CERT

Community Emergency Response Team

In a disaster or major incident, CERT teams are capable of triage, casualty collection site management and light search and rescue operations. CERT training includes fire safety, ICS principles and disaster psychology, giving trained volunteers greater-than-average resilience in high-stress situations.

The Burbank Fire Corps Program (BFCP) maintains a robust CERT capacity. Our CERT-trained volunteers are largely local and able to respond quickly in the wake of a disaster. In times of distress, Incident Commanders can be confident that all CERT missions can be accomplished by Burbank Fire Corps Program CERT component with safety and professionalism.

Unlike many municipalities, the Burbank Fire Corps Program CERT component is not a distinct program within the volunteer corps. Instead, volunteers are recruited as general Disaster Service Workers through the City of Burbank emergency services program, then branch their training to fit their available time and physical capacity. By not slotting our volunteers in any particular role, we give Branch Directors, Section Chiefs and Incident Commanders a more flexible tool to meet their objectives.

When objectives arise that fall within the CERT scope, CERT-trained volunteers follow an organizational protocol that creates CERT-capable teams. Those teams are then made available to the Incident Command structure to be deployed where they can do the most good. All of our CERT-certified volunteers have likewise been trained to be Incident Command System (ICS), National Incident Management System (NIMS) and California Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) compliant for seamless integration into a professional ICS structure.

For dates and information on Burbank Fire Corps CERT classes, please review our CERT Training section.