The Capitol Region Emergency Planning Committee initiated the creation of the Capitol Region Citizen Corps Council. Citizen Corps, coordinated nationally by the Department of Homeland Security, was created to help coordinate volunteer activities that will make our communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to any emergency situation.
Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) are a Citizen Corp Council program. A CERT is a group that is organized and receives special training that enhances their ability to prepare for, respond to, recover from and mitigate against a major emergency or disaster situation.
To date, the following towns/entities within the region have active CERT teams: Andover, Bolton, Bristol, Burlington, Canton, East Haddam, East Hampton, East Hartford, Ellington, Enfield, Farmington, Granby, Hartford, Hebron, Manchester, Marlborough, Middletown, New Britain, Newington, Portland, Somers, Southington, South Windsor, Stafford, Tolland, Vernon, Wesleyan University, West Hartford, Windsor Locks, and a Fire Corps in Avon. If your community is interested in establishing a CERT team, CRCOG can provide trainers to teach the introductory 20-hour CERT course. Also, the region strongly supports the participation and completion of ICS 100 and 700 courses. Please visit www.ct.train.org to view regional training opportunities.
To learn more about Citizen Corps programs, please visit https://www.ready.gov/citizen-corps