Spartanburg CERT is a division of the Spartanburg County Office of Emergency Management.  Local government prepares for everyday emergencies. However, during a disaster, the number and scope of incidents can overwhelm conventional emergency services. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program is an all-risk, all-hazard training. This valuable course is designed to help you protect yourself, your family, your neighbors and your neighborhood in an emergency situation. 

Since Spartanburg CERT's creation in August, 2005, it has become the largest CERT program in SC with 1,366 people trained since its creation.  To reach this number, our program has conducted 72 training sessions, over 300 plus classes, and well over 1,300 hours committed to reaching this number.  To say our volunteer instructors are dedicated would be an understatement.  Blessed from the beginning with a great core group, our program has grown thanks to their dedication and the dedication of all of our CERT volunteer instructors past and/or present.  Since 2008, our program has not only focused on providing Basic CERT Training to the public, it's provided additional training opportunities to those who have completed the Basic CERT Training.

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Starting in 2008 and having grown since, Advanced CERT offers our Basic CERT members an opportunity to assist their community without there being a major CERT activation. Since it's creation, numerous CERT members have taken training in Ham Radio, First Responder, Wilderness Search, Wide Area Search, Sheltering, Disaster Animal Response Team and much more.

Basic CERT members who are willing to make the time commitment can consider becoming part of Advanced CERT. CERT members often take training and choose to be involved in one or several of the five divisions of the Advanced CERT program:

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• Spartanburg Search & Rescue

• Support Services

• Sheltering

• Disaster Animal Response

• Emergency Communications

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Since 2008, this program has responded or provided a service to 200 incidents/event.  We are very proud of our accomplishments and look forward to what the future holds.  For those who have been part of this journey, thank you for all you've done and will hopefully continue to do as we strive to serve the greater good.