Do you know how to assist your neighbors and co-workers in any emergency? Will you be able to help if emergency services are delayed? If your answer was not a resounding “Yes!”, then consider taking the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) course offered by Montgomery County, MD CERT Team. Montgomery County’s enhanced […]

New CERT Basic Class- Registration Opens February 28, 2025!

Hello State/Territory/FEMA CERT Coordinators and NCA Leadership, (Please share this email with your CERT network as appropriate) We are excited to share that US Senator Butler has introduced a bill to bolster Federal investments in Disaster Preparedness (https://www.butler.senate.gov/press-releases/butler-introduces-legislation-to-bolster-federal-investments-in-disaster-preparedness/). (See below) The bill includes support for the CERT program: “Support for Community Emergency […]

Legislative bill to support CERT programs – Investing in Community ...

Spring 2024 Program Managers Moment: It’s been a bit since my last update here and wow have we been busy! In December 2023, Montgomery CERT celebrated 20 years of service to the people of Montgomery County. We were honored to have County Executive Marc Elrich as our special guest. As […]

Program Manager’s Moment- Spring 2024

It’s been a busy spring for Montgomery County CERT, and I am please to offer a brief update on some of our projects. First, CERT has a new home in Montgomery County! As of this month, we will have additional office, training, and storage space available at the new Community […]

Program Manager’s Moment May 2023

We had a great CERT General Meeting, which included the 2023-2024 election which brought new leadership to our CERT organization. Meet our New Officers! President- Severin Hanou Vice-President- Brett Wernick Secretary- Joe Massi Treasurer- TBD Guest speaker Katelyn Keegan led a great discussion about the Good Samaritan legal considerations and […]

CERT General Membership Meeting April 2023

This past Sunday, our Teen CERT class, led by Kathee Henning graduated from their 42 hour program. Congratulations to all of the students that participated.

Teen CERT Class Graduation

January 24, 2023 Dear CERT Members: Happy New Year! I hope you each had a safe and happy holiday season. As we begin 2023, a quick look back and a look ahead seems in order. In 2022, Montgomery CERT continued to serve our community with the roll out of CERT […]

Program Manager’s Moment- January 2022

November 1, 2022 Dear CERT Members: As we head into the holiday season your Montgomery County CERT is a busy as ever. We are well underway with our fall CERT Basic class, and this past Sunday’s Storm Camp was a rousing success. Kudos and thanks to all involved in these […]

Program Manager’s Moment- November 2022

As Labor Day rolls through… wow it’s been a busy CERT Summer! Our Go Team has been very busy this summer with planned events and our mission from MCFRS to deploy CERT 700 and a crew on large scale events that take place on very hot days. We set up […]

Program Manger’s Moment September 2022

As you can see the Montgomery County CERT website has a new look. What seems to have happened overnight is actually the result of many months of work by our wonderful IT team of Jay Kaplon and Jennifer St. James, with help from many of our CERT members. A special […]

Program Manager’s Moment- May/June 2022

Happy New Year! As year two of the pandemic ends, and year three begins, I want to thank each of you for your dedication to each other and our program under trying circumstances. We may soon need to answer the call again as CERT members setting an example of preparedness […]

Program Manager’s Moment January 1, 2022

There are 25 million people in America who have limited English proficiency and need critical preparedness resources in a language they understand. This same group of people may want an opportunity to volunteer with groups to help build their personal resilience and support their community. One way to attract volunteers […]

CERT Fact Sheet From FEMA

As we move into the fall MC CERT has been busy as ever. Congrats to our CERT Basic graduates who patiently waited for many months of lockdowns etc. before we were able to offer an in-person practicum this July. Welcome all! We are also once again offering in person CPR […]

Program Manager’s Moment- August 2021

Dear CERT Member: Lots of news and info to cover as we roll into summer: First, let me thank our CERT volunteers at the Germantown mass vaccination site, and the MobileMed clinics. You truly have a made a difference for hundreds of people in our county. As Montgomery County moves […]

Program Manager’s Moment- June/July 2021

CERT Con 2021 is almost here! Hosted by Fairfax, County VA. Visit the CERT Con Website to sign up today. CERTCON

CERTCON 2021

It has been a very busy early spring here for Montgomery County CERT. We have partnered with MobileMed (a non-profit clinic providing heath care to underserved populations in Montgomery County) to assist at their vaccination clinics. They have provided vaccines for our volunteers in exchange for our help. We are […]

Program Manager’s Moment May/June 2021

Here’s the May-June Alexandria CERT newsletter.  It has articles on home and child safety, and, for summer weather preparedness, flooding awareness and safety and windstorms.  As always, feel free to share the newsletter with family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues.

