration and other duties as needed at the clinics. Discover how local CERT programs across the country have grown significantly from 2005 to 2009 in our interviews with CERT Program Coordinators in five states. Read details of how CERT members activated due to a fire at an oil refinery in Puerto Rico. These features and many more are ready for you to read.
CERT Newsletter – Volume 2 – Issue 3, November 2009
In this issue of the CERT National Newsletter, Volume 2, Issue 3, you will read about how CERTs around the country are engaging in drills and exercises to maintain individual and team skills. From regional CERT Olympics in Texas, Oregon and Washington, to the AMGEN Tour of California bicycle race, to search and rescue exercises in Ohio and Virginia and more. CERTs around the country are finding innovative and interesting ways to train. The issue also features a request for CERTs to submit their own drills and exercises for inclusion in upcoming publications from the National CERT Program.
CERT Newsletter – Volume 2 – Issue 2, August 2009
In this issue of the CERT newsletter, Volume 2, Issue 2, you will read about the Hamden, CT CERT training on public safety officer rehabilitation and on-scene victim care. Another story "CERT Programs: Rural and Urban" describes the similarities CERT members receive in both locations and also the challenges both communities are faced with. The article on Teen CERT is a compilation of five individuals from across the country who conduct Teen CERT in their local communities.
CERT Newsletter – Volume 2 – Issue 1, April 2009
This issue of the quarterly "CERT National Newsletter" from the CERT National Program Office features an article on two CERT Coordinators – one with a well-established program and the other with a relatively new program – illustrating the differences and similarities in running their CERT programs, an article on Guam CERT conducting training to high school students and university students on the island and stories where CERT members have used their training to respond to disasters in their communities.
CERT Newsletter – Volume 1 – Issue 2, January 2009
The CERT National Program Office is pleased to issue Volume 1, Issue 2 of the quarterly "CERT National Newsletter." This edition features articles on CERT Basic Training conducted in Mandarin, Campus CERT and other local CERT exercises, local CERTs' work during Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in Lousiana and CERTs in action during the U. S. Olympic track and field trials, as well as stories on CERT training initiatives taking place across the country.
CERT Newsletter – Volume 1 – Issue 1, September, 2008
This issue includes greetings from FEMA Administrator Paulison, articles on the CERT partnership with Meals On Wheels and on CERT exercises and training around the country and news on updates to the CERT training materials, as well as information on how to submit stories for publication in the newsletter.