Real friends. Real skills. Real impact. Join the Christian County Citizen Corps — CERT, MRC, Fire Corps, or DART.
Real Friends. Real Skills. Real Impact.
For most volunteer opportunities, individuals are required to take the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. To learn more about CERT training, click here.
The mission of the Citizen Corps Council of Christian County is to ensure that the county is safe and prepared for emergencies and disasters, including terrorism, that broadly affect our community, by engaging citizens, public safety agencies, faith-based groups, civic organizations and other groups in preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery and working in partnerships with other agencies.
Citizen Corps asks you to embrace the personal responsibility to be prepared; to get training in first aid and emergency skills; and to volunteer to support local emergency responders, disaster relief, and community safety.
Take the CERT Training to become part of the Citizen Corps!
Community Preparedness is not the work of any one group. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of every citizen in every community. The Citizen Corps Council extends an open invitation to all residents of Christian County to join in the movement to enhance safety for us all. Specifically, you can prepare and participate by focusing on the following areas:
Citizen Corps is split into several different groups.
If a disaster happens that overwhelms local response capability, CERT members can apply the training learned in the classroom and during exercises to give critical support to their family, loved ones, neighbors or associates in their immediate area until help arrives. When help does arrive, CERTs provide useful information to responders and support their efforts, as directed, at the disaster site. CERT members can also assist with non-emergency projects that improve the safety of the community. CERTs have been used to distribute and/or install smoke alarms, replace smoke alarm batteries in the home of elderly, distribute disaster education material, provide services at special events, such as parades, sporting events, concerts and more.
We are currently recruiting Christian County Medical Professionals to participate in the Medical Reserve Corps. If you should accept a position as a Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) volunteer, you could be called upon to assist with public health efforts in times of special need or disaster, e.g. during a major communicable disease outbreak, an earthquake, flood, or an act of terrorism. MRCs bring volunteers together to supplement existing local emergency plans and resources.
Members of an MRC may also want to volunteer their time throughout the year in order to promote community public health and education. Please bear in mind that this position is strictly of a volunteer nature and you would never be required to participate in any event that would cause a hardship for you with either your work or personal situation. Click here for the MRC Welcome Packet.
Fire Corps is the key component of Citizen Corps that supports and supplements resource constrained fire and EMS departments through the use of citizen advocates for non-operational activities. Fire Corps provides information to fire and EMS departments nationwide on how to implement a citizen advocate program and promote it in their community. Fire Corps is coordinated nationally through a collaborative partnership of the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Volunteer Combination Officers Section, the International Association of Fire Fighters, the National Volunteer Fire Council, and the U.S. Fire Administration.
Fire and EMS Departments can engage citizens who are interested in assisting the department in a variety of nonoperational activities.
Citizen advocates who aid departments in non-operational activities allow first responders to focus their efforts on being prepared for and responding to the most critical, life-threatening situations. Everyone can do something to support their local fire and emergency service departments.
DART is a network of agencies, and individuals committed to responding to the needs of the animal population in disaster situations throughout Christian County. DART’s mission is to provide a timely and effective response to any intentional or unintentional emergency involving animals, including, but not limited to: bioterrorism, agriterrorism, emerging infectious disease, man-made or natural events.
DART Goals:
