To become a Florence County CERT member an applicant must first complete the CERT Basic Training Course provided by Florence County Emergency Management. This course is considered the pathway to becoming a CERT member and no applicant will be considered unless this course has been completed. If an applicant has completed the CERT Basic Training Course in another state or county they must retake the course as it is provided by Florence County Emergency Management as certain aspects of the training may differ.

Once completing the CERT Basic Training course, potential CERT members must complete a criminal background check.

Upon completing the criminal background check, potential members will be asked to complete an in person interview with the CERT Program Manager and other Florence County Emergency Management staff. If selected, the applicant will be contacted by the CERT Program Manager.

Membership Requirements

The following is a list of requirements to be a Florence County CERT Member:

1. Completion of the CERT Basic Training course
2. Completion of IS-100 and IS-700
3. Members must attend eight (8) of the ten (10) regularly scheduled CERT Monthly meetings. Meetings are held on the second Thursday of every month, excluding November and December. (If a CERT member is unable to attend a meeting due to extenuating circumstances, they must notify the CERT Program Manager.)
4. Participate in activations, requests for assistance and additional training
5. Members must submit to a criminal background check every three (3) years

CERT Review and Continuing Education Training

 NIMS/ICS courses required for CERT Membership:

• IS-100: Introduction to the Incident Management System (ICS)
• IS-700: Introduction to the National Incident Management System (NIMS)

FEMA IS-317: Introduction to CERT (On-line):

• “Introduction to Community Emergency Response Teams,” IS-317, is an independent study course that serves as an introduction to CERT for those wanting to complete training or as a refresher for current team members. IS-317 can be taken by anyone interested in CERT. However, to become a CERT Member, one must complete the classroom training.
• Click HERE to take the course

Downloadable CERT Training Materials:

• English version of the CERT Instructor Guide
• English version of the CERT Participant Manual
• English version of the CERT PowerPoint Slides

CERT Training Videos:

• CERT in Action
• CERT Training: Disaster Psychology
• CERT Training: Safety in the After-Disaster Environment
• CERT Triage: Handling Mass Casualty Situations
• Fire Safety: The CERT Member’s Role
• Demonstrating Victim Carries
• Demonstrating Head-to-Toe Assessment
• Coaching Hands-On Practice – Victim Extrication