The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. CERT offers a consistent, nationwide approach to volunteer training and organization that professional responders can rely on during disaster situations, allowing them to focus on more complex tasks.
Although CERT is a national program, it is sponsored and managed locally, adhering to national (FEMA) standards and tailored to each jurisdiction. Allen CERT is sponsored by, and operates under, the Allen Fire Department. The program has trained more than 200 residents of Allen since 2005 and currently has an active membership of more than 150 trained responders.
When called upon, Allen CERT will organize and respond to augment professional first responders to help mitigate the long term effects of a disaster and/or gather intelligence to aid in their response. In addition to disaster response, we also participate in community events providing traffic control, first aid stations, security, communications, and public information.
To join the next training class go to https://www.allentxcert.org/join/
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CERT Basic Training
Thank you for your interest in joining the Allen CERT program! Since 2005, we have trained nearly 300 residents of Allen Texas and currently have more than 180 active members that are trained and ready to respond when disaster strikes.
Our primary goal is to train residents how to prepare for catastrophe, while our second and most fulfilling objective is to recruit trained responders to assist the organized response to disaster.
To become and Allen CERT Responder, you must complete an instructor-led Basic Training course. This course is held annually, in the fall, typically starting late-August. Classes are held Thursday evenings, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM for 8 weeks, followed by a Saturday morning exercise and graduation ceremony. The total time commitment is about 24 hours.
Topics covered include:
- Disaster Preparedness
- CERT Organization
- Emergency Communications
- Disaster Medical Operations
- Search & Rescue
- Disaster Psychology
- Local Hazards
You must live or work in the City of Allen, and pass a criminal background check to be eligible. Minors (under 18 years of age) may attend training with a legal guardian but will not be credentialed.
100% attendance is required by FEMA to complete the course and be certified.
If you have already completed a FEMA CERT Basic Training course in another jurisdiction, you can submit your completion certificate to training@allentxcert.org to be incorporated into the Allen CERT program. No additional qualifications are necessary.
Completing the application below will add you to the mailing list for our 2024 fall class. Submitting an application is not a commitment to attend nor a guarantee of a secured seat. Basic Training 2024 will kick off with a 1-hour Orientation on a Thursday evening in August. Regular class will begin the following Thursday, and occurs every Thursday evening, 6:45 PM to roughly 9:00 PM for an additional 7 weeks. The final class will take place on a Saturday morning. We will be reaching out to all applicants in July with the full schedule and next steps. At that time, seats will be reserved in the order responses are received. Applications received after August 10 will be added to our fall 2025 mailing list.
Disaster Simulation Volunteer Victim
We are looking for volunteers to assist with our Annual Allen Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Disaster Simulation Training Exercise. In general, we need volunteers age 18 or older; or scout troop members who are accompanied by their scout leader; or other age appropriate children accompanied by their parents. We need some 50+ volunteers to play two key roles. First, our need is for simulated injured victims from severe weather complete with used (possibility of never to be used again) clothing that may be ripped. These folks will need assistance to exit our simulated damaged area with follow-up medical staging and simulated wound care. Second, is a need for individuals to play the role of what we refer to as “walking wounded”. These are individuals who have little or no simulated injuries but will need guidance to exit our simulated scene.
This is good fun for co-workers, families, scout troops and civic minded people to train our newest CERT volunteers for future emergency response. This CERT program operates as part of the Allen Fire Department community education.
The 2023 exercise has been scheduled for Saturday, October 28, from 7:15 AM to 11:30 AM. The location for 2023 will be communicated closer to the event, and only to registered volunteers.
Our Mission
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. CERT offers a consistent, nationwide approach to volunteer training and organization that professional responders can rely on during disaster situations, allowing them to focus on more complex tasks.
Although CERT is a national program, it is sponsored and managed locally, adhering to national (FEMA) standards but tailored to each jurisdiction. Allen CERT is sponsored by, and operates under, the Allen Fire Department. The program has trained more than 200 residents of Allen since 2005 and currently has an active membership of more than 160 trained responders.
When called upon, Allen CERT will organize and respond to augment professional first responders to help mitigate the long term effects of a disaster and/or gather intelligence to aid in their response. In addition to disaster response, we also participate in community events in staff roles (e.g., traffic, security, communications) or public information for education and recruitment.
