CERT Training: How Neighbors Become Disaster Responders
Updated: 2 days ago
When a tornado, flood or wildfire hits, the first people on the scene usually aren't firefighters or paramedics. They're neighbors. Two stories from the past week show communities taking that seriously, and they're a good reminder that the best prep isn't always something you buy. Sometimes it's a free class.
In southcentral Kentucky, counties just picked up hundreds of equipment packs to launch new Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT). In California, Santa Barbara County held its first countywide CERT drill since 2019. Here's what happened, what CERT training actually covers, and how to use the same ideas in your own preps.
Kentucky: 500 CERT Packs for a 10-County Region
The Bowling Green Daily News reported on October 20, 2026 that the Barren River Area Development District (BRADD) secured about $140,000 in funding from the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security. That money came to the state from FEMA.
BRADD ran trainings over the summer for county emergency managers and volunteers, who can now set up CERT teams and train residents in their own communities. Emergency management officials from several counties met at Ephram White Park to pick up equipment for future volunteers.
The numbers, per the report:
500 CERT packs were delivered, to be split equally across BRADD's 10-county area.
The packs include flashlights, helmets, hard hats, notebooks, tools, pop-up tents, personal protective equipment, first aid kits and field operation manuals.
Simpson County's emergency management office has been teaching CERT volunteers for 17 years.
The local class is about 30 hours and, as Simpson County Emergency Management Director Robert Palmer put it, "doesn't cost anything but time."
Tyler Hopkins, the BRADD community development specialist who wrote the grant, described CERT teams as "hyperlocal emergency response teams that can work in neighborhoods during a disaster." He said volunteers can do light search and rescue, basic first aid and put out small fires, so professional crews can focus on the hardest jobs. He also noted the region has been hit by tornadoes, flooding and winter storms in the past five years.
Palmer added a point every prepper will appreciate: "Every person that we can teach is a person or potentially a family that can better be taken care of during a disaster."
California: Santa Barbara County's First Countywide CERT Drill Since 2019
A day later, Coastal View News reported on October 21, 2026 that seven Carpinteria CERT volunteers joined teams from across Santa Barbara County for a weekend drill at Santa Barbara High School. It was the first countywide CERT drill since 2019.
The exercise brought together:
41 registered CERT members
14 planning team members
12 volunteers playing disaster survivors
5 fire personnel and one evaluator
Teams came from Carpinteria, Buellton, Goleta, Lompoc, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and Solvang, plus Allan Hancock College, UC Santa Barbara and three fire agencies. United Way sponsored lunch, the Fire Services Training Institute provided drill supplies, and the high school lent its campus. The paper pointed out that earthquakes, wildfires, flooding and highway closures can all slow emergency response in the area. That's exactly the gap CERT volunteers are trained to fill.
What Is CERT Training?
CERT is a national program run through FEMA. According to Ready.gov's CERT page, it trains volunteers in basic disaster response skills, including:
Fire safety
Light search and rescue
Team organization
Disaster medical operations
A few facts from FEMA worth knowing:
The concept started with the Los Angeles City Fire Department in 1985, and the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake confirmed the need to train civilians.
CERT became a national program in 1993.
There are more than 3,200 local CERT programs and more than 600,000 people have trained since then, with programs in all 50 states.
There are versions for teens, college campuses and workplaces.
FEMA offers free online independent study courses, including IS-317: Introduction to CERT, open to anyone.
What CERT is (and isn't)
CERT volunteers are not replacements for firefighters, EMTs or police. The whole idea is the opposite: trained residents take care of themselves, their families and their block first, so professionals can focus on the most serious calls. If there's a life-threatening emergency, call 911 first.
What This Means for Your Preps
You don't need to wait for a grant in your county to think like a CERT volunteer. Here's how to put these lessons to work this week.
1. Look for a CERT class near you
As Palmer suggested, contact your city or county emergency management office and ask whether they run CERT training and when the next class starts. If nothing's scheduled, take FEMA's free IS-317 online course listed on Ready.gov to learn the basics. Many local programs also welcome volunteers for drills, like the "survivors" in Santa Barbara.
2. Build your own "CERT-style" pack
Look at what Kentucky's volunteers are getting: light, head protection, a notebook, tools, PPE and first aid. That's a smart template for a home or car response bag. A simple version:
A hands-free light. A headlamp keeps both hands free for first aid or moving debris. The Rothco Cree LED Headlamp is a low-cost option to keep in a bag or glovebox.
A real first aid kit. The Rothco General Purpose First Aid Kit has over 60 supplies in a gasket-sealed hard case that keeps them clean and dry.
Bleeding control. For a car or house kit, a trauma kit is a bleeding and first-aid bag. It isn't a hospital in a bag, and supplies only help if you know how to use them, which is one more reason to take a class.
A bag that keeps it organized. The Rothco EMS Trauma Backpack has multiple compartments for medical gear and is MOLLE-compatible, so you can find what you need fast.
The basics you already own: work gloves, safety glasses, a dust mask, a hard hat or helmet if you have one, a notebook and pencil, and a small tool kit.
3. Practice, don't just pack
Santa Barbara's teams hadn't run a countywide drill in seven years, and they made it a priority to get back to it. Gear in a closet is only half a plan. Once or twice a year:
Walk through what you'd do if a storm or quake hit while everyone's home, and while everyone's apart.
Open your first aid kit and make sure everyone knows what's inside.
Check headlamp batteries and swap anything expired.
4. Get to know your block
CERT works because it's hyperlocal. You can start smaller: learn which neighbors are older, live alone, have medical needs or have useful skills (nurse, electrician, ham radio operator). If you rent or live in a condo, our guide to apartment and HOA prepping without a bunker has more ideas for building a plan with the people around you.
5. Write down what you'd do
CERT volunteers learn team organization for a reason: in a disaster, a simple plan beats improvising. Write a one-page plan with meeting spots, out-of-area contacts and who checks on whom. Keep a copy in your kit.
What's Confirmed and What Isn't
Confirmed (per the Bowling Green Daily News): about $140,000 in FEMA-originated funding through the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security, 500 CERT packs for BRADD's 10 counties, and a roughly 30-hour local class.
Confirmed (per Coastal View News): Santa Barbara County's first countywide CERT drill since 2019, with 41 registered CERT members taking part.
Not reported: exact class dates for each Kentucky county. Check with your county emergency management office for schedules.
FAQ
What does CERT stand for?
Community Emergency Response Team. It's a FEMA-supported program that trains volunteers in basic disaster response skills like fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations.
How long is CERT training?
It varies by program. The Kentucky program in this story described a 30-hour class taught in units. FEMA also offers a free online introduction course, IS-317.
Does CERT training cost anything?
Many local programs are free. Simpson County's director said the class "doesn't cost anything but time." Check with your local program to confirm.
Do I need medical experience to join CERT?
No. CERT is designed for regular residents. Training covers basic first aid and disaster medical operations from the ground up.
What should a basic CERT-style kit include?
Based on the Kentucky packs: a flashlight or headlamp, head protection, work gloves and other PPE, a first aid kit, a notebook, basic tools and a field manual or reference card.
The Bottom Line
The Kentucky and Santa Barbara stories are about ordinary people deciding to be useful when it counts. You can do the same: find a class, build a simple response bag, practice once in a while and get to know the people on your street. That's preparedness that helps your whole neighborhood, not just your household.
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