Webster County
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

Protect Your Family

Learn how to protect your family from disasters by understanding the risks your community faces, developing a family emergency plan and preparing a disaster supply kit. Then practice your plan to find any weaknesses.

Know where you can get good, credible, timely information from the officials in your community. They will tell you where to go and what to do in an emergency.

Learn more at www.ready.gov.

"This course addressed what CERT meant and how to approach the situation at hand. Though giving the situations we may face will be challenging, going through the course has made it easier to deal with what may be faced."

"The instructors were wonderful. I feel I learned a lot."

"Each individual taught great. I got a lot out of every individual. Thank you."

About Our Program

The Webster County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program was launched in April 2008 with funding from southwest Missouri's Regional Homeland Security Oversight Committee (RHSOC).

The first class graduated in May 2008, and since then the team has swelled to nearly 40 participants.

The CERT program equips individuals with basic skills to help them save lives and protect their families and their neighbors for three days following a disaster. During those first critical hours, blocked or damaged roads, disrupted communications, or a high volume of calls for service may delay traditional first responders.

CERT members can provide an immediate response by putting out small fires, performing light search and rescue, and providing lifesaving basic medical care to their families and neighbors until first responders arrive.

The need for a trained cadre of volunteers has never been more evident than during the floods, tornadoes and ice storms of 2007 and 2008.

Watch an introduction to CERT video (19 minutes)

CERT Member Information