DID YOU KNOW?

In 95 percent of all emergencies, the victim or bystander provides the first immediate assistance on the scene. Would you feel confident that you would know what to do?

Atchison County Emergency Management is creating a volunteer resource that is part of Atchison County's operational capability following a disaster. This is called Atchison County CERT (Community Emergency Response Team. This team will take a 9 week Academy (free of charge for Atchison County residents) that consists of training on Fire Safety, Medical Operations, First Aid, CPR, Light Search and Rescue, Terrorism Preparedness, Disaster Psychology, Etc. Once you have completed the 9 week course you will receive a certificate of completion. 

At the end of the CERT Academy you will also be able to decide whether you would like to apply to join Atchison County Cert and be a part of the response team, or if you would rather just use the knowledge you gained during the Academy to help yourself, family and possibly even neighbors in the event of a large scale disaster. BOTH of these options are completely acceptable and appropriate. There are links at the bottom of this page for CERT Application and Academy Registration. If you would like to only take the Academy, fill out the Academy Registration. If you would like to take the academy and join the Atchison County CERT please fill out both forms, all registrations and applications should be emailed to cert@atcoks.org or mailed to Atchison County CERT 10443 US Hwy 59, Atchison KS 66002. If you are unsure or need more information being a part of the CERT everyone is welcomed and encouraged to come be a part of our Academy and gain useful knowledge about disaster/crisis preparedness and decide later in the course if the team is right for you or not. 

Atchison County CERT's will not participate in medical, fire or search and rescue operations beyond their level of training. They will not suppress large fires, enter structures that they consider heavily damaged or dangerous. They also will not go outside chain-of-command and do anything outside of Atchison County CERT's standard operating procedures and/or policies.  

During non-emergency/disaster times our Atchison County CERT will have a concentration on three main things. Training, Teaching and Community Volunteerism. The CERT will meet once a month for a training and operational review meeting. Atchison County CERT will also participate in teaching disaster/emergency/severe weather safety do different community organizations including local elementary classrooms. We will also choose specific community focused goals and work very closely with other non-profit agencies already established in Atchison County to "fill in the gaps" and serve Atchison County Residents in the most complete way possible. 

Click here for Atchison County CERT Application

Click here for Academy Registration