Fulton County Fire Department (FCFD) and Atlanta–Fulton County Emergency Management Agency (AFCEMA) are cognizant of the need to educate and prepare individuals to self sustain themselves for up to 72 hours in the case of an act of God or man-made incident.

The main goal of CERT (Community Emergency Response Training) is to educate and prepare a citizen for emergencies. Statistics shows that there is on average, one (1) firefighter for every 280 people. It is a misconception that public safety will be the first to arrive and respond at every incident. Usually, the first person usually on the scene is the bystander. CERT’s aim is to train the citizen to survive and assist in emergency situations at their skill level of training without placing themselves or the person(s) that they are attempting to help in harm’s way.

CERT’s aspiration is to equip all citizens with the proper tools and knowledge needed for an effective integrated response and to reduce the harmful, physical, mental effects associated with disaster relief. CERT is a training program that empowers community members to take charge in their communities and to collaborate effectively with emergency personnel.

The training is free; however, the skills learned are invaluable.

CERT realizes that the way people respond is in direct correlation to the way that they are trained.

For additional information, please contact Natalie Riggs, Chief Administrative Officer at (404) 612-5700.