Maryland Department of Emergency Management

Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) in Maryland

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​A header image consisting of a photo of outstretched hands sharing a box of donated food items, along with a handshake icon and the label 'CERT in Maryland'. The logo of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program appears in the bottom right.  


The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program trains everyday residents to safely help themselves, their families, and their neighbors during emergencies.

CERT volunteers support local emergency responders before, during, and after disasters by providing basic life-saving assistance, damage assessment, and organized community support.

In Maryland, CERT programs operate at the local level rather than being organized by MDEM itself. Most are managed by county or municipal emergency management offices. Use the section below to help find a CERT program near you. 

Note: This page contains links to external websites. Those links are marked with this icon:   . Pages targeted by those links are not managed by the State of Maryland and may not be fully digitally accessible. The State of Maryland provides them as suggested resources only, and not through any contractual, licensing, or other formal arrangement; and disclaims any liability relating to their accessibility status.




Find an Active CERT Program​



These aren't the only ones, though! Maryland has CERT programs operating at the city, county, and community levels, so there may be a CERT hosted near you that isn't listed here. 

The best way to find out about CERT programs near you is to visit your city or county emergency management website, or contact their emergency management office.

If you can't find a CERT program in your area:

  1. Contact your local emergency management office and ask if CERT training is offered (sometimes training may be available even without a full program being active).
  2. Ask if your jurisdiction partners with a neighboring county or municipality for CERT training.
  3. Check back with the resources listed above periodically. Some CERT programs may update or become more active at different times throughout the year.




Learn about CERT


What CERT members DO:

  • Learn about disaster preparedness, disaster psychology, team organization, fire suppression, fire safety, and more!
  • Practice basic medical operations, first aid, and light search & rescue techniques
  • Train to help support local response efforts when called upon
  • Serve as advocates & volunteers to support community resilience efforts before disasters happen

What CERT members DO NOT do:

  • Self-deploy - CERT members work as part of a team, responding in an organized way when their help is called for
  • Replace professional first responders - CERT members learn valuable skills and can be very helpful, but they are no substitute for trained firefighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians, and the like. They are there to help the pros, not replace the pros.


CERT is about being prepared, informed, and connected. Training focuses on personal safety first, followed by helping others when professional responders are delayed or overwhelmed.





Want to Start (or Restart) a CERT?


CERT programs are created by and for involved Marylanders like you! If your town, workplace, or other community doesn't currently have an active CERT program and you're interested in starting a new one (or reviving an old one that hasn't been active for a while):

  1. Reach out to your local emergency management office
  2. Contact us here at MDEM for guidance and support

You can always reach us to learn more by contacting Tasha McNutt at [email protected]. 

We'll be glad to help!


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