Members of the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Community Emergency Response Team, or C.E.R.T., were recently honored by the St. Bernard Parish Council for volunteering their time to serve as supplement first-responders in certain emergencies.
The CERT volunteers are under the overall umbrella of U.S. Homeland Security. In St. Bernard, CERT is funded by St. Bernard Parish government through a Homeland Security grant.
Using the training provided to them through classroom and field exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help.