Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
The Ottawa County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) helps provide critical support during a disaster. The role of a CERT volunteer is to help others until trained emergency personnel arrive. They also help year-round with preparedness outreach to educate citizens to help themselves, their families, and neighbors. They also offer a FREE 8-week CERT Basic course that is open to members of the community in the spring and fall.
First formed in 2011, the Ottawa County CERT is guided by principles developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Within the Citizen Corps programs by the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office, we focus on educational outreach and providing volunteer assistance which may include:
- Promote disaster readiness through CERT Basic Training. Topics include: preparedness, fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations.
- Provide non-emergency readiness outreach to communities and respond when called- out to emergency situations.
- Assist in the recovery after disasters such as flood response and debris clean up.
- Train and drill to improve team response readiness and effectiveness.
- Staff informational events and community outreach.
- Partner with other Citizen Corps and volunteer groups under the umbrella of the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office to assist where needed.
