C.E.R.T. Community Emergency Response Team

Islamorada Fire Rescue and Emergency Management Department provides a Community Emergency Response (CERT) program to train people to be prepared for emergency situations in their community and neighborhood and support local emergency management officials. Additionally, the CERT members would provide critical support to the Village EOC and first responders in emergencies, provide immediate assistance to victims, collect disaster information to support first responder efforts, and provide that first neighborhood help in the immediate hours following a major emergency.

Activities Conducted By Our CERT During Emergencies Activations

• Provide First Responders support.
• Residential / Neighborhood checks.
• Managing/processing supplies or donations.
• Initial damage assessment.
• Staffing Emergency Operating Center.
• Staffing shelters.
• Community relations / Distribution of emergency information to the public.

Non-Emergency Functions Performed By CERT Members

• Support for emergency planning (neighborhoods, schools, community).
• Support for public safety at community events.
• Emergency preparedness activities.

Who Can Join Our Team?

• General public.
• Specific neighborhood groups.
• Businesses.
• Critical infrastructure sectors (e.g., utilities, public transportation).
• Government groups.
• Faith-based organizations.
• Teens / Youth.
• People with disabilities.

Training Requirements for CERT Members

• IS-100.a Introduction to Incident Command System (ICS).
• IS-200.a ICS for Single Resources.
• IS-317: Introduction to CERTs.
• IS-700.a National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction.
• IS-800.b National Response Framework, An Introduction.
• Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).
• Automatic External Defibrillation (AED).
• CERT Basic Training (Approx 20 hours in the classroom).

CERT Online Training

Click here for CERT online training.

CERT Online Resources

Click here for CERT National News Letters.