Help Your Community

Your community needs your help! The Community Emergency Response Team program trains volunteers to assist their neighborhoods during emergencies. When professional responders are delayed or overwhelmed, CERT members step in to provide critical support.

You can become a CERT member by contacting the City of Salem Fire Department's emergency manager.

Why CERT is Important

Emergencies and disasters can happen at any time, and professional responders may not always be able to reach everyone quickly. CERT volunteers fill this gap by helping their neighbors stay safe and manage the situation until help arrives. This program empowers community members to take action, save lives and reduce harm during emergencies.

By joining CERT, you not only gain valuable skills, but also contribute to making your community stronger and more prepared for the unexpected.

What CERT Members Do

Learn Life-Saving Skills

CERT members receive training to handle emergencies effectively. During a 21-hour course, they learn how to care for themselves and others during the critical first three days after a disaster. This is the time when roads may be blocked, communication systems may fail and emergency responders may be delayed.

The training includes hands-on exercises and activities to practice these skills. CERT members can also attend additional training sessions to improve their knowledge and abilities.

Support the Community

After completing training, CERT members can volunteer for projects that help their community prepare for emergencies. These projects might include organizing disaster drills, identifying hazards or teaching others how to stay safe.

Skills You Will Learn

As a CERT member, you will gain practical skills that can help during disasters and everyday emergencies. These include:

• Understanding hazards that could affect your home and community
• Preparing yourself and your neighbors for disasters
• Identifying and reducing fire hazards in your home and workplace
• Working as a team to put out small fires
• Providing basic first aid, such as opening airways, controlling bleeding, and treating shock
• Assessing injuries and setting up a treatment area
• Planning and performing search and rescue operations
• Searching buildings safely and removing debris to help victims
• Protecting yourself and others during rescue efforts

How to Join CERT

If you are interested in joining CERT, visit the Salem Oregon Community Emergency Response Team page. There, you can find a calendar of events, a training schedule and contact information for the program.

Training and Additional Resources

For more information about training opportunities, visit the Surviving Cascadia website or the Salem CERT Facebook page. These resources provide updates on training schedules and events to help you stay prepared.