Alexandria CERT May/June Newsletter

A Spring 2021 Update: This month marks the official one year anniversary of our Montgomery County CERT COVID-19 Task Force. You may have noticed we have been quiet lately, but that is about to change. Our Go Team is currently on stand by to assist the county at Points of […]

Program Manager’s Moment- March/April 2021

Civic Innovation Challenge Team Members
Montgomery County (Maryland) CERT and their academic partners were selected as Stage 1 awardees of the Civic Innovation Challenge, a national research and action competition in the smart and connected communities domain. Their project focuses on training community members to work with expert systems in identifying COVID-19 and other disaster-related risks posted on social media. […]

Civic Innovation Challenge Announcement: Congratulations to the VERT Team!

So Labor Day has come and we are stepping into fall already! As you may know, September is Preparedness Month so we have included a link to a very useful newsletter from our friends in Alexandria VA CERT. This issue of the Alexandria CERT Newsletter focuses on preparedness for two […]

Program Manager’s Moment- September 2020

Thank you to our many CERT members & partners who have assisted VERT efforts over the past 5 months. Here is a summary of what the Virtual Emergency Response Team is doing.

VERT Update

Nicole Twaalfhoven joined us for our June General Membership meeting talking about crisis management and mental health. This was a great presentation with a Q&A session afterwards. The slides that were presented are attached for any future reference. Nicole started her career as a childhood development specialist and family/couples counselor. She is […]

June General Meeting Special Guest: Nicole Twaalfhoven

COVID-19 Contact Tracing with Coursera The COVID-19 crisis has created an unprecedented need for contact tracing across the country, requiring thousands of people to learn key skills quickly. The job qualifications for contact tracing positions differ throughout the country and the world, with some new positions open to individuals with a high […]

Contact Tracing with Coursera and Red Cross Mapping Opportunities

Please see the latest newsletter from our neighboring county CERT organization in Alexandria, VA. There is a great article about the secondary effects of pandemics as it relates to COVID-19.

Alexandria, VA CERT May & June Newsletter

Dear CERTs: I hope you and your dear ones are well and are weathering these difficult times safely. I thought you would appreciate a report on what your CERT organization has been doing over the last two months or so. I’ve asked the Montgomery CERT COVID19 Task Force to give […]

Program Manager’s Moment- May 2020

CERT Members: As of TODAY, March 21, 2020, we have been activated to assist the county in the COVID-19 response efforts. Our help was requested by the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security and approved by the Fire Chief. You can expect to see several communications from us over […]

Important Message from our Program Manager Greg St. James

Due to the recent events surrounding the Coronavirus situation, Montgomery County CERT recognizes the need to create a safe environment for all event participants.  Therefore, it is in the best interest of students and CPR Instructors that we postpone the Friends and Family CPR/AED class scheduled for Thursday, March 19 at the Public Safety Headquarters.  […]

Friends & Family CPR Class 3/19/20 Postponed

Montgomery CERT CPR Instructors Greg St. James, David Schwartzman and Jennifer St. James, as well as our outreach coordinator (Kevin Barth) participated in a very important hands-only CPR demo on Friday, February 7th at Bohrer Park Community Center in Gaithersburg. As a highlight of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Xi […]

Montgomery CERT at Pink Goes Red- Hands Only CPR Demo!

I hope this new year finds you healthy and safe and ready to learn and grow with us. We have a busy and exciting 2020 ahead . Here are some things to look for: FEMA has issued a revised CERT curriculum. MC CERT is working to integrate the changes and […]

Program Manager’s Moment- Winter, 2020

Happy Holidays to you and yours from all of us here at Montgomery County CERT. December has proven to be a busy month with the CERT annual Holiday Party, Teen CERT,  a Friends and Family CPR class, and continuing work on new FEMA CERT training standards for 2020. FEMA says […]

Program Manager’s Moment- December, 2019

Here are some great winter tips from FEMA. Happy and safe Holidays to all: Greg St. JamesCERT Program ManagerMontgomery County Fire and RescuePSHQ 2nd Floor100 Edison Park DriveGaithersburg, MD 20878240-777-2407Greg.St.James@montgomerycountymd.gov Preparing for Winter Weather With winter approaching, be sure to look through your emergency kit and add supplies specific to […]

Program Manager’s Moment, November, 2019

October so far has proven to be an extra busy month for Montgomery County CERT.  First off, a belated congratulations to the graduates of CERT Basic Class 19-03 who received their FEMA certificates on September 28. Well done one and all! The final CERT Basic class for this year is […]

Program Manager’s Moment- October 2019

As you may know, September is preparedness month. There are so many different ways we can be prepared that I have been wondering where to begin. Then I learned something new: we can be prepared simply by getting enough sleep. Montgomery County CERT was privileged to host a presentation at our […]

Program Manager’s Moment- September, 2019

Happy Dog Days of August! Our Dog Cooper wanted me to use this time to remind you all of several important events:  CONGRATS to CERT Basic 19-02 who graduated 26 brand new CERTS on August 10! Great job by our students and instructors.  CERT Basic 19-03 is open and filling fast. This class […]

Program Manager’s Moment- August, 2019

So.. July 4th is here again, landing with a Crack and Boom, and a Splash in the midst of a very busy month for Montgomery County CERT. Our Go Team is rocking the 4th with multiple deployments this month in support of firework displays and a twilight run. CERT Basic 19-02 […]

Program Manager’s Moment- July 2019

June brings a very busy month to Montgomery County CERT as we roll into a full schedule summer of activities. First, we are very pleased to welcome the new Division of Volunteer Services Chief Michael Kelley on board as he begins his tenure. Chief Kelley has told me he looks […]

Program Manager’s Moment- June, 2019

May 2019 is the first ever Stop The Bleed Month, and at Montgomery CERT we are great supporters of learning hemorrhage control techniques.  We have offered several Stop The Bleed courses in the past and plan to offer more this year. Watch this space! Greg St. JamesCommunity Emergency Response Team […]

Program Manager’s Moment- May, 2019

Happy April to all! Congrats to our new slate of 2019/20 CERT officers elected on April 11 for a one-year term. Thank you to the other candidates and our election committee for all of their efforts. Please visit our http://montgomerycert.org/about_us/personnel/ page for an updated list of our leadership team, as […]

Program Manager’s Moment- April, 2019

As we roll into spring 2019 there is a lot to report on: CERT Basic 19-01 is well underway with an engaged (and engaging!) group of new CERT students. Grant funding is being renewed for the next cycle, so I hope to be able to announce date for CERT Basic 19-02 […]

Program Manager’s Moment- March 2019

Welcome to Montgomery CERT 2019. This year looks to be a very active one for MC CERT. We expect to offer multiple CERT Basic classes, CERT refresher classes, CPR for friends, family and the community, a Teen CERT class, and much more. Our Go Team has a number of active […]

Program Manager’s Moment- February, 2019

Well… the Holidays are in full swing, the parties, the goodies, the warmth of family and friends…for most of us anyway. I thought we might spare a thought or two this season for the ones among us who are struggling at this time of year. The first word of CERT […]

Program Manager’s Moment- December 2018

November 2018 finds me reflecting on how quickly time passes. When we are younger we think that some things last forever, and the future is impossibly far away.  Were that it was so… however, as we mature a bit, we learn that all good things must come to an end. […]

Program Manager’s Moment- November, 2018

Yesterday, we had over 35 attendees at the CERT skills refresher course. Thanks to David Steele & Kristen Wear for teaching the class. Participants brushed up on RPM, head-to-toe assessments and other essential CERT related skills. It was a busy 3 hours of training, and everyone received certificates at the […]

Successful CERT Refresher Training!

Marcie Roth was able to visit Montgomery CERT and the October General Membership Meeting to present the topic of CERT and the disability population. To view this, please click the link below.   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ea8XBYYLgHv-T3NUL6CpO2a0tvInpOtX/view?usp=sharing  

Marcie Roth Visits our October 2018 CERT General Meeting!

Montgomery CERT provides public safety information and assists the Glen Echo Fire Department with demonstrations at GEFD’s annual open house. CERT Members from L-R (Kevin Barth, ian Golub, Robert Lule, Liljana Stevceva, Rochelle Weisberger, Brett Wernick, and Toly Yarup)    

Montgomery CERT Volunteers at the Glen Echo Fire Department 10-21-18!

October is here bringing changing colors, falling leaves, and lots of CERT activities. We continue Friends and family CPR classes, GoTeam drills and planning, general meeting presentations, 800 MHz radio training, and outreach events. As I look at the list of volunteers and events, I am reminded that as in […]

Program Manager’s Moment- October 2018

Somehow, September is here again, and the lazy days of summer have slipped away once again as we rush head-first into fall. At Montgomery County CERT, we have opened up registration opportunities for a full slate of fall preparedness activities. There are five friends and family CPR/AED classes now open, […]

Program Manager’s Moment- September 2018

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training Do you know how to assist your neighbors and co-workers in any emergency situation? Will you be able to help if Emergency Services are delayed? If your answer was not a resounding yes, then consider taking the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training course […]

CERT Basic #2018-05 Graduation December 15th, 2018