Smithfield CERT

The Smithfield Emergency Management Agency has established the Smithfield EMA Community
Emergency Response Team (CERT) as part of a national initiative to create a ready reserve corps of
disaster responders.

Active members of the CERT team complete a standardized twenty-hour curriculum developed by the
Los Angeles County Fire Department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Instructors of
this course have been trained by the United States Department of Homeland Security. Smithfield EMA
CERT volunteers meet monthly to continuously develop skills so that they are an effective resource
within Smithfield's emergency response system.

Some of the duties of the Smithfield CERT team are: staff and manage emergency shelters for persons
displaced by disasters, fill sandbags used to hold back flood waters from damaging residential and
commercial buildings, staff the Town Medical Emergency Distribution System (MEDS) clinics should a
public health emergency occur, provide assistance within the Emergency Operating Center (EOC) when
activated and help to educate the public about the importance of disaster preparedness.

To learn more about the national CERT program, please visit United States Citizens Corps or for more
information about how CERT was originated, visit Los Angeles CERT.

If your interested in becoming a Member of the Smithfield EMA CERT, please complete our on-line
volunteer application.