Glynn County's First CERT Team

Thursday February 1, 2024

Glynn County’s First CERT is Shaping Up for Success

Deputy Director of Emergency, Sharon Courson and Director of Glynn County Search and Rescue, James Stewart, visited ProPac on January 25th to pick up their customized CERT Kits. Both are excited about their new and first CERT based in Glynn County, Georgia.

Transferring to Glynn County, including Brunswick and St. Simons Island, Courson saw an opportunity for increased awareness and safety in her community. Fortunately, the Director of Emergency Management & Homeland Security, Andrew Leanza had previous experience with CERT. Once the idea was presented to create a team of their own, everyone was on board.

Setting an initial goal of 30 attendees for their first training session, the facilitators were excited to learn that 54 people signed up for the introductory course.

“Even if they just do the training and never join the team, they are still great in their community and they can help,” explained Courson, discussing the overarching goal for the initiative.

 From medical training to distributing go bags for weather emergencies, ensuring your community is prepared for emergencies is vital. Starting a CERT group for your local community is a first step in improving safety.

CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Team. The purpose of CERT is to teach volunteers new skills through drills and courses to better serve their communities.

In many cases, Emergency Response Teams are overloaded with calls and responsibilities. With the help of CERT, more basic situations can be taken care of by volunteers so that the more pressing and urgent emergencies are left to professional emergency responders.

To register a CERT for your community, check out FEMA’s registration page and learn more about the process!